E-911–Keep it, or Kill it?

That’s this week’s question over at WCYN’s site. As of around 8:00am this morning, the polls showed that the majority of listeners responding wish to keep the system, despite it’s financial hardship.

Since the establishment of the E-911 system, the budget has had difficulties each year.

One should note that the question asked is concerning E-911, and whether it should be discontinued–not whether 911 service should be discontinued. An interesting point that the guys over there haven’t clarified, and should to keep an angry lynch-mob at bay.

It had been discussed before, within the local government, whether a decision should be made to downgrade the system, and discontinue some of the enhanced features, in order to save operating costs. Each time this topic was mentioned, the leaders of our government have chosen to keep the system as it sits. I applaud them.

While it is possible for the dispatch center to downgrade in order to cut costs, I do not see where the savings would be beneficial. If we were to roll the system back, we might as well just give up on the complete concept of a centralized dispatch, and revert back to each agency having it’s own emergency number; for without the enhanced features we’re left with someone talking on the radio, giving direction to emergency personnel, without the aid of maps, database entries, and so forth. If we move back to this level, we could simply have each separate agency perform this on their own.

Beneficial? I think not.

I remember being a child in school, and being instructed by teachers which numbers to call for what emergency. The police had one number, fire another, and still another for an ambulance. This confusion increased for anyone who lived in one area of the county and moved to another–with respect to fire coverage. The city of Cynthiana had one number, Harrison County a different one–and lets not forget the residents of Berry, and northern Harrison County.

And while I must say, listening to the police dispatchers in the past was entertaining–hearing Glenn Whitaker give directions by landmarks such as a certain group of trees or a painted barn (all of which came from memory, mind you), and hearing the same sort of discussion being given to firemen by Charlie or Peggy on the county’s fire frequency–I remember plenty of times where there was confusion. Without the E911 system, there were no maps, and no call traceability. If someone were in danger and need of assistance in any form, they had better hope that they could stay on the line, stay conscious, and be able to give the emergency personnel directions to their location.

I remember the story of a family who had moved to Harrison County from a community that was relatively the same size, if not smaller. I believe that the emergency might have been a child’s near drowning in a pool, but am unsure, since the incident was approximately ten years ago. At any rate, a mother rushed to the phone, to dial 911, and only then discovered that Harrison County didn’t have a 911 system. Frantically, she searched for a phone book to find the number for an agency, any agency which could help–I believe she called the police department. When she discovered how complicated the process of getting help was, she was enraged–and became angrier when she realized that there was no way for the emergency personnel to know where she was, without her giving explicit directions. I believe the story made front page news in the Cynthiana Democrat.

Now, lets progress in time, and go to a more recent incident, where a child used 911 to call for help.

On November 16, 2007, at 3:30 in the morning, Skylar Hughes, a five year old girl, found her mother laying in the floor, having a seizure. Skylar phoned 911, and reached dispatchers Irene Irvin and Cricket Woods. Within minutes an ambulance arrived.

Without the E911 services, would Shana, Skylar’s mother, still be alive and well? Possibly. Skylar was able to assess the situation, and give her exact address to the dispatchers–but what if the circumstances were different? What if the Hughes’ lived outside of Cynthiana? Would Skylar have been able to give the proper address, then–something as difficult as 930 US Highway 27 South? Possibly. Or, what if Skylar wasn’t so calm and collected? What if she panicked, and hung up the phone before giving an address? The E911 system would’ve helped in giving the address–but without that system? And what if Skylar were younger–say three years old–would she then have known her full address?

I have a four year old son, and a two year old daughter. My wife is epileptic. I have a heart condition. If either one of us were to collapse at home, and the other wasn’t present, then what? Could my four year-old give our address? I don’t think so. But, I do know that he can simply pick up a phone and dial those three little numbers.

So, in response to WCYN’s ridiculous question of whether Cynthiana and Harrison County should keep the Enhanced-911 system, I reply with a resounding yes, and do so with an unbelievable amount of anger–anger directed at the very thought that anyone would want to risk my life, my family’s life, and the lives of anyone else, in order to save money, balance a budget, and pay-off a debt.

So, in my own Olbermann-esque fashion, I do hereby declare WCYN-AM, and anyone else entertaining the idea of downgrading or disbanding Cynthiana and Harrison County’s E-911 system today’s WORST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD!