Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.csd.uwm.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!wuarchive!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway From: casey@well.sf.ca.us (Kathleen Creighton) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Pay Phones/Earthquakes Message-ID:Date: 17 Aug 89 12:48:21 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Lines: 46 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 308, message 11 of 11 I saw "Surviving the Big One" produced by KCET (PBS) in Los Angeles and narrated by an LA fireman. One of the statements he made was that in the event of a major earthquake which disrupts local phone service, we would still be able to call *out of state* via pay phones. He recommended, therefore, that California residents make use of (and let other people in the family know about) an out-of-state contact who would then relay information to others calling in. As a San Francisco resident, this whole problem of communication in the event of a major earthquake concerns me but I have *never* heard of the supposed availability of pay phone communication in such event. Can someone clear this up for me? (As an aside, he also said that the telco can only tolerate 10% of its pay phones being offhook at the same time so when you see a pay phone offhook after an earthquake, hang it up.) ====================================== [Moderator's Note: I am not sure why the *in-state/out-of-state* distinction was made. Did the commentator somehow feel that central offices handling long distance calls were somehow more immune to earthquakes or other problems? And likewise, why did he think payphones were more reliable? A payphone inside a building which has collapsed is just as damaged as a private phone therein. The wires leading to/from them are as easily damaged; by an earthquake at least if not necessarily human vandals. Regards hanging up phones left off hook, that is a gracious thing to do. All telcos are able to provide simulataneous service to only about ten or fifteen percent of their customers at one time; and an even smaller number can be offered dial tone at the same time. This is not a condition attributable just to coin phones. When all circuits/switching equipment/dial tone generators are busy, other customers sit with a 'dead' phone at their ear waiting. Actually, the worst thing anyone can do in a time of national emergency is jump on the phone. Stay off if possible. The night Martin King was asassinated in April, 1968, nearly everyone in the Chicago-Monroe CO went off hook at the same time. It damn near ruined the switch, which never did work right after that. Remember, stay off the phone so that people who must use it for emergency duties can do so without delay. If necessary, the CO *can* shut off service to all but emergency numbers if desired. On Pearl Harbor Day, Sunday, December 7, 1941, the (then mostly manual) phone system in Chicago was so overtaxed that beginning at 1:00 PM that day the operators answered everyone who went off hook by saying "Emergency calls only! No other calls are being handled now..." And until about 10 PM that night, *no one* could use the phone except as emergencies dictated. PT]