Episode 2 - The First 911 Call

One of the most common elements in American society is the use of the emergency system known as 911.  It seems this system is so wide-spread and commonly used that it has always been there.  But like everything else, there was a start. 

In this episode I explore a bit about how the system came about and the first 911 call.  

You can find a lot of information about 911 on the internet with a simple search.  Oh by the way, on September 11th, 2001, the day America was tragically attacked, the 911 emergency system receive thousands of calls resulting in the system being overburdened and inoperable.  Calling 911 was an automatic response to this and almost every tragedy.

References:  The Historical Markers Database: The Historical Marker Database, and Wikipedia.

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Safe Travels!

Transcript

Hello Friends,

 I’m your host Dave Laton and welcome to Signs of Our Time, Discovering America’s heritage, one sign at a time.

 This podcast is designed to provide the story behind the story found on America’s roadside historical signs.  

 In today’s episode I want to look at the story behind the first 911 call.  

 Its likely that you have made an emergency call using 911.  This number is taught to all ages from pre-kindergarten to senior citizens.  Its almost an automatic response when an emergency occurs to grab the phone, or direct someone to call 911.  Immediately everyone knows what to do. Using 911 is so common that it seems that the service has always been there.  

 In this podcast episode I’ll look briefly at the history of the 911 service that many take for granted.  

 Many of us can remember that if there was an emergency and you needed immediate help you would call the fire department or police station.  You might have called the phone operator and that person would make the call.  This involved knowing what number to call and dialing a 7 digit phone number.  The number would be different for which ever emergency service you were trying to contact.  If you were smart, you kept emergency services numbers next to the phone.  Oh, and by the way, you didn’t have a cell phone so you had to locate your phone to make the call.  And often the call was routed to a general number at the emergency service so there was a likelihood of a busy signal during peak times.

 That all began to change in the United States in the mid-20th century as emergency providers and governmental leaders realized the problem and began to look for a solution.  It was realized that this wasn’t just a local issue.  It could even impact all of society during emergency situations.  It was understood that the earliest services could be contacted then the quicker the situation could be resolved.  Truly lives were at risk.  

 The solution was a single universal number that everyone could call, no matter their location.  This would not be an easy thing to accomplish.  In 1957 the National Association of Fire Chiefs recommended a single emergency number.  No immediate action was taken at that time.  It was again suggested by the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice in 1967. 

 Then in 1968, ATT&T and the Federal Communications Commission formally chose 911 as the national emergency number.

 The number 911 was chosen because it was short, easy to remember, and easily dialed on the rotary phones used during that time.  

 Now, for those who might not know what a rotary phone is, it is a way of dialing rather than punching a number into the phone.  One the face of the phone was a circular dial with places to put your finger.  Each place was assigned three numbers.  To make a call, you put your finger, end of a pencil, or some other such device into the circle and turn it clockwise. It then would spin back to the starting position so you could enter the next number.  When finished entering the phone number, it would send a signal to the switching center and the call was put through.  It was not cumbersome, but by today’s standards of making a call, it was a challenge in emergency situations.

 911 was also a unique number, not previously used as an area code or office code.  This made it easier to integrate into existing telephone systems.  So  AT&T announced 911 as the nationwide emergency number in 1968, and Congress subsequently passed legislation to reserve it for this purpose. 

 It would seem then that ATT&T would be given credit for the first 911 call.  And perhaps they did in testing the system.  But credit for making the first official 911 call goes to the small Alabama town of Haleyville.  On February 16, 1968, Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite made the first 911 call to U.S. Representative Tom Bevill. The call was made from the mayor’s office to the local police station.  

 Haleyville is a small city in Winston and Marion counties in northwestern Alabama.  The city was able to claim this honor over the communication giant ATT&T.  

 Today we use 911 with no thought about what went into making this valuable service commonplace.  

 We would hope that no one would misuse this service.  Unfortunately, there have been some misuses and strange, even humorous uses of this service.  Here are a few memorable ones.

 One child called 911 because he wanted the police to arrest his brother.  His brother wasn’t sharing his Lego blocks with him.  I don’t know why he didn’t just call mom.

 A man was putting on a t-shirt when his shoulder popped out of socket and was stuck half-way off.  His arm was locked and dislocated. (ouch!)  He explained that he would have driven himself to the hospital but he would have had to drive with his arm out the window.

 A child knew his mom was a 911 dispatcher so when he cut his finger, he called 911.  Through tears he asked the dispatcher to get his mom on the phone.  The back story is that the boy’s dad was sleeping and wouldn’t wake up to administer first aid.  It seems mom wasn’t too happy about this.

 A burglar in Shelby County, Ohio, was caught by police after he accidentally butt-dialed 911 (a unique cell phone issue) while breaking into a home. Making matters worse: The crook hid in a closet, but was ratted out by his phone yet again when the low battery alarm went off. 

 A woman in Dacula, Georgia, contacted police when her Chevy van went missing. Later that day, the woman called back to report that the vehicle had been found. It was in her yard, hidden behind tall weeds. 

 Seriously, don’t abuse the 911 system.  It is for true emergencies.  We are thankful to those that developed 911 and those that make it work.  Most of all, we thank the tireless and patient dispatchers that handle hundreds of thousands of calls per day.  In an average year, there are over 240 million 911 calls.  

 And to think it all began with one call in Haleyville, Alabama.

 Well friends, there you have it.  A story from America’s past.  I hope you enjoyed this episode.  I invite you to continue listening as we bring more episodes about the rich heritage of our great nation.

 I invite you to share this podcast with others.  If you have interesting stories about historical markers, I invite you to email me at: americanhistoricalmarkers@gmail.com

 I’m Dave Laton and thank you for listening, and safe travels!