Five area counties receive Next Generation 911 Grant from state

SIKESTON — Five area counties have been awarded a $2.349 million grant from the Missouri 911 Service Board.

Beginning next year the counties will be on the same network for all 911 calls from cell phones.

Scott, New Madrid, Dunklin, Stoddard and Pemiscot counties now will be included in text communications to 911 operators.

“We have been working on this grant for approximately six to eight months. It is now being received and was voted on by the state on Tuesday morning (Oct. 15) and was accepted by our Missouri 911 service — who the grant will come through,” said Angie Rodgers, Scott County 911 Emergency Service Board executive director.

At the current time, most of the area is at Phase 2 — meaning when a call is placed to 911 from a cell phone, that call is routed to the closest answering point with regard to the customer’s cell tower.

“In Scott County, we have two primary answering points,” said Rodgers. “When you call 911 and you need North Scott or Scott City, your phone may be picked up by a cell tower in Sikeston. We have a delay of transfer right now because it is a fault to no one. It’s just where your cell tower picks up.”

Moving forward, the routing of emergency calls will be geographically based, making for a more streamlined operation.

“This will change us to a more geo-based [system],” said Rodgers. “Your calls, instead of being routed by a cell tower, it will be routed by your location. It will be a faster service for the whole area.”

So, what are the benefits to all five counties operating on the same network?

“Some of the benefits is that it will be virtually connected. So, if something happens and we have a tornado, it is going to be immediate when we can get people help,” said Rodgers. “You are not going to see a delay transferring calls. It is going to give a faster service.”

In 2023, the Missouri General Assembly approved an appropriation of $11 million in American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, funding for Next Generation 911, or NG911, as well as last year’s re-appropriation of $10 million in Next Generation 911 funding, according to a news release.

In total, the Missouri 911 Service Board has been charged with the award and management of $21 million in funding dedicated to NG911. These funds are in addition to the $8 million being spent on the Board’s Geographic Information System (GIS) project.

There isn’t a timeline to incorporate the new system.

“I can’t give a good implementation date as to when we are going to go live because we do have a multi-agency, multi-county and multi-vendor situation going on right now,” said Rodgers.