National 9-1-1 Day

People in all facets of the 9-1-1 industry and beyond have observed September 11—which just happens to be 9/11—as National 9-1-1 Day ever since President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation in 1987 making September 11 (9/11) “9-1-1 Emergency Number Day.” That proclamation recognized the importance of 9-1-1 and it’s ability to help save more lives and increase the public’s confidence of local emergency response systems.

National 9-1-1 Day is a wonderful opportunity for our industry to recognize the people—no matter how big a part they play—who work in 9-1-1 and public safety communications. Whether you’re on the municipal side or the commercial side of the industry, your employees make a difference in the quality of life for our citizens. While National 9-1-1 Day has typically been recognized as a day to celebrate the efforts of these people, it also presents a fantastic opportunity to promote public education on 9-1-1 and increase public awareness.

This year, NENA is promoting National 9-1-1 Day to professionals in the industry and the public to earn this well deserved recognition for our members and their peers for all their efforts, and to help raise public awareness of 9-1-1. Within the National 9-1-1 Day Kit, you will find the information you need to make this September 11 a special day for your 9-1-1 professionals and your community.

The 9-1-1 Day Kit includes a variety of information that will help you get the word out about 9-1-1 Day, help with ideas for recognizing your people, and direct you to the tools you need to raise public awareness of 9-1-1 in your community.  The links below are to each respective National 9-1-1 Day Kit item.  Please note that these documents are Adobe PDFs.  Following is a list of the items in the kit and descriptions of how to use them:

Sample Press/News Release. The sample press/news release is intended to help you construct a release of your own to distribute to your local media, press, public officials, or your local school system. Make them aware of National 9-1-1 Day and your plans well in advance, so they can plan to attend or find ways to get involved in the celebration or the day’s events. You may also want to consider including your state NENA Chapter in your plans.

Sample Resolution. The sample resolution is the legislation approved by the US House of Representative and the US Senate in October 1986. This is the law that made September 11, 1987 “9-1-1 Emergency Number Day.” Use this text as an example for your local or state government’s resolution.

Sample Proclamations. Two sample proclamations are included as examples of the copy your local officials could use to publicly recognize National 9-1-1 Day. One is the September 11, 1987 proclamation signed by then-President Ronald Reagan; the other is from the State of Arizona–Office of the Governor for September 1998, which was a cooperative effort with the Arizona Chapter of NENA.

Recognizing Your People. There are many ways to recognize your people for their contributions to the industry and 9-1-1. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination—and probably your budget. Here, NENA has compiled examples of how other agencies and companies have recognized people in the past.

Raising Public Awareness. NENA can refer you to three programs for public education. They include the 9-1-1 For Kids Red E. Fox Program, the State Farm Insurance Good Neighbear 9-1-1 simulator/program, and the NENA “9-1-1: How It’s Done” program. Explore these referrals or share this information with the elementary schools in your area. School starts just before National 9-1-1 Day—what a great way for teachers in your community’s school system to kick off the year!

National 9-1-1 Day Article Reprint. “Celebrating America’s Greatest Heroes with America’s Greatest Pastime” is reprinted from the Autumn 1999 NENA Connections newsletter and is about some of the National 9-1-1 Day celebrations that took place in September 1999.