We all know that in the event of an emergency, we can call 911 and an emergency communicator will pick up within seconds and help will be on the way. But it has not always been that simple. Today your Gallup Fire Department would like to share the history of how 911 came to be.
The first known national emergency telephone number started in the United Kingdom around 1938 to 1939 using the number 999 which is still in use today in many countries.
In 1957 the push for a national emergency telephone number in the US came from the National Association of Fire Chiefs who wanted a single number that could be used when reporting fires.
In 1964 the push for a national number came public when a woman in New York City was attacked and it was claimed that no one called the police. At that time as many of us remember you had to know or look up the phone number in the phone book to get help. Also in New York City there are multiple police precincts and you had to call the right one to get help which was confusing.
In 1967, the Presidents Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice also recommended a single national number to be used. In November of that year, the Federal Communications Commission met with AT&T to choose the number.
911 was agreed upon because it was simple to remember and easy to dial (from a rotary phone). It was also chosen because it had never been authorized as an office code, area code, or service code.
On February 16th, 1968 the first 911 call in the history of the US was made in Haleyville, Alabama.
From then, the use of 911 has grown and over 98.9% of the US population has access to 911. This system has also been upgraded to the use of enhanced 911.
So now we know that not too long ago if you had an emergency you had to look in the phone book for the emergency number and then dial it on a rotary phone (hopefully you didn’t make a mistake or else you would have to start all over again), while today it is as simple as dialing 911 and an emergency communicator will answer you.
With this post we would like to recognize and honor the emergency communicators at McKinley Metro Dispatch Authority. They truly are our guardian angels and that calm voice that is needed when someone is in danger. We thank you for all that you do for us and the community.
Original source found here.
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