Does 9-1-1 work with a landline, that doesn't have a phone account?

[Tik-Tok]

Can't seem to find a definitive answer for Canada. One website suggests that if it's old school twisted pair phone line, it'll work, but I'm not about to try and find out.

[16hypen3sp]

"911 whats your emergency"

"Testing. Testing. 1. 2. 3. Hello. Hello. Testing." Hangs up.

The real test will be seeing if they can call back.

[01RedDX]

.

[speedog]

Dial tone, do you kids even know what that is?

[Swank]

If you did want to try it out call the Calgary PSAP non-emergency 403-264-1022 first to ask if now is an OK time to do a test call, if they aren't currently flooded with calls there shouldn't be an issue.

[pheoxs]

If you really want / need to know just call and then when they answer say sorry I pocket dialed, they'll ask if your safe and you say yeah and thats it.

It happens all the time to them by accident. On a side note, if you ever accidentally do dial 911 or hit the emergency button on your phone whether from your pocket or whatever do not hang up, just answer and tell them a mistake, thats their preference because if it reaches them and then cuts out they don't know if it was an emergency or not and will have to try and call you back.

[rage2]

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Dial tone, do you kids even know what that is?

That's the tone my iPhone makes when I'm dialing the numbers right?

[spikerS]

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If you really want / need to know just call and then when they answer say sorry I pocket dialed, they'll ask if your safe and you say yeah and thats it.

That's not always the case. I have experienced and witnessed multiple times where an accidental call to 911 required the police to attend. We had 4 officers show up in my office after my colleague accidentally dialed, even stayed on the line to say it was an accident. I have also pocket dialed 911 from my cell phone, got called back, I apologized and nothing more was done.

[speedog]

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That's the tone my iPhone makes when I'm dialing the numbers right?

Dial and dial tone, this one in our basement does both...

[pheoxs]

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That's not always the case. I have experienced and witnessed multiple times where an accidental call to 911 required the police to attend. We had 4 officers show up in my office after my colleague accidentally dialed, even stayed on the line to say it was an accident. I have also pocket dialed 911 from my cell phone, got called back, I apologized and nothing more was done.

Well its common for them to ask it two different ways, one a yes and one a no in case someone has you held against your will. 'Are you safe right now' Yes, 'Is anyone forcing you to say that' No.

The only reason they'd send police (my assumption) is if they either answered them wrong or sounded really weird and/or scared on the phone.

Either way, explaining you were checking if an old landline still worked should be a reasonable explanation.

[ShermanEF9]

I don't believe it will work. no dialtone means no connection. TELUS physically disconnects you from their system, and shaw requires external equipment that will not work when disconnected.

[spikerS]

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Well its common for them to ask it two different ways, one a yes and one a no in case someone has you held against your will. 'Are you safe right now' Yes, 'Is anyone forcing you to say that' No.

The only reason they'd send police (my assumption) is if they either answered them wrong or sounded really weird and/or scared on the phone.

Either way, explaining you were checking if an old landline still worked should be a reasonable explanation.

well, your "assumption" is wrong. I was there when it happened, and the call happened on speakerphone. My colleague tried to explain, with her and the rest of us howling in laughter in the background. had 4 officers show up to our office building downtown, and come up to the 13th floor to check on us all. YMMV, but that is my first-hand experience with it.

[ThePenIsMightier]

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well, your "assumption" is wrong. I was there when it happened, and the call happened on speakerphone. My colleague tried to explain, with her and the rest of us howling in laughter in the background. had 4 officers show up to our office building downtown, and come up to the 13th floor to check on us all. YMMV, but that is my first-hand experience with it.

x2.
Offices that require "Press [9] to dial out" have massive problems with this because people accidentally double tap the [1] on a long distance call. The police will attend.

[Swank]

Whether or not police show up is extremely inconsistent. In my 15 years maintaining an office phone system downtown police would show up after some planned tests and not others, same deal with 911 hang ups, dispatch would call back and ask if there is a problem and sometimes dispatch police, sometimes not. I don't know if it had to do with the dispatcher or if there were officers in the area free to do a drop in (or a combination of those variables) but it was always a crap shoot.

Back to the OP, does the phone have dial tone? If so they have stopped billing you but you still have service and should be able to make any calls. I've never heard of a phone with no dial tone being able to call anywhere including 911, I just don't see it happening.

[Xtrema]

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That's not always the case. I have experienced and witnessed multiple times where an accidental call to 911 required the police to attend. We had 4 officers show up in my office after my colleague accidentally dialed, even stayed on the line to say it was an accident. I have also pocket dialed 911 from my cell phone, got called back, I apologized and nothing more was done.

I think that's a landline thing. Got an aunt back in the day tried to call long distance starts with 011 and instead dialed 911 and cops showed up and we all had a laugh.

For cell phone, I once held the wrong key and called emergency and they call back and I said it's pocket dial and nothing more was done.

[Swank]

I don't think it would make sense to dispatch anyone to a cell phone call as the location is harder to nail down (if PSAP even has the tech to do so) and by the time they get to where they think the call was made you could be long gone.