E911

Mission

The mission of the 911 Communication Center is to provide the citizens of Everett with a reliable, state of the art 911 Emergency Telephone System.

Function

This service is granted through the public safety answering point (PSAP) by answering 911 calls originating from residences, business, and wireless devices. The end result is to ensure prompt emergency service for the citizens of Everett, and to provide effective public safety through the appropriate dispatching of fire, police and medical units in a most timely manner. The E911 Communication Department consists of 13 full-time dispatchers, as well as 1 part-time and 1 per diem.

Contact

Email:
E911_council@ci.everett.ma.us

Scott Stallbaum
Director of Emergency Communications
scott.stallbaum@ci.everett.ma.us

Nancy Winsor
Administrative Assistant
nancy.winsor@cityofeverett.org

Business Phone Number:
617-387-1212

Directors Office
Phone: 617-394-2324
Fax: 617-394-2427

Address:
E911 Service
43 Elm Street
Everett, MA 02149

Hours:
24 Hours a Day
7 Days a Week
365 Days a Year

Frequently Asked Questions

Everett’s Emergency Communication Center is a Phase 2 enabled city. This means that when you dial 911 from a cell phone, the Telecommunicator can see your approximate location by receiving the location of the cell tower your call is coming from. The Telecommunicator also attempts to get your exact coordinates through GPS. This process could take 20 seconds or more and the exact coordinates they receive could be about the size of a football stadium. GPS coordinates do not provide elevation, which can be critical when calling from a multi-story building.

When you call 911 from your cell phone, always assume the Telecommunicator does not know where you are at and be prepared to give all address and location information for the emergency, including landmarks.

Some offices or businesses may require you to dial 9 to get an outside line to dial out. If you happen to dial 9 to get an outside line and 1 for a long distance number, the 1 could accidentally get pressed twice or be held down too long; therefore 911 is actually dialed.

Some business phone systems also require that you dial a 9 before you dial 911 for emergency assistance. You should check with someone responsible for maintaining your telephone system to see if dialing a 9 before 911 is a requirement for your office. If it is, make sure that these instructions are posted in plain view at each phone for employees to see in case they need to call 911.

Yes, Everett’s Emergency Communication Center uses a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD). When basic information is obtained, the location, name, phone number, and problem can be entered into the system.

Once the pertinent information about the situation has been gathered, another Telecommunicator on duty will be dispatching a fire or medical response. In many cases, you may be asked to stay on the line until help arrives on the scene. This will enable the Telecommunicator to pass along updates to emergency responders, give you critical instructions that could potentially help the situation, and to make sure that everyone remains safe.

It’s a prank call when someone calls 911 for a joke, or calls 911 and hangs up. Prank calls not only waste time and money, but can also be dangerous. If 911 lines or call takers are busy with prank calls, someone with a real emergency may not be able to get the help they need. In most places, it’s against the law to make prank 911 calls.

If someone calls 911 and does not speak English, they will be transferred to Language Line Services where an interpreter will be able to translate all questions and answers. Using this service ensures there is no delay in dispatching emergency personnel to the location of the emergency and assures that the most accurate information is obtained from the caller.

As required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, Johnson County Emergency Call Center (ECC) 911 is equipped with Text Telephone/Telephone Device for the Deaf (TTY) equipment at every call taking position to assist hearing and speech impaired callers. The TTY/TDD technology is built into the phone system to enable seamless communication with callers who have the need to use a TTY/TDD to communicate. All of our telecommunicators are thoroughly trained in the use of a TTY/TDD, as well as continuously trained throughout the year to maintain proficiency in the use of the equipment.

The Telecommunicator will ask you a series of basic questions including address/location, phone number, name, and exact nature of the emergency.

Once these questions have been answered, more detailed questions will be asked to ensure everything about the situation is obtained.

It’s the goal of Everett’s Emergency Communication Center to ensure an accurate and quick response to the emergency you are reporting, and answering these questions will assist in the proper response.

If you accidentally dial 911, do not hang up!

The best thing you can do is to stay on the line until a Telecommunicator answers so you can tell them that you dialed by mistake. If you do hang up before speaking with a Telecommunicator, an attempt will be made to call your number back to make sure everything is okay and that there is no emergency. If no contact is made on the callback attempt, an officer will be dispatched to the location of the 911 call to ascertain if there is an emergency.

Teaching children the proper use of 911 is very important. Some of the things you can do as a parent is to cover some basic pointers. Kids and 911 Page

Each household or business pays a small monthly fee for 911 service on each telephone line that appears on their phone bill. There is no per-call charge for calling 911. However, emergency medical services (EMS)/ambulances dispatched through 911 may charge for taking someone to the hospital. This is a separate ambulance charge, not a 911 charge.

The Telecommunicator may only have one opportunity to gather information about the emergency. Therefore it is important to get as much information as possible if the situation allows. Address verification and a call back number are crucial. Also, based on your answers to questions, a more appropriate dispatch of emergency personnel may be provided. For example, a victim injured in a traffic accident that is trapped in a vehicle may elicit a different response from emergency responders than someone who has broken their arm.

Kids & 911

Teaching children the proper use of 911 is very important.

Learn more