WQIO Ohio's Super Station
Knox County’s emergency communications system has entered a new era with the implementation of Next Generation 911, a major technology upgrade designed to improve how emergency calls are received, located and handled.
Knox County 911 Operations Director Rick Lanuzza told the Knox County Board of Commissioners during its August 13 meeting that the county went live with the new system on July 30.
Knox is now the 22nd county in Ohio to be completely operational with Next Generation 911.
The new system replaces the traditional copper-based telephone lines that previously carried emergency calls into the dispatch center with an internet-based, IP system.
According to Lanuzza, the change improves the center’s ability to obtain location information from callers and better connects Knox County’s emergency communications system with other 911 centers throughout Ohio.
Text-to-911 Now Available
One of the most noticeable changes for residents is the ability to send text messages to Knox County 911.
Lanuzza told commissioners that the center had already received its first text message through the new system.
Dispatchers have been practicing with the technology internally, but Lanuzza emphasized that residents should still call 911 whenever they are able.
Texting is intended primarily for situations in which making a voice call isn’t practical or safe, including circumstances involving people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The system also allows dispatchers to send both pre-written and customized text responses to people contacting the center.
Thousands of Calls Continue to Come Through
The technology upgrade comes as Knox County’s dispatchers continue handling a substantial volume of emergency and non-emergency calls.
Lanuzza reported that the center had received 2,181 911 calls during the period discussed with commissioners, along with nearly 5,700 non-emergency calls and 3,676 outgoing calls.
Wednesday was identified as the busiest day for both 911 and non-emergency calls.
The peak hour for 911 calls was 5 p.m., while non-emergency calls peaked around 3 p.m.
Lanuzza said the dispatch center can become particularly busy between approximately 3 and 7 p.m. on Wednesdays, with call volume sometimes making the center’s workload especially intense.
Dispatch Center Adds Workstations
Knox County has also invested in additional equipment inside the 911 center.
Two new workstations were installed as part of a project that began in May.
The stations will primarily be used for overflow and training.
Lanuzza said the new setup allows a trainee to work alongside a dispatcher without having to be physically tethered to the trainer’s headset. Both can monitor calls through the workstations.
The project cost approximately $160,000.
The center now has seven lead dispatch stations, with each station equipped with eight monitors and three computers.
Additional electrical work was also necessary as part of the installation.
The new workstations include visual indicators that help show what a dispatcher is doing — a yellow light indicates the dispatcher is on the phone, while a red light indicates the dispatcher is on the radio.
A Major Upgrade Behind the Scenes
For residents, the biggest change may simply be knowing that a text message can now reach 911.
But the larger significance of the project is the modernization happening behind the scenes.
Moving from traditional copper telephone infrastructure to an IP-based system gives Knox County’s emergency communications center greater connectivity with other agencies and improved tools for identifying where calls originate.
That becomes particularly important during emergencies in which a caller may not know their exact location or may be unable to communicate it clearly.
The system also positions Knox County to participate in the broader statewide Next Generation 911 network.
For Lanuzza and the dispatchers working inside the center, the goal is ultimately straightforward: get better information to dispatchers faster so they can get the right emergency resources to people who need them.
