Continued frustration over address changes

Frustrated by the financial burden and inconvenience of having to change their addresses in accordance to the county's new E-911 system, rural residents packed the county commissioner's office Wednesday to voice their opinions.

Some wondered how an address change would help if emergency officials could already pinpoint a resident's exact location.

A statewide effort to enhance 911 and emergency services has pinpointed with GPS technology all rural addresses. These addresses must change within 30 days of the Post Office's notification.

Some asked about reimbursement. Others wondered why the burden rested only on them.

But the burden rests on other parties, like the courthouse, the commissioners office and the post office.

The Planning Department is in the process of notifying the state department of revenue, Frontier Telephone company, Interbel Telephone company, the fire districts and the county elections office.

Residents must notify their family and friends, the Internal Revenue Service, schools, magazines, banks, employers and medical providers, among other organizations.

The change is designed to cut the response time for emergency services when responding to a call.

Marc McGill was a volunteer firefighter for 22 years. Now, he heads the Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency which coordinates inter-agency disaster responses.

He said he understands residents' frustrations but he also must consider his professional perspective.

"I know how it feels to have a call you can't find. Seconds count," McGill said.

It's just something that we as a response group live through every day. If we could get around it, we would do it."

When the effort began in 2001, Montana lawmakers teamed up with county commissioners after recognizing that the first 60 minutes after a traumatic injury is crucial as the likelihood of death or permanent injury significantly increase if treatment is not provided within that time.

The new system is funded through a telecommunications fee.

In 1997, the Montana Legislature passed House Bill 210, which provided a tariff through residents' phone bills of 50 cents per phone line per month.

Lincoln County's fund gained more than $200,000. And it had to be used toward an enhanced 911 system.

The new addresses reflect the exact distance from the Montana-Idaho border. Numbers are assigned at an interval of 1,000 per mile. Thus, a structure one mile away down a road would have an address of 1000.

After the system is in effect, U.S. Highway 2 addresses will no longer carry west and south designations, only numerical designations based on mileage from the state border.

Libby will benefit from two new dispatch computer systems and Troy will add one system.

When a 911 call is received, the caller address will be automatically known because each number will be linked to a physical address.