What is 911?
Although Great Britain was the first country to establish a universal emergency telephone number, America’s first 911 system was established in the small town of Haleyville, Alabama in 1968. In November of 1967, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) met with American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT& T) officials to determine a national number that could be implemented quickly. AT&T decided that 9-1-1 was the best combination for the emergency number. It was an easy number to remember and hadn’t been used previously as an area or service code. The telephone company’s equipment could be easily adjusted to accept the number.
After reading about the plan to establish this new universal number, the president of the Alabama Telephone Company Bob Gallagher, set out to establish the system in Haleyville, Alabama. On February 16, 1968, Alabama State Senator Rankin Fite made the first 911 call from Haleyville Mayor James Whitt’s office. It was answered in the Haleyville Police Department by U.S. Representative Tom Bevill.
Under the direction of Chief Ronald H. Karn, Washington County implemented a 911 system at its first location, 33 West Washington Street in Hagerstown, Maryland. The first 911 calls were directed to the center beginning in August 1984. This basic 911 system displayed the caller’s telephone number on a screen in the center; however the call takers (Emergency Communications Specialists) were still required to ask the caller’s address and other pertinent information. Subsequently, Washington County installed an enhanced 911 system in March 1991, which displayed the telephone number the caller was calling from, the name of the telephone subscriber, and the address. Washington County 911 became Phase II wireless telephone service capable in June 2005. Phase II capable means that the Emergency Communications Specialist will receive the telephone number of the calling cellular telephone, the location of the caller, the location of the cellular tower closest to the caller, and the global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the cellular telephone’s location when 911 is called. Phase II provides more accurate caller location information and thereby allows for a quicker response.
When should you call 911?
Citizens should call 911 whenever they have an emergency, or have witnessed an emergency. The emergency could be a medical, fire, or law enforcement related emergency. Do not call 911 as a joke or to obtain general information such as road closures, weather conditions, the time, etc.
How does 911 work in Washington County?
Although every system is unique, generally a 9-1-1 system works in the following manner:
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The caller dials the three digit emergency number 9-1-1.
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The call is routed to the closest Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).
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A trained call taker at the PSAP answers the call.
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The call taker asks appropriate and pertinent questions to ensure that the correct type of assistance is sent as soon as possible.
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While asking pertinent questions and relaying appropriate caller instructions, the call taker sends the information to a trained dispatcher located in the same room.
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The dispatcher receives the incident location and information via a computer known as a computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system.
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The dispatcher notifies the appropriate fire, police, or EMS agency to respond for the emergency.
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The dispatcher logs information into the CAD until the incident is complete.