Douglas County officials should be congratulated for moving quickly to implement a new enhanced-911 service for wireless phone users.

Legislation passed in the just-completed session will require wireless phone users to pay 50 cents a month, starting on July 1, to fund the E-911 system. The money raised from the fee will be used to upgrade dispatch systems around the state so they can automatically trace the name and location of people making 911 emergency calls from wireless phones.

Such traces already can be made for calls from land-line telephones, which currently are assessed the 50-cent monthly fee. But many counties currently don’t have the ability to trace wireless 911 calls, and if the caller is incapacitated or doesn’t know his or her exact location, emergency assistance could be delayed, sometimes with tragic results.

The state will use money from the new fee to upgrade 911 systems across the state to provide wireless E-911 service, and Douglas County officials, who have supported this move for several years, are wasting no time in moving toward an improved system. On Monday, commissioners decided to make application to a regional 911 network that covers eight counties in northeast Kansas. That will allow them to compare the cost of joining the network with the cost of operating an independent system for Douglas County.

Either way, Jim Denney, the county’s director of emergency communications, estimates the system will be in place here within three months to a year.

There is no doubt the E-911 system can vastly improve response time to some emergencies and perhaps be a life-saving advantage for wireless callers. Denney noted that national statistics indicate the ability to immediately locate a caller may be a life-and-death difference in one out of 1,000 calls. That seems like a small percentage, he said, but with the county dispatch center receiving 20,000 to 25,000 wireless 911 calls a year that could make a life-saving difference for 20 to 25 people annually.

The E-911 legislation has been pointed to by many legislators as one of the most significant accomplishments of the 2004 session. The 50-cent fee on wireless phones is a practical way to provide a life-saving service, and it’s great to see Douglas County officials taking quick action to upgrade the local 911 system.