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First 9-1-1 Call

FIRST 9-1-1 CALL


The first 9-1-1 emergency services telephone call
was made from the office of the mayor on
February 16, 1968. Earlier in the year, AT&T,
which had a near monopoly in the telephone
industry at the time, had announced its plans
for launching the service from an Indiana exchange.
The Alabama Telephone Company, an independent
entity, resolved to beat the telecommunications
giant to the mark and chose the Haleyville 
exchange to launch its successful effort. With
much fanfare, Alabama House Speaker Rankin
Fite placed the first 9-1-1 call in the nation to
U.S. Congressman Tom Bevill, who answered
in the Haleyville police station.

ALABAMA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION  2015 - 2015

 

Submitted by @andsygr

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