How Kirksville's 911 Dispatch System Works

When you call 911 in Kirksville or Adair County, the call is handled through the Adair County Emergency Communications Center (ACECC).

ACECC operates 24 hours a day and coordinates police, fire and emergency medical responses.

The most useful thing a caller can know is this: the dispatcher's questions are part of getting the right help to the right place, and those questions may continue even after responders have already been sent.

When to call 911

The City of Kirksville says to use 911 when an immediate police, fire or medical response is needed.

Examples include:

• a medical emergency;
• fire or smoke;
• a crime in progress;
• a serious vehicle crash;
• a hazardous situation;
• an immediate threat to someone's safety.

The City also says that if you are unsure whether you should call 911, it is better to call and let the dispatcher assist.

Do not spend precious time trying to classify a genuine emergency perfectly before calling.

When to use the non-emergency number

For situations that do not require an immediate emergency response, the current ACECC non-emergency number is:

660-665-5621

The City lists examples such as parking complaints, loud-music complaints, barking dogs, theft reports that are not in progress and other non-life-threatening matters.

That number is useful to save in your contacts before you need it.

The first job is establishing where help is needed

The City says one of the first questions a dispatcher is likely to ask is the address of the emergency.

If you do not know the exact address, useful location information can include:

• nearby intersections;
• landmarks;
• business names;
• highway markers;
• GPS coordinates if available.

Location matters because the dispatch center cannot act effectively on a perfect description of the problem if it does not know where responders need to go.

What else the dispatcher may ask

ACECC's published guidance says callers may be asked:

• what phone number they are calling from;
• what happened;
• whether anyone is injured;
• whether weapons are involved;
• who is involved;
• whether suspects are still present;
• descriptions of people or vehicles.

The exact questions depend on the incident.

Answer as clearly as you can and stay on the line until the dispatcher tells you it is okay to disconnect.

Why are they still asking questions if help is coming?

Because dispatching and information gathering can happen at the same time.

The City specifically notes that a dispatcher may continue asking questions even when help is already on the way. The additional information can help responders understand what they are approaching and what resources may be needed.

Continuing questions are not proof that nobody has been dispatched.

Medical calls may include pre-arrival instructions

ACECC says its dispatchers use Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) protocols.

For medical emergencies, callers may be asked about the patient's age, consciousness, breathing, injuries, illness and known medical conditions.

Dispatchers may provide pre-arrival instructions while the medical response is en route.

Follow those instructions as given. A general article cannot anticipate the facts of an individual medical emergency better than the dispatcher handling the actual call.

Which agencies does ACECC serve?

The City's current list includes Kirksville police and fire, the Adair County Sheriff's Office, Adair County Ambulance District, Truman State University Department of Public Safety, Adair County Fire Department, Greentop Fire Department and La Plata Fire Department.

ACECC is therefore a shared communications point for multiple public-safety agencies in and around Adair County.

That does not mean this article should speculate about dispatch software, responder-radio channels, caller-location technology or other technical infrastructure that the City has not documented on its public page.

911 is only one part of the local communication system

Calling for help is different from receiving public warnings.

Kirksville also has a public alert system, National Weather Service warning channels and outdoor warning sirens. Those systems are covered in Emergency Communications in Kirksville and Adair County and Severe Weather Alerts in Kirksville.

For the current official numbers and caller guidance, use the City of Kirksville E-911 page.