BENEFITS OVERSHADOW ADDRESS CHANGE FOR 911

Cape Girardeau County voters overwhelmingly approved the Enhanced 911 system last November. Over the next year and a half, a county-wide committee is working to implement this voter mandate.

But the details of implementation may bring a few headaches to county residents. Heading the list is the fact 7,000 rural addresses must be changed.

Patience and understanding will be needed as county residents make this transition to Enhanced 911. In the end, we will all be better served in times of emergency.

In order to identify and respond to emergency situations, the county must set up a systematic way of identifying properties. A rural route and box number alone just won't do the trick, especially when seconds count during an emergency.

Rural residents will suffer some inconvenience over the coming year. But remember, these same people have the most to gain from the Enhanced 911 system. That's because they are not currently being served by 911. A more basic 911 system only serves the city of Cape Girardeau at present.

No decisions have been reached about how the address change will be implemented. Committee members will be meeting with various vendors over the next three weeks. Once a vendor is chosen, a formal proposal will be made to the entire 911 committee.

The conversion process may begin by early April. It will require about nine months for full implementation. It's probable that when these new addresses are determined, the postal service will follow suit. And that will mean some inconvenience for households as they change their addresses. Addresses in the counties' cities will not be altered.

The transition will be funded by the tax levied on county phone bills. Officials are hoping the 911 system will go on line within two years of the Nov. 5, 1991 vote.

Postmaster Michael Keefe said that once new rural street addresses are established for 911, it only makes sense for the postal service to follow suit. While it might cause an initial problem, Keefe feels it will assist both patrons and the postal service down the road.

A coordinated effort between county, city and postal officials is important to avoid duplication of addresses. An exact address is important in pinpointing the site of an emergency.

As the county works its way through this process, residents should remember that the whole purpose of the conversion is to identify where an emergency occurs, and get help there as quickly as possible. Any inconvenience should be overshadowed by the fact lives can be saved by Enhanced 911 service.