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Radio
In 1928, Detroit police department had the smart idea to use the radio to communicate. Only one car had the radio and it was a one way conversation so if they wanted to talk to them, they would have to find some type of phone. -
First dispatch
The first 999 (911 in America) was put into use on July of 1937 in Hampstead London. This was the first ever dispatch to service fire and police departments. -
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The job
Dispatchers answer the calls frantically sent in by people who need help. They get as much information as needed and then alert the proper authorities such as police, EMS, or fire. They use special computers to input addresses and other details that send it over to the computer of the authorities responding. Dispatch only requires a high school education and can pay anywhere from 21k to 58k a year. -
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Operators
In the 1950's, personal numbers became very popular. If you need the fire station then you called the number for the fire station and same for the police. If you needed help and didn't know who to call, then call the operator. People would tell him what was wrong and the operator would put them through to the write line. However, since the operators were untrained, it caused delays and mistakes to happen frequently. -
First emergency number
In 1957, officials of Britain get together to discuss a country wide number for emergencies. Eventually they decided on the number 999. -
911
In 1967, president Lyndon B. Johnson suggested the use of a single number for emergencies. It wasn't until later that year that AT&T designated 911 as the country wide number for emergencies. A press conference was held announcing this just 30 days after the first 911 call was made from Haleyville city hall. It was reportedly answered with a simple hello. -
Help from dispatch
Around 1975, a paramedic, who was working dispatch at the time, gave unplanned advice for a mother who's baby was not breathing. Because of the paramedic's advice, the baby survived. After that, it became frequent that dispatchers would give advice for patients until help arrived. -
location
In early 1980, AT&T started working on enhanced parts for the number 911. What they created allowed dispatchers to instantly trace calls and get their addresses. -
Academy
In December of 1988, the National Academy of Emergency Medical Dispatch was founded. Currently the academy has over 12,000 certified dispatchers all over the United States. -
911 Today
Today over 91% of America, and Canada, have access to 911 thanks to AT&T. -
Dispatchers today
Today dispatchers have an easy job finding out information on people and sending it to the proper people. Now they have specialized computors just for that. And thanks to AT&T, they can trace calls and get addresses saving peoples lives.