DEKALB COUNTY
E-911
Rainsville, Alabama
ABOUT 911
How 911 came to be...
In 1958, Congress called for a universal emergency number. For over ten years the idea was discussed and even argued over, everyone wanted the right to answer emergency calls and no one seemed to be able to agree on one easy to remember emergency number. One factor that helped resolve this was the location of the digits on the telephone. Also, it has been noted that the telephone companies had to establish a three digit number that could be accessed by their systems and that the first number had to be nine.
The world’s first 9-1-1 system was introduced in Haleyville, AL, with the first 9-1-1 call being made on February 16, 1968. Alabama Speaker of the House, Rankin Fite, made the first call from another city hall room to the police station, where the 9-1-1 system was located. The call was answered by Congressman Tom Bevill on a bright red telephone.
How Dekalb County E 9-1-1 came to be.....
On the ballot in November 1990, the citizens of Dekalb County, Alabama were given the right to vote for or against E 9-1-1. The vote was in favor for 9-1-1 and the slow but tedious process began. In June of 1994, all the hard work paid off, we went live. We had received 9-1-1 test calls since May and on June 10th at 05:46 am we received our first “real” 9-1-1 call, a diabetic needing an ambulance . We have answered over 500,000 9-1-1 calls since that date.
911 EDUCATION
At DeKalb County 911, we are dedicated to serving Dekalb County with professionalism. We are highly trained telecommunicators who are committed to helping each and every caller with respect and empathy. While we strive for excellence there are ways that you can help us help you.
1.) Do NOT call 911 if it isn't an emergency. If a person is in need of an ambulance, if the fire department is needed or a police officer is needed then please call 911. Please do not call 911 for general information.
2.) Please do NOT let your small children play with cell phones. We encourage you to teach all children how to and when to call 911, but many times children play on cell phones and dial 911 by mistake.
3.)If you dial 911 by mistake, please stay on the line so we can verify your information. If you hang up, we will immediately call you back.
4.) Make sure you and all parties that live in your residence know your 911 address. Please make sure that your 911 address is posted at least four inches or larger and visible from the road.
5.)Please remain as calm as possible, speak slowly and clearly and listen to what the telecommunicator tells you.
911 ADDRESSING
9-1-1 Addresses: What, How, and Why.....
What information do we need from you?
When you call our office in need of an address, we must have certain information from you:
*What road do you live on? The road name or road number
*Closest neighbor(s) 9-1-1 addresses
*Are you building a house or moving a mobile home to the location
*Did someone else live there before you? If so, who?
*Is there anything on the location at this time?
*Do you share a driveway with anyone? If so, who?
*Your driveway must be marked on each side of the drive with stakes and red ribbons. We need this if your driveway is
already there or if it isn’t there yet.
After we gather all the above information, we will need the name of who will be living in the residence and also a contact phone number that we can call to give your address to. We advise the caller that it may be between 7 and 10 business days before the address is assigned. After we have assigned your 911 address it is very important that you call us when you receive your telephone number so we can enter it into our database. We do not give telephone numbers out to anyone!! 911 addresses are not allowed to be shared, each individual residence HAS to have their own 911 address. If you move, you can NOT take your address with you. If any of your information changes (description of your home, your phone number, etc) you need to call our office to update your information.
How we establish your address:
When we have your information we will have to go out to your location and assign your address. We have a measuring instrument in our vehicle that measures for addresses. This measurement is done so that every 5.28 feet equals one number. There are 5,280 feet in a mile. If your house was exactly 1 mile down the road and it was located on the right side of the road from where the road began measuring, your house number would be 1000:
Distance = Address #
52 feet 10
100 feet 18
528 feet (1/10 of a mile) 100
½ mile 500
1 mile 1000
5 miles 5000
Although you may believe you are exactly ½ mile down the road, that does not mean your house number will be 500- only we can determine your exact house number with our measuring instrument.
All house numbers that end with an even number are on the right and all house numbers that end with an odd number are on the left when you begin traveling from where the road began measuring at.
Why are 9-1-1 addresses so important?
All emergency vehicles are given your 9-1-1 address when you call 9-1-1 in an emergency and that is how they locate you. The most important thing you can do to help them is to have your house numbers posted in four inch or larger reflective numbers either on your house or at the end of your driveway ( where ever they are more visible). Make sure these numbers can be seen from either direction of travel. Your 9-1-1 address is also now your mailing address (with the exception of P.O. Boxes), it is very important that you also have your house number displayed on your mailbox.
DEKALB COUNTY E-911
We live here, we have family here and we know it is scary to even think about calling 911 and while our wish is that you never have to call... if you ever have to though... we are here and waiting to take your call... we are here for you.
Troy, Nichole, Mike, Brian, Eric, Josh, Sammy, Kyle, Jordan and Daniel
JOB ANNOUNCEMENTS
HOUSEKEEPING POSITION
DeKalb County 911 will be accepting applications beginning on June 15, 2018 for a Housekeeping Position. This will be a full time with benefits position. It will include but not limited too: sweeping, dusting, mopping, vacuuming, light yard work, windows, kitchen, bathrooms and other. The applicant must be able to climb a ladder to reach tall windows. The applicant must be reliable, responsible, and have cleaning experience with good references. Pay and other benefit information will be discussed during the interview process. Apply in person at our office beginning June 15th through June 29th.
CONTACT DEKALB COUNTY 911
256-638-4911
Director: Sabrina Harris Ext. 122
Database Manager: Crystal Davis Ext. 106
Non Emergency Dispatch Line: 256-638-8799
1015 Marshall Road Rainsville AL United States 35986