A local city has a new way of responding to emergencies
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) That’s what you’ll hear when calling 911 in Starkville. The initial response to your call sounds the same, but the way emergency officials respond will be different.
Oktibbeha County has a new emergency system, which improves the way they get help to you.
“It would provide and leads us to having a better outcome on any situation.” said Dewayne Davis, Starkville Fire Chief. “If we can get there quicker, they can receive the help that they need in a faster manner. ”
The new system allows emergency officials to respond to incidents faster by using exact location details, maps, and live updates before they arrive. Starkville Fire Chief Dewayne Davis calls the updated technology a game changer.
“It gives us a heads up, we are already in motion before the tones even drop.” said Davis. “Our guys are headed to the truck so that we can get out and get a faster start.”
Oktibbeha County ECC Director Tyler Gray says, he hopes this shows that the city and county are putting the safety and health of residents first.
“We are just trying to be proactive.” said Gray. “And we want to assure the community that we are doing the best we can to make sure the get the help they need as quick as possible.”
The new system also allows responders to use hydrant locations, which leads to more manpower.
“That means a lot to us because fighting a fire is very strenuous, and it does not take long to get burned out fighting a fire.:” said Davis. “We need fresh bodies and fresh help all of the time, and that means a lot that we can get out off duty personnel to a scene faster.”
According to the National Emergency Number Association, about 240 million calls are made to 911 in the United States each year.
