ENHANCED 9-1-1 EMERGENCY RESPONSE
SYSTEM
Washington County's 63,000 residents are served
by a state-of-the-art Enhanced 9-1-1 system. Calls to 9-1-1
from landline telephones are automatically routed to the Public
Service Answering Point (PSAP) serving that particular address.
Three PSAPs cover Washington County: Belpre Police, Marietta
Police, and Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office
dispatches most of the county’s volunteer fire departments
and emergency medical squads, as well as village police, Ohio
Division of Wildlife officers and other services.
The Enhanced 9-1-1 system is funded by a voter-approved
50-cent per month telephone surcharge. These funds may be used
only
for purchase and maintenance of 9-1-1 equipment and software.
By state law, telephone service providers are allowed to charge
fees of 12 to 25 cents per month to recover their 9-1-1 operational
expenses.
WIRELESS 9-1-1
Washington County provides Wireless E9-1-1 service, making
it possible to locate 9-1-1 callers who are calling from a
cell phone. When you call 9-1-1 from a GPS-equipped cell phone,
your location is shown on the county 9-1-1 mapping system,
allowing for accurate dispatching of emergency responders to
your location. (One wireless service provider, AT&T, utilizes
signal triangulation technology instead of GPS. Triangulation
is less accurate in rural locations.)
IMPORTANT: a cell phone call to 9-1-1 may route to a different
city or county than where you are located. These devices we
know as cell phones are actually two-way radios. No technology
exists to send your cell phone’s signal anywhere but
to the nearest tower. For example, if you call 911 on a cell
phone in Washington County, Ohio, the signal may hit a tower
in Wood County, West Virginia, or vice versa. If this happens
to you, stay on the phone! Describe your location to dispatchers
to assist them in getting help to you.
Wireless E9-1-1 service is funded by Ohio's 28-cent per month
cell phone fee – one of the lowest such fees in the USA.
VOICE OVER INTERNET (VOIP) 9-1-1
VOIP is a rapidly emerging technology employing cable TV lines
for telephone service. Washington County’s primary cable
operators, Suddenlink and TimeWarner, work closely with 9-1-1
to provide accurate customer locations. However, if you sign
up online with an independent VOIP service such as Vonage,
Skype or Magic Jack, it is your responsibility to make sure
your physical address is accurate and updated at your service
provider’s website. The routing of VOIP 9-1-1 calls from
independent VOIP services has not yet reached the high accuracy
rate of traditional home phone service.
NEVER HANG UP ON A 9-1-1 CALL UNTIL TOLD TO DO SO BY THE DISPATCHER.
For more information contact:
Michael Cullums
9-1-1 Coordinator
740.376.7070 ext. 0
e-mail: mike.cullums@wcso84.us
