The Emergency Communications Department provides a central location for all members of the public and emergency services to report emergencies and receive emergency assistance. Emergency 911 Communications receives over 14,000 calls per month on average. Over 11,000 calls are dispatched every month. Over half the calls are from cell phones. The communications center, dispatches assistance to from the following agencies:

• 24 fire departments
• 20 first responder units
• 12 rescue stations
• 10 municipal police departments 
• Johnston County Animal Services

911 Communications, also handles requests for Emergency Management, the Fire Marshal, Red Cross, and medical helicopters from Duke, UNC, East Wake and East Carolina. Our personnel also assists the sheriff's department during periods of heavy radio or phone traffic. The 911 Communications Center is fully operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Seven console positions are staffed 911 with 8th, 9th, and 10th position operated by Sheriff's personnel.

Staff personnel are required to be trained and certified through the Division of Criminal Information and the State Bureau of Investigation. Other required certifications include Emergency Medical Dispatch, Emergency Fire Dispatch and Emergency Police Dispatch. These certifications allow access to the DCI files for information regarding histories, stolen guns, articles, boats, and motor vehicles.

Radio communications with all agencies are handled through VHF and 800 MHz frequencies. Our 800 MHz system supports the Sheriff's department and all county municipal police departments. The utilities department, child protective services, and the JCATS transportation system are also served from this network. Expansion capabilities are built in and can accommodate other uses such as county agencies, and fire and rescue, organizations as the need.

The backbone of the emergency system is the 911 phone system and equipment. This system allows dispatch personnel to see the call location immediately upon receiving the call, along with available emergency responders. This is immensely helpful in today's environment. With the expansion that has taken place in our county, there is no way one could quickly obtain the driving directions and dispatch the correct emergency responders to a given area. The Johnston County 911 system is supported financially with an 60-cent per month surcharge placed on all telephone lines. The average statewide charge is $1.00.