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Comment by dfc | Hacker News Reader

I dont get the plot. He got text messages to his flatmate, but the one asking his flatmate to call the council never made it. So his flatmate is dumb enough to need explicit instructions to call for help when a friend says they are trapped? Or were the first few texts he sent "hey whats up?" and "doing anything later?"? Why have your flatmate call "the council" when the obvious ask, and the one requested via email, was to call the fire brigade?

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I cannot remember for this building specifically, but I've noticed in others that the emergency instructions are indeed to call the council.

I was the flatmate. We never got a message through. I was busy on my own side courting a fine lady, and did not expect any sort of communication. I learned of the story only the next day, when I went back to work.

The building in question is operated by the city council, which did great for low rent. I think many people, me included, would have thought of calling the council first, before the fire brigade, as the city keeps technicians round the clock (supposedly) to deal with such problems.

I'm rather pleased by the elegant use of this software for such a situation.

Perhaps from the first two text messages didn't have enough information to tell what elevator he was stuck in?

Take your pick for my first txt:

  EMERGENCY trapped in our lift
  PAN-PAN trapped in our lift
  911 trapped in our lift

Are we golfing text messages?

    SOS stuk in our lift

    SOSstukinourlift

As I'm from Yorkshire

    SOSstckint'lift

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