by AllThingsECC.com | Feb 18, 2022 | Comm Center News
The first 9-1-1 call was made on February 16 in 1968.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The National 9-1-1 Program acknowledged its 50th anniversary yesterday, February 16, celebrating half a century of providing emergency 9-1-1 call communications for U.S. citizens.
According to the 9-1-1 Program, before the first 9-1-1 call was made available on February 16, 1968, people had to dial 10-digit phone numbers to report issues to police authorities, fire departments, and all other emergency services.
The Memphis Police Department of Emergency Communications Bureau reported that their employees answer over 650,000 9-1-1 calls each year, maintaining an average answer time of 10 seconds or less…
by ECC Editor | Feb 18, 2022 | Comm Center News
People in Jackson County now have another way to alert 9-1-1 in case of emergency.
Johnny Robinson, the county’s 9-1-1 director, said the county has had the capability to accept text messages in emergency situations for about two years. However, he added, a lot of people haven’t known.
“If you can call, call us,” said Robinson. “There are times, though, a call might not be possible. For instance, if someone is in your home, you can’t make any noise, you can text rather than call… READ MORE
by ECC Editor | Feb 18, 2022 | Comm Center News
Shelby County 9-1-1 dispatchers will now be working 12-hour shifts on a six-month trial basis after the County Council approved the switch during Tuesday’s monthly meeting.
Jason Abel, director of the 9-1-1 center, requested his employees be permitted to work 12-hour shifts instead of eight due to the amount of overtime they were working.
The amount of overtime was budgeted for $20,400 and the county had already paid $14,000 at the beginning of this year because of employees coming in early or staying late to fill in. There are four dispatch positions currently open at the center, causing employees to have to work those additional hours… READ MORE
by ECC Editor | Feb 18, 2022 | Comm Center News
ALABAMA – On February 16, 1968, Senator Rankin Fite completed the first 9-1-1 call made in the United States in Haleyville, Alabama. The serving telephone company was then Alabama Telephone Company. This Haleyville 9-1-1 system is still in operation today.
9-1-1 or the “Universal Emergency Number,” was proposed to be a nationwide telephone number service and gave citizens fast easy access to emergency services. It took over 10 years for the idea to come to fruition. The idea came from the National Association of Fire Chiefs recommended use of a single number for reporting fires in 1957. In 1967 the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice recommended that a single number should be established for purpose of emergency situations… READ MORE
by AllThingsECC.com | Feb 17, 2022 | Comm Center News
Sanjoy Datta, director of systems for the LAPD Emergency Command Control Communication Systems Division, says that while these are powerful mechanisms, they still leave room for radio backhaul as a useful and even necessary alternative.
Given the possibility that cell service may drop in an emergency situation, “I don’t think we want to put all our eggs into that cellular basket,” Datta says.
“We are still interested in trying to see what improvements can be made on the radio side,” he says. “Among other things, we are in earthquake country here, and we’ve got to make a system survivable…
by AllThingsECC.com | Feb 17, 2022 | Comm Center News
SAN ANGELO — There are more than 120,000 people across Tom Green County, yet when disaster strikes, one of 16 people will be the first step to getting help.
When someone calls 911 in San Angelo — whether the call involves a pocket-dial or a massive fire — one of the first calls go the San Angelo Communications Center’s emergency dispatchers.
With 24 people on staff, 16 of them working on calls and sending first responders, every person on the team wants the same thing, to help people…
