Lost and found by phone

Cell phones now include GPS tracking devices so 911 dispatchers can locate callers. This came in handy when a woman called 911 in Plymouth County because she was stuck in a ditch and didn't know where she was. The dispatcher said she might have frozen to death if the tracker hadn't located her. [Click to enlarge]

But the rural Sioux City woman's call was different.

She didn't know where she was to tell rescuers where to find her.

It was actually her cell phone that saved her.

According to the sheriff's report, the dispatcher used a locater tool activated by Rush's cell phone when she dialed 911.

When responders tracked her location and arrived to the scene, west of the intersection of K-22 and Highway 3, they found Rush's vehicle.

But the car was empty.

The responders found Rush's footprints in the snow and followed them about one half mile down the road. There they found her, laying in the snow.

"Without the cell phone tracker, she'd be froze right there," said Kirk Hatting of the Plymouth County emergency dispatch.

All recent cell phones are built with a GPS (global positioning system) tracker inside, Hatting said.

Every cell phone call that goes to 911 will go through a system that will automatically map the caller's location, he explained.

"It works just like any GPS system -- as long as you have a clear line of visibility to the satellite, we'll be able to find you," he said.

Having a clear line of visibility means more than having cell phone signal.

"It does not go through the roof of your car," Hatting said. "Sometimes we'll tell people, 'Hold your cell phone out of your car.'"

Fog, rain, snow and trees don't affect the tracker, though, he added.

To ensure your cell phone's GPS tracker would work in case of emergency, Hatting suggests updating your cell phone regularly.

Hatting recommended doing this once a month:

Dial *228 and hit "send."

Then choose option 2.

"It's a free call," Hatting explained. "What that does is puts all the new software in the phone that the companies have put in the tower. It keeps your roaming capabilities up to date."

That way, if you go out of the state, the 911 dispatcher there could locate you through your phone if you call in an emergency.

"Keep your roaming capabilities up to date, and we'll be able to find you," Hatting said.