Every day, all throughout Missouri, citizens face emergency situations. Almost universally, those people’s first instinct will be to dial the three numbers that have come to symbolize “I need help”—911. Within minutes of making the call, emergency personnel should arrive on the scene. Or that’s how the system is intended to work.

Missouri’s current 911 system is disjointed, fragmented, and years behind where it should be. It’s one of the worst in the country. A major reason why is we simply don’t have any kind of coordination or oversight of these critical services at the state level.  I believe in local control, but some counties, because of low population, cannot afford the startup costs of 911.

On top of that, increased cell phone use has caused the funding for these services to dwindle. As a result, 911 centers around Missouri aren’t properly equipped to deal with many types of calls because of outdated technology.

Right now, 17 counties in the state have no 911 call center. Two of these counties are in my district. An additional 19 counties are without Phase 2 technology, which allows emergency operators to receive longitude and latitude coordinates upon hitting “send.” In 36 counties in Missouri, 911 cannot find you by a cell phone call alone. You have to tell them your location. If you’re unable to, the amount of time it will take emergency personnel to find you increases exponentially. No county in Missouri is capable of receiving a text 911.

What’s even more disconcerting is that this information isn’t widely known. I think most Missourians believe that no matter where they go, they can always dial those three numbers to reach help. This isn’t the case at all. As you travel across the state, the services you’ll receive change drastically.

This year, I’ve filed legislation to address what I see as an incredibly urgent issue. Senate Bill 872 contains a number of proposals to improve our 911 system and add state oversight to ensure no matter where they live, Missourians will have access to emergency help with modern, state-of-the-art equipment.

Senate Bill 872 creates a new funding option to account for the increased use of cell phones. Upon local voter approval, counties could place a surcharge of up to $1.50 to fund 911 services. This move would equalize costs amongst all landline and wireless users. To be clear, though, the bill does maintain local control by requiring a vote. The legislation also creates a 3 percent charge on pre-paid phones. These account for more than a quarter of all cell phone sales today.

The charge, applied at the point of sale, would generate an estimated $7 million annually in general revenue to be placed in a state fund. A certain amount would go back to the counties and towards Poison Control, with the rest to be used to upgrade equipment, training, mapping and addressing, and the creation of a statewide 911 plan. This fund would be overseen by a special board created by the measure.

The fund would also be used to consolidate 911 call centers throughout Missouri. Right now, there is little logic to how these are located. Some counties have numerous centers, others have none. It’s resulted in 171 call centers delivering fragmented and unequal levels of service from a statewide perspective.

On Tuesday, the Commerce, Consumer Protection, Energy and the Environment Committee conducted a hearing on Senate Bill 872. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with the support of the Missouri Association of Counties, the Missouri Emergency Medical Services Association, and the Missouri 911 Directors Association, just to name a few.

All funding decisions will stay in the hands of local voters and counties. The bill simply gives them an option, upon voter approval, to make up for lost funding as more people favor cell phones over landlines. I hope my colleagues in the full Senate recognize the need for a strong, modern emergency system and how it can increase safety in the state for all Missourians.

Contact Me

I always appreciate hearing your comments, opinions, and concerns. Please feel free to contact me in Jefferson City at (573) 751-2459. You may write me at Wayne Wallingford, Missouri Senate, State Capitol, Jefferson City, MO 65101, or email at wayne.wallingford@senate.mo.gov or www.senate.mo.gov/wallingford.