| HISTORY
In 1993 voters in Grant County approved a user
fee to be placed on home phone bills for the purpose of obtaining a County
wide 911 system. After almost five years of collecting the user fee and
changing addressing from rural route addresses to 911 addresses the County
answered the first 911 call in November of 1997. The 911 system gave the
dispatcher the ability to see the address, phone number and name of the
residence the call was made from, along with which law enforcement and
fire department to send to that address.
In 2002 the County voters once again blessed the
County with the approval of the 1-cent sales tax, of which 20% of the
revenue earned is set aside for the 911 Center. This assisted our department
in many ways. While user fees go to maintain the 911 service, we only
earn approximately 60,000 dollars per year from home phones. The budget
for 911 was well over 250,000 dollars of which most came from County General.
The sales tax and the user fees on landline and mobiles has covered the
911 budget, provided better equipment, and more staff without assistance
from County General.
Grant County 911 is run under the elected official
position of County Judge. There is a 911 Coordinator, Supervisor, and
six full-time dispatchers.
DUTIES
Grant County has six 911 lines, six non-emergency
lines, six radios and can dispatch both county and city law enforcements,
as well as eleven fire departments, the Grant County Rescue, the MEMS
ambulance, the Game and Fish, the Arkansas State Police, and numerous
wrecker companies. There are also two ACIC terminals for officer traffic,
a GPS mapping system, sirens for weather, and a haz-mat and CAD system
for all traffic and incident reporting.
Our main concern is to provide emergency assistance
with the utmost regard for the caller and emergency persons responding.
The 911 dispatcher is the link between the public and the services they
are in need of such as medical services, law enforcement services, the
fire department, and others.
EMPLOYMENT
To be employed by the Grant County 911 one must
be at least 18 years of age with a high school diploma or a GED. The job
requires good communication and public relation skills, typing, multi-tasking,
and the ability to tolerate high stress level situations. Training is
on the job from 4 to 6 weeks, as well as outside training classes. Salary
depends on experience, but the starting salary is 18,000 dollars per year.
The County pays employee health and life insurance, retirement, and 13
paid holidays. The work shifts are 12 hours per day with every other weekend
off. Applications may be obtained from the Grant County Emergency Management
office at 130 Grant 74 on Monday through Friday, from 8-4:30 p.m.
DISPATCHERS
Nancy Taggart, Lead Dispatcher, 5 years of service
Angie Dixon, Dispatcher, 3 years of service
Jeannie Switala, Dispatcher, 3 years of service
Andrea Packer, Dispatcher
Erika Taylor, Dispatcher
MAPPING
Grant County has a GPS mapping system that will
plot the location of a 911 call from a home phone and wireless mobile
phones if the mobile has a GPS chip.
Things you should know about your 911
address:
*There is an address every 5.28 ft.
*If the address is 1500 Hwy. 167N, the mileage
is from the intersection 1.5 miles N. on 167. If the address is 304 Grant
146, it is .3 miles from Grant 14.
*If the road runs east and west the even numbers will be on the north
side of the road and the odd numbers will be on the south side of the
road. This depends on where the lower range of the road begins. This also
includes roads with numbers that run off the highway. Example: 270013
will be on the south side of Hwy. 270E.
*If the road runs north and south the even numbers
will be on the east side of the road and the odd numbers will be on the
west side of the road. This depends on where the lower range of the road
begins, including roads with numbers that run off the highway. Example:
167044 will be on the east side of Hwy. 167N.
*Highway road numbers 167044, 4618, 3555, and 270013
are normally dead end roads always off the highway.
*Highway 167/270 is the breaking point for highway
road numbers. Anything that is lower that 50 will be north and anything
higher than 50 will be south. The numbering for 167000, 3500 and 4600
will begin at the county line north break at 1167/270 and end at the county
line south. Example: Grant 167005(county line N) will be north of Hwy.
270/167, Grant 167098 (county line S) will be south of Hwy. 167/270. Grant
3511 will be on Hwy. 35 north and Grant 3553 will be on Hwy. 35 south.
Grant 4618 will be on Hwy. 46 north and Grant 4653 will be Hwy. 46 south.
*270000 numbers will begin at the county line east
and end at the county line west. 167/270 is the breaking point at 50,
anything lower will be 270 east and anything higher will be 270 west.
Example 270013 will be off of Hwy. 270 east, and 270081 will be Hwy. 270
west.
*An address tells several pieces of information. For instance 1234 Grant
270015 will be off Hwy. 270E. The road will run south of Hwy. 270E and
will be 1.2 miles down 270015 from Hwy. 270E on the east side of 270015.
USE AND MISUSE
An emergency is defined as a sudden or unexpected
occurrence that demands immediate attention. When a 911 dispatcher answers
the 911 line they are expecting a life threatening situation, a crime
in progress, or damage to property. If you accidentally dial 911 you need
to stay on the phone and talk to the dispatcher. If you hang up, it is
our policy to contact the number back, and if no connection is made we
must send an officer to your home to insure your safety. If you stay on
the line and tell us you have misdialed the phone we will confirm your
address, phone number, your name, and then we can release the line.
Prank calls to Grant County 911 will be prosecuted.
This is a violation of the law which is Criminal Code 12-10-315, communicating
a false alarm, which is a class A misdemeanor. This carries a maximum
fine of up to one thousand dollars and up to a year in jail.
ADDRESSES
New addresses can only be given from the 911 office.
The addresses will be calculated by measurement. All persons need to update
their address when they move from one location in the county to another.
This is to ensure that we have proper addressing for you.
By county ordinance you must have your address
posted on your home and at the driveway if the home is not visible from
the road. There is no fine attached to this ordinance, however the ultimate
cost could be the loss of a loved one due to emergency services not being
able to locate your address.
QUESTION AND ANSWER
Q. When would be considered a
proper time to dial 911?
A. It is left up to the public as to when to use the
emergency number 911. An emergency is defined as an occurrence demanding
immediate action. Here are a few true 911 type calls: all medical calls,
all fire calls with the exception of control burns, domestic issues, fights,
accident, and threats to life or property. These are all considered emergencies.
Q. Can I hang up on 911 before it rings and not get a
dispatcher?
A. It is possible, but usually the answer is no. The
call will still come into the 911
System and show an abandoned call. A dispatcher must contact you and be
assured there is no emergency. If you cannot be contacted, an officer
will be sent to your home.
Q. Can a cordless phone dial 911 when the batteries are
dying?
A. Yes, and they do.
Q. How many calls does the Grant
County 911 answer in 24 hours?
A. The average is 12.5, some days up to thirty are taken,
and then some days there are only six.
If you have a question feels free to email me at:
Melissa.turner@adem.state.ar.us
CONTACTS
Grant County 911
Non-emergency 870-942-2101
Business 870-942-1011
Fax 870-942-5633
Melissa Turner-911 Supervisor
Randy Pruitt-911 Coordinator
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