Bollinger County considers 1st step toward E-911 service

An enhanced 911 system that would direct emergency responders directly to a Bollinger County caller has been a topic of conversation for years. Last week, the Bollinger County Commission met with representatives from law enforcement, ambulance districts, utilities, school districts, fire departments and others who may need to pinpoint an address quickly.

Meeting with them were Ed Fisher and Aaron Lemons of Intrinsicorp, a software company from Southwest Missouri that specializes in equipping counties with geographical information services, or GIS, that puts order into an often-chaotic addressing system.

A GIS system is the first step toward eventually providing enhanced 911 service throughout the county. Such a system would create a uniform mapping system that would give every house or business in Bollinger County a new address through a system designed to grow with the county.

Advanced technology has passed over many small, rural counties. Delivery services will not attempt a delivery without a physical address. A name on a mailbox with the rural route number and box number is no longer adequate for many services. One Bollinger County business waited six weeks to get a telephone installed because there was no physical address and a general description of the business' location would not suffice.

Last week's meeting with Intrinsicorp was called to see whether agencies that would use it would support it. All who were present agreed the public would not likely pass a tax to pay for it, but most of those at the meeting said if they could find a way to incorporate the installation and maintenance into their budgets, they would.

Marble Hill, Mo., fire chief Jim Bollinger said when counties first began installing 911 systems, a quarter-cent sales tax was levied to phone bills to pay for it.

"What happened is so many people dropped their landlines," he said. A tax on cellphone service has been impossible to implement to replace the lost revenue, and while the need for an enhanced 911 system grows, the means to pay for it has dropped.

Bollinger said fire departments have a difficult enough time trying to find a fire using inadequate directions, but at least "we can look in the sky for smoke," he said. Ambulance crews, who often respond in life-or-death situations, can waste time trying to find a location an E-911 system could provide within seconds.

"It would be valuable for families in this community," said Deputy Sgt. Stash Petton. "We have a responsibility."

Intrinsicorp explained how the system would be installed and how the various agencies would pay for it based on their level of use. The more agencies that use the system, the less the cost. After initial installation costs, Fisher said, upkeep and annual costs are generally much lower, and all agencies could easily share the expense.

"The county [commission] can't do it all," said Presiding Commissioner Travis Elfrink. "That's why we are asking for your help."

Fisher said the Butler County assessor devised a way to help pay for that county's system by charging a small amount for his office's services to the public. Intrinsicorp, he said, has worked with 23 Missouri counties that found ways to pay for the GIS system.

The next step will be to hold hearings to answer questions from county residents. Fisher said re-addressing the county would take probably three months, and getting approval from the Postal Service might add three months to it.

Future public meetings will be announced.