History
In May 1987 the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 911 (codified Health & Safety Code, Chapter 722)
to assure that all of Texas' 18.5 million citizens would have
access to 9-1-1 emergency telephone service. From anywhere in the
state, dialing the digits "9" "1" "1" would allow callers to reach
local emergency services quickly.
The Legislature eventually identified three ways to facilitate the implementation of 9-1-1 throughout the state by establishing:
1. Emergency Communication Districts
2. Regional Council of Governments
3. "Home-rule" cities
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In
a November 1987 general referendum, the citizens of Ector County
created the Emergency Communications District of Ector County,
(more commonly called the Ector County 9-1-1 District). The
District is a governmental entity, separate and distinct from other
city and county government, and our 9-1-1 jurisdiction
includes all of the city limits of the City of Odessa and all Ector
County. We are funded by a telephone service fee which is applied
to the monthly telephone bill.
When it was first created, the
District's Board of Managers contracted with the City of Odessa for the
administration of the 9-1-1 program. Odessa had been the first in
Texas to offer 9-1-1 service and had done so successfully for 17 years
before the District was created so it was assumed that the service
could be continued using the same resources.
As the
technical requirements of 9-1-1 service grew and state regulations
became more complicated, it became obvious that a full-time staff would
be necessary to administer the 9-1-1 system. In October 1992 the
District opened its own office and hired a staff of three.
The
purpose of the 9-1-1 system is to deliver emergency telephone calls to
public safety agencies. Thus we are not the telephone company and
we are not a public safety agency. We are a
coordinator/facilitator of the 9-1-1 service. Our job is to:
1. make sure your call goes to the correct agency
2. make sure the right information is displayed with your call
(phone number and location)
3. train public safety personnel how to use the 9-1-1 equipment
features
4. educate the public in When and How to Use 9-1-1
We
spend a lot of time making sure all the operations comply with federal,
state and local regulations. It's amazing just how many
regulations and specifications there are! We strive to
provide an effective and efficient 9-1-1 ermergency telephone system
despite those obstacles.
There are 123,000 citizens in the Ector
County 9-1-1 District's jurisdiction and 65,000 telephone access
exchange lines. The monthly service fee for residential wireline
telephone subscribers is 51 cents. Business subscribers pay
$1.06 per month. All wireless and VoIP telephone subscribers in Texas pay a flat rate of 50 cents per month.
The
service fees are used for telephone equipment, public education, and
training. In 2007 the District paid over $17,000 per month for
equipment maintenance and service. The District also provides
support and training to the two public safety communications centers in
Ector County - the city's Communication Center and the Ector County
Sheriff's Office dispatch center.
Board of Managers
Chairman:
Bennie Cope, Goldsmith City Manager
Member:
Jimmy Ellis, Ector County Volunteer Fire Departments
Member:
Richard Dietz, Fire Chief - Odessa Fire Department
Member:
Thomas McCain, Ector County Representative
Member:
Freddie Gardner, Commissioner - Ector County
Ex-officio Member:
Sam McClung, Southwestern Bell Telephone Company
Members are appointed for two-year terms:
* two members by Ector County
* one member by the City of Odessa
* one member by the City of Goldsmith
* one member by the Ector County Volunteer Fire Departments
* one member by Southwestern Bell Telephone Company (non-voting)
Staff
Executive Director:
Les Blalock, ENP
Operations Manager:
Kevin Jones, ENP
Administrative Secretary:
- Vacant -
Public Meetings
Regular
meetings of the Ector County 9-1-1 District Board of Managers are
held on the first Tuesday of every month in the Conference Room, 6th
Floor, Bank of America Building, 700 North Grant Avenue. Meetings begin at 6:00 PM and are open to the public.
Agendas and schedules are posted at City Hall and at the Court House Annex 72 hours prior.
*NOTE* - Occasionally meetings are re-scheduled due to conflicts.
Please confirm meeting schedules with our secretary at 332-7112.
Ector County 9-1-1
700 North Grant Ave.
Suite 728
Odessa, Texas 79761
(432) 332-7112
email us at: info@ector911.org
October 2007
Copyright 1997-2007 Emergency Communications District of Ector County