911 Education Month

In 2015, Sedgwick County 9-1-1processed about 715,000 calls for service. That averages to about 1958 incidents each day! Sedgwick County Emergency Communications is a consolidated dispatch center serving all communities within our county. Emergency Communications dispatches for 31 law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies – handling approximately 6 million radio transmissions during the course of the year!

Call takers are certified Emergency Medical Dispatchers, trained to provide over-the-phone medical instructions to improve outcomes. Through these instructions, call takers have helped deliver babies and administer CPR; early administration of CPR can improve the outcome of a person in cardiac arrest by doubling the chance of survival. Members of Sedgwick County Emergency Communications attend schools and community meetings throughout the year to teach children and citizens the importance of 9-1-1 and how to properly use the service.

At times, the 9-1-1 system is not utilized appropriately, which can result in on-hold messages and even busy signals during times of high call volumes. Sedgwick County reminds residents to only call 9-1-1 to report the following and only if you wish to be contacted by emergency personnel:

• A medical emergency
• A fire
• A crime
• Any activity that is harmful to a person, animal or property
• Any suspicious activity that might result in harm to a person, animal or property