911 Dispatch

911 Dispatch Area

Howard County E911 started the ability to answer 911 calls in 1997.  Howard County E911 Dispatch is located in the Detention Facility and is the primary answering point for all 911 calls from within the county.  911 Dispatch is responsible for dispatching deputies, police officers, fire department and ambulance for the towns of Nashville, Mineral Springs, Dierks, Center Point, Umpire, Athens, Tollette, Saratoga and all of the surrounding areas in Howard County.

A dispatcher is the link between the public and emergency responders such as deputies, police officers, paramedics and firemen.  All calls we receive are equally important and there are questions that are asked to determine what type of call is being answered.  Please be as patient as you can with the dispatcher when calling 911 and answer the questions as calmly as possible.  The questions that are being asked are giving both the dispatcher and the emergency responder the information necessary to determine what action(s) to take to properly respond to the call.  The dispatcher may ask the question(s) more than once to make sure they have understood your answer.  When calling 911, the more information that you have available for the dispatcher, the better.

A dispatcher is often responsible for performing multiple duties at the same time.  When a call comes in, the dispatcher gets the needed information and decides whether a deputy or fire department needs to be sent or whether to transfer the call to another agency or the Howard County Ambulance Service.  The dispatcher may remain on the phone and obtain more information while giving directions to the emergency responder.  The dispatcher may be responsible for handling other phone calls, radio traffic, relaying information by voice, computer, radio or any combination of these.

The Howard County E911 Dispatch is designed to assist the public it serves in an efficient and professional manner.  Due to the support received from the citizens of Howard County, we hope we are able to maintain the emergency response level they expect and deserve.

 

Additional Information
911 Frequently Asked Questions