By the time you read this, the Pickens 911 office will be using a state-of-the-art Enhanced 911 system giving operators more information and options to dispatch emergency help.

 Pickens Emergency Management Director Layne Arnold said the $450,000 system was ready to roll on Tuesday, but they were going to wait until Wednesday to officially make the cut over to allow a little more  “tweaking” of the equipment.

 Arnold said the 16 employees of the 911 office had spent “hundreds of hours working on the switchover including training.”

 Arnold said the enhanced system includes new software, computers, phones and other equipment.

 He said the enhanced system that the county will use “is as good as it gets.”

 An Enhanced 911 system was the centerpiece of a public safety SPLOST referendum last year.

 The enhanced system will offer dispatchers an automatic identification of where the call originated as well as other pertinent information including the history of calls from that location, which fire department or law enforcement agency has jurisdiction there and information that could have been logged in

during earlier calls.

 Having the automatic location identification is crucial in handling calls from children or anyone with speaking difficulties -- possibly due to panic or breathing problems.

 “Having this system here will benefit everyone,” Arnold said. “Normally when you call 911, it’s for some type of emergency. This will help us to dispatch.”

 However, Arnold noted that the new technology makes the 911 office no place to dial the wrong number or prank call.

 “When we get a call that comes in, even if the person hangs up, we know where the call came from and will dispatch emergency crews,” he said. “If someone calls and hangs up, we’ll send everyone because of the possibility of a true emergency.”

 Arnold noted that if someone dials 911 by mistake, they should stay on the line and inform the dispatcher that they do not have an emergency.

 Arnold said the new equipment and software will be expandable to serve the county’s needs for years. Upgrades are already planned including identifying the location of cell phone callers. That capability should be available within a few months, he said.