35th Anniversary

★ 9-1-1: More Than Just a Number ★

To the district, 9-1-1 is more than just a number. It is a symbol of 35 years of innovation, advocacy and commitment to the public and 9-1-1 telecommunicators it serves. On June 3, 2026, the North Central Texas Emergency Communications District celebrates its 35-year anniversary.

Over those years, NCT9-1-1 focused on saving lives and making a difference by prioritizing servant leadership. The district also committed to innovation and defining itself as an early adopter, providing resources and guidance to other emergency number entities, and ensuring every decision promotes NCT9-1-1’s core values.

Today, the district serves over 2 million people across 14 counties and 40 plus Emergency Communications Centers. A few key moments over those 35 years have defined the district. Explore this interactive timeline to see highlights of those moments from the people who were there.

1991

The North Central Texas Council of Governments 9-1-1 Program launched on June 3. The first call was made in Collin County.

1993

9-1-1 legacy technology evolved to provide more emergency resources for the North Texas Deaf and hard of hearing communities.

2003

The North Central Texas Emergency Communications District, then still known as the NCTCOG 9-1-1 Program, began implementing geographic information systems (GIS) mapping into its region.

2007

The process to adopt Next Generation 9-1-1, which includes updating to newer, cloud-based technologies, began. To meet this challenge, the technology team was established.

2010

The regional Texas Telecommunicator Emergency Response Taskforce (TERT) launched following NCTCOG 9-1-1 becoming the state TERT program’s headquarters in 2007.

2013

The NCTCOG 9-1-1 Program was the first to introduce Text-to-9-1-1 in Texas and fifth in the nation.

2016

Texas became the first state to require the licensing of 9-1-1 telecommunicators. In response, NCTCOG 9-1-1 Program launched the first and only Regional Telecommunicator Academy in Texas.

2018

In December 2018, the North Central Texas Council of Governments 9-1-1 Program became the North Central Texas Emergency Communications District. The transition to a district allowed NCT9-1-1 to provide more personalized services to its North Texas communities and have more local control over decision making with a board of elected officials from its region.

2019

House Bill 1090 reclassified 9-1-1 telecommunicators in Texas as first responders. Texas was one of the first states to make this change and leads the way for national reclassification.

2020

In 2020, our team successfully implemented a new mapping solution for emergency communications centers entirely remotely.

2023

NCT9-1-1 made the first successful real-time text (RTT) call in 2023.

2026

In 2026, NCT9-1-1 implemented AI for transcription and translation services its 9-1-1 system.