County 911 center started operations 52 years ago
The Butler County Communications Center opened in the Sunnyview Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Butler Township in December 1970, and had 33 of the 34 fire companies in the county hooked to the center by radio.
At the time, the county sheriff’s office was hooked to the radio board, and the hospital and ambulance services could be contacted by phone in the center. Other companies could could contact the center by radio for assistance, and all police and fire communications were monitored by the operator on duty, according to the Dec. 3, 1970 edition of the Butler Eagle.
Operators in the center also had buttons to set off any fire siren in the county. At the time, there were only three operators on the staff who manned the system 24 hours a day, so they stressed that the center only be contacted for genuine emergencies.
