Have Alexa call during an emergency, but not 911

Back in 2020, during the first week of April, a Michigan nursing home patient asked her Amazon Echo smart speaker for help dozens of times before she succumbed to COVID-19.

"Alexa, help me. ... I am in pain. I have to find a way to relieve it," LouAnn Dagen said in recordings found by her sister, Penny Dagen.
Penny found more than 40 recordings on her Amazon Echo that showed LouAnn asking for help in her final days.

She reportedly asked her Alexa device "How do I get to the police?" In response, the device gave directions to the nearest police station. 

Amazon Echo devices cannot contact 911 on their own.

Alexa devices can't contact 911 as they do not reliably transmit location data and a callback number in the way phones do, per FCC requirements and regulations, however there are workarounds.

Call Local Fire and Police
One way is to find out the local numbers of your police and fire departments, enter them into your contacts on your phone.

Install the Alexa App on your phone and allow it to have access to your contacts and to make calls.

When you need help and are unable to reach your phone have Alexa call your local fire dept saying the command "Alexa.... call the (your town) fire department". It may offer several phone numbers if your city is large enough, however getting someone on the line would be priority.

Install Noonlight
This is a good option if you don’t have contacts close enough to help you physically in an emergency. With this skill enabled, if you say "Alexa, tell SafeTrek to send help,” a Five Diamond Certified SafeTrek agent will send help to your home.

For more information see the website Noonlight.com

In any case, it's best to be prepared and know how to contact emergency services before the need arises.

Orig posted on April, 11, 2020