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911 Communications

The core of the critical public service is the RInggold County Sheriff’s office communications. Operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, the Ringgold County communications serves as the communications hub for all Ringgold County agencies.

  • 911 and emergency dispatching for: Ringgold County's Sheriff's Office, first repsonders, fire, medical and emergency management.
  • A primary dispatch point for county law enforcement, fire, medical, and emergency management.

 911 communications is located at 801 South Street, Mount Ayr, IA.

WHAT IS 911?

Nine- one- one (911) is the number to call for emergencies (police/ fire/ medical). A 911 call goes over dedicated phone lines to the 911 public safety answering point (PSAP) for the area the caller is coming from. Our trained personnel will then send the emergency help needed.

In Ringgold County, enhanced 911, or e 911, is a system which routes an emergency call to the 911 center closest to the caller and automatically displays the caller’s phone number and address when calling from a landline phone.  . The 911 dispatcher will ask the caller to verify the information, which is appearing on the computer screen, while they are sending the appropriate help to the area in question.

911 calls made from a cell phone or other wireless devices will be routed to the nearest public safety answering point (PSAP) as determined by the cell phone tower being used. If at all possible, a location will be triangulated and shown on a map in the 911 communication center.

WHEN SHOULD YOU USE 911?

911 should only be used for emergency situations. If you are in doubt of whether your call is an emergency, you should call 911. It’s better to be safe and let the dispatcher determine if you need emergency assistance. If you call 911 by mistake, do not hang up. Tell the dispatcher of the mistake, so they know it’s not an emergency. If a dispatcher is unable to verify that no emergency exists, law enforcement will be sent to the location.

It’s a prank call when someone calls 911 for a joke, or calls 911 and hangs up when no emergency exists. If 911 lines or dispatcher are busy with prank calls, someone with a real emergency may not be able to get the help they need. Prank calling is a crime and you could be charged with unlawful use of the 911 system.

WHO PAYS FOR 911?

Each household, cell phone, or business pays a small monthly fee for the 911 service on each telephone line that appears on their phone bill. There is no per-call charge.