Today the 911 industry celebrates a very important day in history. On February 16, 1968, Senator Rankin Fite made the first 911 call in the United States in Haleyville, Alabama. Several years later, 911 became the nationally recognized number for accessing emergency services and today hundreds of millions of 911 calls are made across the country each year. Charlotte County alone received over 85,000 911 calls!
Over the past 50 years, significant strides have been made to improve 911 service but keeping up with the rapidly changing technology can be quite a struggle in the public sector. Members of the 911 industry are continuously working towards development of 911 technology and standards that will meet the needs of the system users. Keeping up with the technology, is not the only challenge. One of the biggest challenges in bringing these technologies to the table is funding. Industry representatives are working hard to bring awareness to the new technologies and the challenges that are being faced every day regarding 911.
This week, 911 industry representatives are attending an annual event “911 Goes to Washington” This event is designed to educate attendees about the legislative and regulatory issues surrounding 911 and allow the attendees opportunities to share their knowledge and experiences with congressional leaders in an effort to advancing the future of 911.
For more information regarding on the history of 911 and modernizing what is currently in place, click on the included hyperlinks.
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