Written by Publisher Bailey Hufstetler
Ever have a situation when you needed to get ahold of 9-1-1 but couldn’t call at that time? Starting November 1st, you will be able to text Rhea County 9-1-1 and live chat with a 9-1-1 operator about your emergency. This is a service that has been becoming available in different parts of Tennessee throughout the last several years to provide additional and safe ways for individuals to contact emergency personnel more effectively.
State Officials want to make sure that everyone understands that texting 9-1-1 should only be used for emergencies. Look at the above graphic for more information from the state on this service.
Rhea County 9-1-1 is an agency that provides dispatching services for all Rhea County Volunteer Fire Departments, Rhea County Sheriffs Department, City of Dayton Police Department, Spring City Police Department, Graysville Police Department, Rhea EMS, and the Rhea County Rescue Squad.
Not only do the dispatchers dispatch emergency personnel to different emergency situations, each dispatcher is also answering 9-1-1 phone calls and now texts from citizens in Rhea County. Each dispatcher is trained and certified to provide Emergency Medical instructions over the phone for a dozen different medical emergencies to help in emergency situations until medical personnel arrives.
The job as a 9-1-1 dispatcher is one that is not faint for the heart. The average career span of a 9-1-1 dispatcher is roughly 2 years.
Rhea County has a wonderful set of Dispatchers that work hard and it always seems to go unnoticed. Thank you for what you all do, from everyone here at The Rhea County Observer!