History of 9-1-1 Print


The ability to dial a single number to report emergencies was first used in Great Britain, in 1937. The British could dial 999 to call for police, medical or fire departments, from anywhere in the country. In 1958, the American Congress first investigated a universal emergency number for the United States and finally passed the legal mandate in 1967. The very first American 911 call was placed on February 16, 1968 in Haleyville, Alabama made by Alabama Speaker of the House, Rankin Fite and answered by Congressman Tom Bevill. 

The new emergency number had to be three numbers that were not in use in the United States or Canada as the first three numbers of any phone number or area code, and the numbers had to be easy to use. The Federal Trade Commission along with AT&T (which held a monopoly on phone services at that time) originally announced the plans to build the first 911 system in Huntington, Indiana. Bob Gallagher, President of the Alabama Telephone, was annoyed that the independent phone industry had not been consulted. Gallagher decided to beat AT&T to the punch line and have the first 911 emergency service built in Haleyville, Alabama.

 
Gallagher consulted with Bob Fitzgerald, his state inside-plant manager. Fitzgerald let Gallagher know that he could do  it.   Gallagher moved quickly getting approvals from Continental Telephone and the  Alabama Public Service  commissioner, and   releasing a press release on February 9 announcing that the Alabama Telephone Company would be making history.
 
Just 35 days after AT&T's announcement of 911, the first-ever 911 call is placed by Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite   from Haleyville City Hall to U.S. Rep. Tom Bevill (Dem.) at the city's police  station. Bevill reportedly answered the phone with   "Hello." Attending with Fite was Haleyville mayor James Whitt. At the police station with Bevill was Gallagher and Alabama   Public Service Commission  director Eugene "Bull" Connor (formerly the Birmingham police chief involved in federal   desegregation of the city's schools). Fitzgerald was at the ATC central office serving Haleyville, and actually  observed the call   pass through the switching gear, as the mechanical equipment clunked out "9-1-1." The phone used to answer the first 911 call, a bright red model, is now in a museum in Haleyville, while  a duplicate phone is still in use at the police station. Some accounts of the event claim that, "Later, the two (Bevill and Fite) said they exchanged greetings, hung up and 'had coffee and doughnuts.'"

 
 

CODE RED

When emergencies occur…awareness is the key to your safety!

 

Residents of Ford County can now be notified of emergency situations by a new, high-speed telephone service. The CodeRED system allows safety officials to send recorded messages to the entire community, or a specific area within moments. These messages will inform residents of the situation and give instructions for action.

 

The CodeRED system delivers messages to a live person, an answering machine, or voice mail to be sure you are adequately informed. The service will be used only for emergency notification, when rapid and accurate information is essential for your immediate safety.
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