The Independent

A new feature on iPhone is creating more calls for the St. Clair Township fire department.

This morning around 4 am, crews were called to a vehicle accident on Bentpath Line. It was a false alarm.

Chief Richard Boyes says this is the second time the department has been called to an accident because of a new crash detection feature on iPhone 15s and up. It acts similar to the OnStar system in some vehicles, calling police when there is a crash. But, Boyes says, the iPhone version is sensitive

“If you drop the phone in the car, it picks it up as a crash and calls it in,” he says. “It auto calls, which is good…but if I’m getting out of my car and I drop my phone…it triggers an emergency response.”

First responders are immediately dispatched because “someone has to make sure there isn’t a crash.”

The most recent case, dispatchers were able to reach the owner of the phone and confirm there wasn’t a problem.

Boyes recommends people with the newer phones keep a close eye on their phones, particularly after they’ve been dropped. The phone will show an emergency call has been made and he recommends the owners of the phone simply call police to let them know what happened.