ED-1-1 phone

ED-1-1 phone

charge passed

By SHARON KILPATRICK

Rappahannock News Staff Writer

The Board of Supervisors made a decision to move toward installation of an “Enhanced 9-1-1” emergency telephone system when it approved a $2 per month surcharge to be added to all telephone bills in the county.

It will be several years before the system can be installed, but in the meantime all the money raised by the surcharge will be kept in a separate account specifically earmarked for the “E-9-1-1” system.

Once the costs of installing the system have been repaid through the surcharge, the fee can probably be reduced to about 50 cents per month. County Administrator John McCarthy told the board at its public hearing Monday evening.

Once the “Enhanced 9-1-1” system is in place, residents with fire, rescue or law enforcement emergencies can dial 9-1-1 instead of the seven-digit number now in use. When the connection is made, a computer screen in the Sheriffs Department dispatch office will show the number the call is coming from and the precise location of the house, along with directions from the nearest fire station.

At the public hearing Donald Gore, president of the Rappahannock Fire and Rescue Association, said that in years past when a call was received the members knew where everyone in their area lived. “Now there are so many new people living in the county and so many new people in the squads, they don’t know,” he said. “It’s disheartening to get a call today. People hang up on you. This system can do away with that. People moving in expect this service,” he said.

Lou Hatter, speaking as a member of the Sperryville Volunteer Rescue Squad, urged support for the surcharge. “If it takes a couple of years to get the money, people will understand that,” he said. “When people call

See SURCHARGE, p. 15