Emergency help is closer for many cell phone users who make a 9-1-1 call on the University of California, Davis, campus.

Cell sites around the Davis campus will now route wireless 9-1-1 calls to the public safety dispatch center at UC Davis, instead of to the California Highway Patrol.

The new system -- for those using wireless service providers Verizon, AT&T, Nextel and T-Mobile -- is designed to get emergency police, fire or medical assistance to callers sooner. The wireless 9-1-1 service is among other recent steps to enhance safety, security and emergency response at UC Davis.

At one time, most cell phones were mounted in vehicles, so 9-1-1 calls from cell phones throughout California were routed to the CHP's regional call centers -- sometimes miles away -- and callers could experience long delays before their call was answered and help directed to them.

"Many students and other members of our campus community use cell phones," said Annette Spicuzza, chief of the UC Davis Police Department, which is responsible for the university's public safety dispatch center. "With this wireless 9-1-1 system, we can better get emergency help to them when they're on campus."

The university police department worked with CHP and wireless phone carriers so that wireless 9-1-1 calls are routed according to the cell site receiving and transmitting the signal, and local cell site antennas are directed toward the campus dispatch center. Calls from sites that are aimed at state patrolled highways and roadways are still routed to the California Highway Patrol.

Service providers

Wireless service providers that have been tested and work with the UC Davis dispatch center are: Verizon, AT&T, Nextel and T-Mobile. Cellular customers who do not have these providers should program (530) 752-1230 into their cell phone and use it for emergency calls on the Davis campus.

Wireless call routing has proved effective, Spicuzza said, and many municipalities already have the capability. The city of Davis implemented its wireless 9-1-1 system about a year ago.

The university has its own full-service police and fire departments and has a comprehensive emergency management program. The dispatch center at the police department is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by certified public safety dispatchers. It manages police and fire communications for the Davis campus.

To learn more about the 9-1-1 wireless program, call the UC Davis Police Department at (530) 752-1727.

About UC Davis

For 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has 31,000 students, an annual research budget that exceeds $500 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers.

The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges -- Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science -- and advanced degrees from five professional schools -- Education, Law, Management, Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine.