Morganton, NC – Starting Wednesday, January 8, 2025, residents calling the administrative phone lines for Burke County Emergency Communications will notice a new system in place. Calls will now be routed through an automated phone tree, offering a list of options to direct callers to the appropriate department or agency. This change will not affect those calling 911 for emergencies.
Assistant 911 Director Chris White explained the necessity of this update: “Burke County Telecommunicators are fielding between 200 and 400 administrative phone calls a day, in addition to 100-200 true emergencies via 911. In 2024 alone, telecommunicators answered 124,041 administrative calls. Many of these calls involve requests to connect with other agencies, which takes valuable time away from focusing on 911 emergencies.”
Burke County’s 911 system already operates on Next Generation 911, a cutting-edge system used by all 124 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) across North Carolina. While the change to administrative lines will improve routing efficiency, the 911 system itself will also receive a minor update to its interface, providing enhanced functionality.
911 Executive Director Heather Joyner expressed enthusiasm for the improvement: “I am so excited for this advancement in our phone system. This new technology will help us better serve our citizens and ease the workload on our telecommunicators, enabling them to focus on being exceptional first, First Responders.”
Residents calling 911 for emergencies will continue to be immediately directed to Burke County Telecommunicators, ensuring no disruption to emergency services.
For questions about this change, please contact Burke County Emergency Communications with the information above