What is 911 ?

     Nine-one-one is the three digit telephone number that has been designed for public use throughout the United States to report an emergency and request emergency assistance. Emergencies usually involve police, fire or emergency medical services. 911 gives the public direct access to a public safety answering point (PSAP) which will arrange for dispatch of the appropriate emergency services.
    HOW DOES IT WORK? - as you may know, Chenango County has been providing it's residents with Basic 911 service for almost 8 years. The County maintains its own database with address and telephone information for every resident within the county. What this means is, if you dial 911, the address information automatically is displayed in front of the dispatcher, including a map of your road and who your emergency responders are. The only draw back is maintaining the information on a day to day basis. Residents are constantly moving and without notifying our office, the information isn't updated.
     But, as you may also know, this all has changed since Chenango County implemented Enhanced 911. the major difference between the Basic 911 and 'E911' , is now when you dial 911 the call is sent to the Bell Atlantic database, where it gathers your address, name and emergency responder information. The call is then sent to a selective router that tells it which county to go to. When the call arrives at the Control Center, after approximately 5 seconds, the dispatcher can view the above information and dispatch the proper agency. The best part of this process is that the information in the Bell Atlantic Database is updated every 24 hours and we can be more certain that the information in front of the dispatcher is current.
     When you reach the dispatcher, you will be asked to verify the location from which you are calling and to describe the nature of the emergency. STAY CALM AND DO NOT HANG UP! If needed, you will be given Emergency Medical information while on the phone with the dispatcher. If you call from a cellular phone, your call will be routed to the N.Y.S. Police. Describe the nature of your emergency and your call will be routed to the appropriate agency. Make sure you provide them with your 911 address so that they can provide the responding agency with quick directions.