Paulding County 911 director outlines operations, training and caller tips ahead of holidays

David Mumford, director of E911 for Paulding County, described how the county's emergency communications center operates and offered practical advice for residents calling 911 during an interview on the Paulding Pulse program.

Mumford said the center's mission is "keeping our community safe one call at a time." He described the staff as "communications officers" who serve as call takers and dispatchers, and said personnel are cross-trained to handle law, fire and emergency medical dispatch.

"It takes us probably a year to get a communications officer fully trained," Mumford said, describing a roughly six-week orientation followed by on-shift mentoring with a communications training officer and phased progression from call taking to law or fire dispatch.

Staff work 12-hour shifts aligned with the sheriff's schedule (6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.), Mumford said, and supervisors rotate assignments every four to six hours to reduce stress from constant call taking. He said employees who complete training typically remain about four to five years, and the center provides peer support and a quiet room for staff after difficult calls.

Mumford listed business alarms (many false), medical calls and domestic incidents among the most common call types. He also described the emotional highs for staff: "the most positive calls ... are the childbirth calls," he said, noting the center awards a "stork" recognition when personnel help with births over the phone.

On technology and upgrades, Mumford said the county has moved from older analog systems to a next-generation 9-1-1-capable center and that a new public-safety radio system was "hopefully coming online in January." He described plans and readiness for a statewide Emergency Services IP Network (ESInet) that moves services from copper lines to voice-over-IP and said Paulding County equipment has been purchased to be compatible with that transition.

Mumford emphasized operational coordination with partner agencies: "We don't make changes without consulting with our partners," he said, describing "excellent" working relationships among the E911 center, the sheriff's office and fire departments.

He offered specific guidance for callers: provide location, phone number, name and the nature of the emergency. "If you call 911 and it rings, let it ring," Mumford said, explaining that hang-ups place callers at the back of a first-in, first-out queue and that the center must attempt to call back every number that disconnects. If staff cannot reach a caller and the location is known, officers may be dispatched to check on that address.

Mumford cautioned that cell-phone location is not always precise and that calls near county borders can route through neighboring counties depending on which cell tower the phone hits. "Once we figure out where you are, we can one-button transfer and hand your call off to that 911 center," he said.

The interview concluded with Mumford reiterating that while the center works to answer calls quickly, callers increase their delay if they repeatedly hang up and call back. Host John Grant closed by thanking Mumford and urging listeners to recognize the county's emergency communications personnel as they see them in public.

A short set of community announcements on the program promoted upcoming events including theater shows in November, a Downtown Dallas tree-lighting on Nov. 22 and the Paulding County Christkindl market and related December festivities at Veterans Park and the Watson Government Complex.