On Oct. 21, 1995 the first 911 call was received in Stoddard County. The dispatcher who received that call filled out a paper form by hand and then distributed the information to the appropriate agencies.
Now 25 years later, the system is fully automated and help can be sent and arrive to those in need quicker than ever.
Before that first call could be taken, voters had to be convinced that a 911 system would benefit Stoddard County. An advisory board was formed to take up the task of meeting with city boards in the county, as well as the police departments, fire departments and county commission.
The advisory board was made up of people from communities across the county. LaVeda Banken, who has sat on the 911 board for its entire 25 years of existence, was the Dexter representative on the advisory board.
Banken explained that the county commission selected people from throughout the county to serve on the advisory committee. Banken was asked to sit on the committee by then-commissioner Jody Lemmon.
“They said we just want you to do some research around the county,” said Banken, “and see if it would be advisable or if we could afford a 911 system here.”
Banken explained that most of those selected were not members of any police or fire departments or EMTs; they were regular citizens.
“We would meet together and talk about it and then we went out into the county and see if they were interested, if they wanted it or not,” said Banken.
Banken said she talked with Stoddard County Ambulance District Manager Dave Cooper, and said Cooper agreed that the county needed a 911 system. Prior to the system, a different phone number was required to reach fire, police and medical help. Banken said Cooper explained to her that people had trouble remembering the different numbers and they may not be reaching everyone in need.
Banken explained that the committee would attend city hall meetings, council meetings, senior citizens events and more to explain what the 911 service was about and why it was needed. Banken also stated that one of the county commissioners at the time was somewhat in favor and the other two were against it.
Banken said most of the committee was comprised of men who had decided the 911 service was not going to work and stopped pushing it. Banken said she and the Bernie representative, Shirley Crow Stephens, became the driving force behind the 911 service.
The 15% tariff tax rate on the ballot was put in the hands of the voters. On April 8, 1993, Stoddard County voters passed the tax that would fund the first 911 system in the county. The original phone line tax passed by voters was for landlines only, as cell phones were still not widely used at this time.
The Stoddard County Commission passed an ordinance in 1993 requiring county residents to display four-inch address numbers in a visible place on their property.
The task force then visited all the area agencies and looked at their systems, so the proper 911 system could be selected, as well as convince those departments to join the new 911 service.
Even though it was passed by the voters, it could not be mandated that the area agencies join the 911 system.
Stoddard County 911 Administrator Carol Moreland explained that there was concern among the police and fire departments about letting someone outside their departments take their calls. Moreland said once the departments understood their calls would be transferred to them they were willing to join.
In 1995 the first 911 system was purchased from Comdial. Moreland said the 911 calls were recorded on cassettes and it was very complicated to retrieve a call.
Dispatching was contracted through the Stoddard County Ambulance District and the original call center was located in Cooper’s building.
When a 911 call came in on a landline with the early system, the dispatcher was given the address where the call originated by the system. However if a call came in from a cell phone, this was not the case as the system could not locate the cell phone calls.
Callers would be required to provide information as to their location because the dispatcher would only get a hit off a cell tower. This could require lengthy searches for those individuals if they were unable to provide a location themselves.
In 2016 Spatial Data Research was hired to collect all address points in the county for wireless locations. This was a major step in the 911 service being able to pinpoint 911 calls from cell phones.
“Before the address points, I have seen them (dispatchers) spend hours in the call center and I was there helping them trying to locate someone who was needing emergency response,” said Moreland. “It is very intense but they don’t quit until the caller is found.”
Moreland stated that only 7% of calls now come from landlines, making the ability to pinpoint cell phone calls vital. If the individual has the location turned on his or her cell phone, the current system can locate them with 98% accuracy.
Banken explained that a big part of the Stoddard County 911’s money goes toward buying these new systems.
The income from the landline tax plummeted due to the reduced amount of landlines being used and in 2016 voters passed a new tax to support the 911 service.
The same year the landline tax was relinquished. This required the formation of an advisory board to once again go out and convince voters a new tax was necessary to keep improving the 911 service.
Banken said the Stoddard County 911 Board has purchased all of the equipment.
In 2018 a consortium was formed including the Bernie Police Department, Bloomfield Police Department, Dexter Police Department, Stoddard County Ambulance District, Stoddard County 911 Services and Stoddard County Sheriff’s Department. They are the departments that are presently using Zuercher 911 & Suite. Other departments can be added to the system when they are ready.
The current system, Zuercher 911 and Zuercher Suite, was installed in 2019. The Zuercher System provides the location of calls coming in on landlines as well as cell phones.
Additionally it provides first responders with a list of every call made to that particular address. First responders now know if law enforcement has been sent to the address and for what reason.
New SCAD Manager Chuck Kasting explained how the list of medical calls to the location can be vital to treatment. Kasting stated that, for example, if first responders respond to a call and have a patient with an altered mental status, they can look and see that EMS has been to the address before for a diabetic emergency. This is likely what it is again.
The Active 911 app was made available for all emergency responders’ phones in 2016. This app will instantly give the responders directions to a 911 call when it comes in.
Kasting explained that any responder can input into the system a closed road due to storm debris, maintenance or whatever the reason. The system will instantly provide alternate directions to the call.
He stated the law enforcement information is also vital and can indicate if they are possibly heading into a dangerous situation if they see law enforcement has responded multiple times. The mapping information shows the dispatch center where every officer, fire department member and EMS member is.
With the fully automated system, the dispatcher can quickly enter information into the system, which is shared with all county agencies saving valuable time as opposed to the handwritten forms.
Moreland said all of the dispatchers with the Stoddard County Ambulance District are Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) qualified. This means they have the training and certification to instruct callers on the phone until emergency help arrives on scene
The county is not without help in case the dispatch center is unable to take calls for any reason. Moreland can flip a switch and calls will be routed to the 911 center in Sikeston. From there Stoddard County agencies can still be dispatched.
This option can flip the other way as well with the calls from the Sikeston location being routed to Dexter. Moreland said if this is a planned event such as for system maintenance, dispatchers will be sent to Sikeston to assist with the call load.
Moreland explained that Stoddard County 911 services are consistently updating addresses and mapping in the county for expedient emergency response. The 911 service also replaces road signs in the county that have been damaged or stolen.
Jescie Pulley creates these signs and prepares the new signs to be sent out. Yellow reflective vinyl is used on all of the signs. Pulley inputs what she needs for the new sign and runs it out on a vinyl cutter. She uses an X-ACTO knife to weed out the sign and then uses transfer paper to transfer it to the metal sign.
As part of their 25th anniversary the Stoddard County 911 office will be selling the address signs for $10, which is 50% off the regular price to all county residents.
“Every summer we run all the roads in the county and make a list of all the signs that have to be replaced,” said Moreland. “We install for a few townships or road districts, then most of the other townships or road district come pick up the signs and put them up.”
Moreland said the county 911 service has spent about $22,000 replacing signs in 2020. Both Banken and Moreland explained that these signs are vital to emergency personnel trying to find the location of an emergency call.
Moreland and Banken said that Cooper has told them that there is no telling how many lives have been saved with the 911 system.
“If you can save one life, it is worth it,” said Banken. “I think they have saved quite a few lives and delivered babies.”