Time has come to regionalize 911 emergency phone service

It was just about 75 years ago — at a time when telephone companies in the United States were transitioning from operator-assisted calls to direct dialing — that Great Britain introduced its 999 emergency number. But it wasn’t until 1967 that a commission named by President Lyndon Johnson recommended a nationwide single number for the United States, which evolved into 911.

We’ve come a long way toward making “Call 911” a part of the national lexicon and an almost reflexive response when help is needed.

But as good as 911 is, there is room for improvement, or, more specifically, room for greater efficiency.

Early on, 911 could pinpoint the source of a call made from a home or business or payphone (remember those?).

But today, Ernie Cook, Trumbull County 911 director, points out that 75 percent of the calls received come from cell phones. And, in a demonstration of how quickly 911 centers have been able to adapt to new technologies, both Trumbull and Mahoning counties can pinpoint the source of those calls within 10 feet.

That’s a convincing testament to the strides made in 911 technology, which improve the lives of people calling 911.

But while technology has improved with the times, the political system that oversees its operation too often reflects the attitudes of yesterday rather than today or tomorrow.

The city of Warren and Trumbull County appear to be moving toward a consolidation that makes sense for both entities. And late last year, Mahoning County commissioners transferred authority of the center to Sheriff Jerry Greene. He not only promised a higher level of supervision over operations, but said he would move aggressively toward regionalization.

In many ways — not just in the operation of 911 — Mahoning and Trumbull counties resist regionalization in favor of maintaining political fiefdoms that were in place before Alexander Graham Bell made his first telephone call on March 10, 1876. Much has changed over those 139 years, but when it comes to political subdivisions working together to achieve economies for the taxpayer, much remains the same. Some local politicians and special interest groups continue to see consolidation and regionalization as a threat to their control rather than as a bargain for the people they are supposed to serve.

And so, Mahoning County continues to have seven other 911 answering points located at various departments and Trumbull County has eight.

Progress made

In recent years, some progress toward consolidation has been made, some more is being made, and some will have to be hard-fought.

Over the years during which countless lives have been saved, 911 has also been on the receiving end of stupid calls from people unhappy with a fast food chain’s service, a husband’s refusal to stop watching porn or a seemingly insoluble homework assignment. As the saying goes, there’s no cure for stupid.

But we hold our elected officials to a higher standard, and we have every right to expect them to stop foolishly wasting money on unnecessary duplication.

Across the United States, there are dozens of cities and counties with higher populations than Mahoning or Trumbull counties (or both counties combined, for that matter) that provide excellent levels of protection for their residents with a central 911 center. The idea that the closest dispatcher can provide the best response is as outdated as the idea that a telephone operator sitting at a switchboard is better than direct dialing.

Technology provides the opportunity for greater efficiency through regionalization. The time to tap those potential savings is now.