Emergency Communications

E911 Center EntranceThe Mecklenburg County Emergency Communication Center (MECC) is the public safety answering point (PSAP) for Mecklenburg County. The MECC is an essential link in public safety. The MECC receives and dispatches calls for all Mecklenburg County EMS agencies, Fire Departments, and Police departments including the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office. The MECC is located in the Town of Boydton.

Staffing

All of our dedicated Public Safety Communication Officers (PSCOs) are trained and certified in Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) and Emergency Fire Dispatch (EFD). This training helps our PSCO gather more accurate and precise information for the First Responders. 

Alert Mecklenburg

The MECC has the ability to send out weather alerts and other important information through Alert Mecklenburg. To learn more or sign up click on the Alert Mecklenburg above or call Stacey Allen at 434-738-6191 ext. 4219 and she will sign you up over the phone. 

Ask yourself Before Calling 911:
    Is there a danger to life or property?
    Is there a serious medical emergency (chest pains, seizures, bleeding, etc.?) 
    Is there any type of fire (building, vehicle, brush, etc.?)
    Is there any crime-in-progress (robbery, burglary, prowler, fights, etc.?)
    Is there any other life threatening situations (traffic accident with injuries, stuck in high water, etc.?) 

    Is the caller or someone else the victim of a crime?
 

If you are ever in doubt of whether a situation is an emergency, you should call 9-1-1. It is better to be safe and let the 9-1-1 call taker determine if you need emergency assistance. 

What to Expect When Calling 911

When calling Mecklenburg County Emergency Communication Center (MECC) during an emergency, there are a few questions that we will always have to ask each caller so be prepared. These questions don't delay help coming to you but the information gathered by the Public Safety Communication Officer (PSCO) helps the first responders in the field. 

Questions to expect:

  • The address of the emergency:If we don't know where you are we can't send the help you need.
  • Your name:We would like to know who we are talking to
  • The phone number you are calling from: If we get disconnected we need to make sure we have the right number.
  • Exactly what happened: We need to know the details of what happened so we can give the responders the most accurate information possible.
  • Additional questions: We will have additional questions to ask after we have determined what type of help you need. This will not slow down the response. It will give the responders a bigger picture of what they are headed into. 

What should I do if I call 911 by mistake?  

If you call 9-1-1 by mistake, DO NOT HANG UP. Stay on the line and tell the dispatcher that everything is all right. If a caller dialing 911 by mistake hangs up without stating the problem, the caller must be contacted back in order to ensure that no actual emergency exists. This may involve the dispatching of an officer to your home or place of business in order to ensure that a problem does not exist. 

911 Address Posting:

Locating you quickly during an EMERGENCY is our goal.  When a Mecklenburg County Telecommunicator dispatches any emergency service unit, whether it is Fire, EMS (Emergency Medical Services), or Law Enforcement to your residence in your time of need, having your address posted and clearly visible allows them to find you quickly.  Even with GPS and GIS mapping, responders still depend on address postings to ensure they are in the correct place. 

Remember have your address posted and clearly visible for responders to see!!!

If responders can’t find you they can’t help you!!


Non-Emergency Calls

If you need to contact MECC and it isn't an emergency you can contact us at 434-738-0028.

Text to 911/SMS Calls

If you are unable to contact 911 because of a bad service area or you just don't want the people around you to hear that you are contacting 911, you now have to capability to text the MECC. Simply go to your texting app in the "To" field put 911 and then begin typing your message to the center. One of our dedicated staff will answer your text and be there to help. Remember we are going to ask you the same questions that we would ask if you were speaking to us so be prepared.  We do not currently have the capability to handle foreign language calls through text.

Call if you can, Text if you can't. 

TTY/TDD Calls

The MECC has the technology to handle TTY/TDD Calls. As the years have changed so has our technology but we have always and will always have the capability to talk to our hearing-impaired public. 

Control Burns

If you are going to burn in Mecklenburg County you need to notify the MECC so we can make note of where the burn is happening. This is then sent to the Fire Department Chief so that they are aware. This also helps us keep from sending out resources when they don't need to go.  

There is also a Burn Ban for Mecklenburg County every year the Burn Ban start February 15th through April 30th.  If you have any questions please call the non-emergency number at the center.


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Dispatchers save seconds and seconds save lives.