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911 turns 50-years-old

It's been 50 years since the first 911 call, and there have been millions of calls since. They come from people giving birth, from people in desperate times of need, and even from emergency responders, themselves, from time-to-time.
911 turns 50

On Feb. 16, 1968, Alabama state Sen. Rankin Fite made the first ever call to 911.

It was a ceremonial call to mark the creation of a new telephone number devoted to getting people help during emergencies.

Fifty years later, so much has changed.

You can call for help from the scene of an emergency with your cell phone. Operators can usually pinpoint the general area of your emergency using software.

In some counties, you can even send a text message to 911, if you’re unable to speak. We should mention that operators would much prefer you call, and only use that text feature if you absolutely must.

In 1967, the FCC met with AT&T to figure out a way to establish an emergency number. At the time, the digits 911 were selected because they were basic and easy to remember. 911 also wasn’t an active area code at the time.

In 1973, the White House issued a policy statement, encouraging all states to adopt 911 as a standard emergency line. According to the 911 Association, by 1976, 17 percent of the population had the service. By 1987, half of the country had adopted it.

The 911 association says 96 percent of the U.S. is covered by the service today.

“It doesn’t seem like 50 years it seems much longer than that,” said Missy Piche, a dispatcher in Douglas County.

In the years since 1968, those three digits have grown to mean so much more.

“911 means to me…definitely pride, teamwork and dedication,” Piche said.

911 turns 50

In her 15-year career both in EMT work and as a dispatcher, she’s handled many calls.

The happy calls are easy to remember. She recalls when a man called frantically a few years ago. He was a contractor, doing some work during lunchtime at a woman’s home.

“She went into labor and by the time I answered that 911 call… approximately 2 to 3 minutes later… she had a baby,” she said.

She also remembers the more difficult times – like the woman who called concerned about her husband.

“Her husband had gone into cardiac arrest…we had her do CPR… and from the ER she called the non-emergent number and just wanted to say thank you,” she said.

There was also the time she needed 911 herself. She had fallen while painting a ceiling, and her husband called for rescuers.

911 turns 50

"I fell backwards landed directly on the rungs of the ladder, and I broke my back," Piche says, taking a deep breath as the memories come back to her.

On this 50th anniversary, she wants to make sure everyone knows help is just a few numbers away.

“Being able to offer reassurance in a calm voice when they are frantic telling their need is the best thing we can do for them.”

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