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News

11-28-2011

Wright is new 911 director

New Chilton County 911 Director Dan Wright, left, and dispatcher Jennifer Bland demonstrate technology that can trace the location of a cell phone when it makes an emergency call.

Chilton County’s new 911 director might be uniquely qualified to lead the organization into the future.

Dan Wright was named director at the beginning of the month, and he was no stranger to the department.

Wright has worked at Chilton County 911 in some capacity since 2001 and has seen the organization undergo radical changes.

“When I started, we were working off wall maps and map books,” he said.

Everything now is digital. Some of 911’s newest technology allows dispatchers to trace calls made from cell phones to within 300-500 feet of the phone’s location when the call was made.

Another new development is an upgrade to the county’s mapping software that allows dispatchers to click through to Google street view, so they can provide better information to emergency responders about how to get to a residence or what to expect when they arrive.

“It makes us much more efficient and effective,” Wright said.

Chilton County has taken advantage of new developments in no small part because of Wright, who earned an information technology certificate along with his degree from Columbia Southern University and previously maintained the department’s information technology.

State officials have announced the Alabama Next Generation Project, which is a plan to use existing infrastructure to tie together emergency response jurisdictions that currently have no interaction.

Technology could also yield the ability to view video feeds from police cruiser dashboard cameras.

“We’ll have so much data at our fingertips,” said Wright, a 1999 graduate of Chilton County High School who has also spent time pursuing a firefighting career. “That will allow us to make better decisions about response.”

Wright and Chilton County 911 also have challenges in front of them. Wright said the department this year handled 40 percent more calls than in 2007, though the staff level has remained the same.

Still, Wright is confident the department can continue to improve the service it offers to local residents.

“We’ve come a long way,” he said.