This date is special for being Chinese New Year. Gung Hay Fat Choy. Am I writing about The Year of the Dog? No, even though I obviously love dogs - especially one chocolate colored crazy Chinese Shar-Pei (how appropriate for this new year).
The main purpose of this post about February 16 concerns every person in the United States of America but most of them will go about their business without noticing the benchmark. Why is this date special and why should every American care?
Read on and see. I promise, this is not a pyramid scam. I'm not asking you to buy anything and this isn't a story about politics, mass killing, or contain any harassing images.
February 16th commemorates the day the FIRST call made to 911 was made in Haleyville, Alabama. Senator Rankin Fite dialed 911 in the Haleyville Police station. The call was answered by Congressman Tom Bevill. Sadly, the original building was demolished as part of progress. It's now a drug store (they did put up a historical plaque). Haleyville has a 911 festival every year.
Baby-boomers remember what the world was like before 911. Life was confusing for those who needed emergency help. Payphones were on many street corners and could make or receive calls. The address of the booth was listed along with the number. In larger metropolitan areas, some intersections were boundaries of multiple city/county boundaries. It took a lot of questioning before agencies knew who was responsible for a call. 911 helped cut that unknown down. Bugs in the system occasionally had calls going to the wrong agency.
Before 911 you may have dialed the phone company operator ('0') and hoped he/she connected you to the fire department, police, or ambulance service. Back then, agencies went around their response districts, door-to-door, and passed out stickers with their seven-digit emergency phones. The stickers were small and round. Why? This allowed the sticker to be placed on the center of the phone, making them easily seen. When phones were 'upgraded' from rotary dials to touch-tone, stickers changed, too. The round sticker changed to a plethora of styles, all meant to be placed on the back of the handset.
Is 911 perfect? No, but it is improving. Next Generation 911 is making improvements over Enhanced 911. Texting to 911 is being made available to more agencies every year.
Be ready to celebrate 911 in 2018 and stay safe out there!
per 911 Magazine online:
The NG911 institute is asking for submissions of either:
- short videos (1-2 minutes) about a memorable 911 call or call(s) that you received as a 9-1-1 telecommunicator, or that you made to save a life, or that someone else made to save your life; or
- a short written summary of the same (up to 700 words)
Please send your submissions to: contactus@ng911institute.org with the subject line: "50th Anniversary Stories"
Please note that any video or written submission may be used by the Institute to publicly promote the 50th anniversary
for more information:http://9-1-1magazine.com/Larson-Countdown-to-911s-50th
Happy Chinese New Year. May good fortune come your way!
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