A Look Back At The First 9-1-1 Call

On February 16, 1968, the first 9-1-1 call was placed in the small Alabama town of Haleyville (population 6,000). The persistence of a local independent phone company and local politicians allowed the community to go active with 9-1-1 technology before bigger cities. The ceremonial call between Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite and US Representative Tom Bevill established that the universal number worked. This culminated in a project spearheaded by the Federal Communications Commission and the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (now AT&T).

Before this, callers had to memorize and dial the full numbers for their local police and fire departments. It often required several calls to summon an ambulance or report a fire. That wasn’t good enough for the National Association of Fire Chiefs, which called for the creation of a universal emergency number in 1957. Ten years later, President Lyndon Johnson’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice concurred, and AT&T recommended using 9-1-1 because the three numbers were easy to remember and quickly dialed on a rotary phone.

Every June, Haleyville celebrates with the 9-1-1 Festival, which honors police, fire, and rescue personnel with a parade, live music, and a fun run.

2020 Farmers’ Almanac