Volunteer Dispatching Team Disbanded

The Preston (Tex.) Volunteer Emergency Services’ Dispatch Department has disbanded, requiring residents of the community to now dial 911 to reach Grayson County, which took over dispatching duties. The department was formed in 1969 to help speed responses from the volunteer fire department, using a telephone system that simultaneously rang phones at firefighters’ homes. The community honored the final 13 volunteer dispatchers, who together logged over 8,700 hours of service each year. Money and technology upgrades finally convinced the volunteers to give up their duties and let the county handle dispatching.