September 21, 2021
Jim Evancho
Many Calhoun County residents don’t know that when you dial 911 you are calling a very specific building within the county. The Calhoun County Journal met with Brad Campbell, Systems Manager, and Kevin Jenkins, Director, to learn more about the center and the services it provides. Since their inception in 1986 the 911 center has been responsible for taking emergency calls for just about all police, fire and EMS departments and have the responsibility to get the correct information out to them as quickly as possible.
When a call taker is speaking to you an emergency response begins the minute a 911 call is answered by a call taker. Your address is dispatched to the responding agency and while they are enroute to the location of the emergency they are continuously updated with new information that the call taker receives during the call. The 911 call taker is asking questions that will help the first responders know more about the emergency they are going to, all of this is happening in real time. The technology and radio system used by the 911 center and first responders allows for constant communications and faster response times and better preparation for when they arrive.
The 911 Communications District is a local governmental agency created by resolution of the Calhoun County Commission under provision of State Legislature. Funding primarily comes from the 911 surcharges that are a part of every cell phone and landline telephone bill. The funds are collected by the phone carrier and then paid to the 911 fund where it is dispersed to the various communications centers throughout Alabama. The funds are used to maintain operations of the emergency communication equipment, staffing, mapping and GIS, administration, and the call center itself. However these funds are not sufficient to completely cover the all operations and maintenance of the radio equipment and support equipment to keep all services operating smoothly.
Not only is the 911 center responsible for taking calls they are also operating the radio system that 1st responders utilize while working. Located deep inside the building is a huge bank of servers that are necessary to run the P25 communication center. Currently they have many RF tower sites throughout the county, 35 Microwave Data Point to Point Systems that are also spread out, 122 RF Base Stations, and 30 Dispatch console systems. Each day the entire system is checked to ensure it remains online and connected to emergency personnel throughout the county. The building is also equipped with backup generators to ensure operations are not interrupted during extreme weather or other natural disasters like the tornado that ripped through Jacksonville in 2018 and the one that hit Ohatchee this year. While power was unavailable after the tragic natural disaster the 911 center remained operational and assisted all agencies as they conducted rescue operations for the victims. Last year the call center responded to 107k calls for service, which is common, that were all processed through this complex maze of computers, wiring, and radio waves.
The 911 Call Center maintains six dispatchers per shift operating in one of three capacities. A TC1 is responsible for answering incoming 911 calls and transferring information to the correct dispatcher, a TC2 is responsible for taking 911 calls but primarily dispatches the call and maintains contact with personnel from the appropriate agency (police, fire, EMS) and a TC3 is the supervisor who oversees the operations of the entire call center. The dispatcher consoles are directly tied into individual radios or vehicles via GPS locators. The dispatchers have the ability to see how far away an emergency responder is to the destination address and will let the caller know just when they will be there. Another benefit to this technology is if a police officer is out of their vehicle and chasing someone, the dispatcher can see where they are and direct additional officers to that exact location even if the officer can’t use the portable radio.
The 911 Center also maintains the ability to accept 911 text messages. This is an important tool to teach your children in case of an emergency at school where they may not be able to make any noise or for adults that may have an intruder inside a home or business. The 911 text services are also a good alternative for people that may be deaf, hearing impaired, have a speech disability and may not have access to a TTY Machine. You can also see more at Texting 911 in Calhoun County. When teaching children about the 911 texting option please be sure to explain that making false 911 texts is the same as making a false 911 phone call. This service may have limited availability due to phone services and capabilities.
Currently the 911 Center operates the Motorola version 7.16 that was upgraded in 2011, but that system is now becoming obsolete due to advances in emergency communications. The agency is currently working towards a complete upgrade to the system that will provide better services to the residents of Calhoun County and the 1st responders that work within it. Many of the components that are in service are no longer manufactured nor can they be repaired if they go down. Improvements to the microwave network, which is responsible for bringing all the data back to the center, will bring the technology to current standards. The new system will establish communications with any other agency that operates on the P25 system. This can be invaluable to emergency responders if they travel to natural disaster areas outside their normal jurisdiction, become involved in long distance police pursuits, or any major event where multiple agencies are deployed.
The County 911 Center also maintains two FM radio stations located on premises. 95.9 WOXI-LP (Oxford area) and 96.3 (Jacksonville area) WJXI-LP are on 24 hours a day. The stations play various music but will also be used to send out any Emergency Alert System transmissions, real-time notification and alerting for the community regarding emergency situations, such as vehicle accidents, severe weather, amber alerts, and other public safety incidents. They will also provide traffic information, alternate travel routes in an effort to ease traffic congestion. There are also continuous public education and information designed to enhance the community’s preparedness for emergency situations throughout the regular programming.
When calling 911 please remember the extreme importance of giving your address and the type of emergency to the operator first in case you are disconnected due to the emergency you are experiencing. Stay on the phone as long as you can and keep answering the dispatchers questions and understand that help is already on the way even while they are talking to you. It is the job of the call taker to give as much information to the first responders before they arrive so aid can be rendered as quickly as possible. Also, know when you call 911, an unknown and often unrecognized team is already working to get you the help you need.
On Thursday September 23, 2021 both the Calhoun 911 Board and the Calhoun County Commissioners will be holding separate meetings to discuss the forward movement of upgrading the system. A vote is expected from both the 911 Board and the County Commission.
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