Joseph T. Burns: “I want to introduce the ``E-911 Act of 1999.'' The purpose of this legislation is to improve 911. By linking some of the…”

“I want to introduce the ``E-911 Act of 1999.'' The purpose of this legislation is to improve 911. By linking some of the amazing innovations in wireless technology to 911 and medical and emergency response professionals we bring our 911 systems into the 21st century. All kinds of technologies exist today that can greatly reduce response time to emergencies and help victims get the right kind of medical attention quickly. But right now these technologies are not connected in ways that can be used for emergencies. That's why this effort to upgrade our 911 systems across the nation is so important and necessary. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has conducted studies showing that crash-to-care time for fatal accidents is about a half hour in urban areas. In rural areas, which covers most of my home state of Montana, that crash-to-care time almost doubles. On average, it takes just shy of an hour to get emergency attention to crash victims in rural areas. Almost half of the serious crash victims who do not receive care in that first hour die at the scene of the accident. That's a scary statistic. In 1997 there were 37,280 fatal motor vehicle crashes in the United States--41,967 people died as a result. Of that number, 2,098 were children.”