Raleigh-Wake 911 Emergency Communications Center Celebrates 40th Anniversary

The Raleigh-Wake 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center is celebrating its 40^th anniversary today. Mayor Nancy McFarlane has proclaimed January 12, 2012 the 40^th Anniversary of the Raleigh-Wake Emergency Communications to honor this milestone.

Since its founding in January of 1972, the center has rendered essential public safety communications that have substantially contributed to the apprehension of criminals, suppression of fires and saving of lives; not only within the City of Raleigh, but throughout Wake County and the participating municipalities.

For the past 40 years when an area resident dialed 9-1-1, a trained telecommunications professional was ready to assist the caller and send the help needed. During the past four decades, the emergency communications center has seen growth in demand that mirrors the growth in the community. In the period between 2000 and 2010 alone, the number of emergency incidents dispatched grew by more than one third. Now, more than a million telephone calls are received or made by the staff each year.

Over the course of its history, the Raleigh-Wake Emergency Communications Center has played an integral part in mitigating emergencies, both large and small. Included among the more noteworthy incidents are the crash of a commuter aircraft near Raleigh Durham International Airport in 1988, Hurricane Fran in 1996, the ConAgra explosion and fire in 2009, and the killer tornadoes of 2011. Severe weather events are particularly challenging as they directly impact the most citizens and place greater demands upon the center.

The 6,386 9-1-1 calls received in a 24-hour period during Hurricane Fran still stands as a record. In 2011, Raleigh-Wake 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center employees were honored as “Heroes of the Year” by the Greater Raleigh Chamber for their efforts during the April tornadoes. During the peak of this storm, emergencies were being dispatched at a rate of more than one every five seconds.

Raleigh-Wake Emergency Communications has also placed great focus on maintaining and improving professionalism within its ranks. The 911 center was the first in the State of North Carolina to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies and is an Accredited Center of Excellence for emergency medical dispatching.

In 2010, the training academy and in-house curriculum was certified to be Project 33 compliant by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials. Project 33 is a set of benchmarking standards which assure that communications centers meet the key elements of subject matter, delivery, instructor qualification, and a variety of other applicable topics. Also in 2010, the Raleigh-Wake 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center received the prestigious "Horizon Award" from the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials for their innovative use of technology.