McDonald County 911 averages 60,000 calls a year. These calls range from medical emergencies to disturbances. We have a dispatch team comprised of 3 dispatchers and 1 Shift Supervisor during a 12-hour shift. We employ a dispatch team of 14 full time dispatchers.

Training is very important; All of our trained dispatchers are certified in Basic Dispatch APCO or Emergency Telecommunicator Certification (24-hour classroom and exam), Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System certification (40-hour classroom and exam), Emergency Medical Dispatch (24-hour classroom and exam), CPR, and basic NIMS. There is an additional requirement of 452 in house training hours in order to be released from probation and training.

We provide ongoing training as well as multiple small classes to keep our certifications current and to keep our skills sharp.

I would encourage everyone to come up and see the process in motion. Our Mapping Department creates and installs the blue road signs you see around our county, and they assign the addresses for a large portion of the county. We maintain 7 radio tower locations and the call records. Our 911 Dispatchers dispatch for 10 Fire Departments, 5 Police Departments, the Sheriff’s Department, and Freeman Ambulance. We enter and maintain the warrants, orders of protection, stolen property, and missing persons records (these are entered into the Highway Patrol and NCIC databases). We maintain an in-house accounting department. We maintain our own budgets, meeting minutes, business of the 911 Board of Directors, and comply with all audits.