The first 911 system in the United States went into operation in Haleyville, Ala. on Feb. 16, 1968, followed six days later by one in Nome, Alaska.
Preparations for starting a 911 system began in Graham County around 1992. A surprise to many may be that Graham County was not the last county in western North Carolina to begin operating a 911 system.
Terry Slaughter – who had much to do with establishing the 911 system here – said they were told by the phone company servicing this area at the time that Graham County couldn’t afford it. It took a call to the N.C. Utilities Commission to get the phone company to assist.
Slaughter credits Bill Rose of Interact in Asheville – and Donald Clawson, with the 911 system in Jackson County – as both being tremendous assets in getting 911 here off the ground and operating.
Slaughter said one of the most time-consuming tasks was naming all the roads, going from Rural Routes 1, 2, 3 and the – “Star Route” – to actual road names. He credits Ed Ingram and others with playing a big part in the road naming process. Slaughter went on to become the Emergency Services Director, a position he held for many years.
A large number of people have come and gone as employees in the Graham County Emergency System, but two who have stayed the course are Misty Hembree with 22 years of service and Kim McCall with 21 years. Both work in the 911 dispatcher office; Hembree as the Director of 911 dispatching. Both say that dispatching can be a very stressful profession as you are dealing with people’s lives on a daily basis. Both also say that it is rewarding work because they love helping people in their time of need.
When asked what event they remember most in their 911 career, Hembree recalled handling a call of a prowler breaking and entering while a woman was hiding in the closet. Hembree managed to keep her calm until an officer arrived on the scene. Hembree said that the longest event in her career was all the wildfires here in 2016. McCall also recalled the 2016 fires and the numerous calls she handled of persons wanting smoke investigated, as they feared a fire was near their home.
Marshall McClung is the historical columnist for The Graham Star. He can be reached via email, mcclungs@email.com.