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1.1 Cuvahoaa Countv 9-1-1 Prior to the mid-1960s, traumatic injury and sudden illness accounted for a large portion of deaths throughout the country. There were no organized emergency medical response plans in place. There was no central telephone number to contact to request assistance. If you were able to dial a number where someone could send help, often the local mortician or a police vehicle would respond and deliver the victim to the hospital. Hospital personnel rarely had any prior knowledge of what they might face when injured victims arrived. Precious time was lost in transport of critical injuries and lack of preparation at the hospital. Cuyahoga County initially became involved with emergency communications some time before 9-1-1 came into existence in this region. In the mid-1970s, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (CEO of Johnson & Johnson) and the Greater Cleveland Hospital Association, Central Medical Emergency Dispatch (C-MED) was formed. Forty-three regions in 32 states were chosen out of 251 applications to receive funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Cuyahoga County Regional EMS Response Program received a total of $398,580 between July 1974 and June 1977. These funds were used to purchase two-way radios for hospitals and ambulances and to build out a central communications center (C-Med). Cleveland EMS Medic 9 (based out of University Hospitals at that time) responded to its first call at 9.00 a.m. on October 13, 1975. Establishing communications between "first responders" and hospitals was a critical step in trauma survival support. Housed at 1021 Euclid Avenue, and staffed by Emergency Medical Technicians, C-MED's main function was to coordinate communications between ambulances and hospitals for the City of Cleveland. By the late 1970s, C-MED was performing this function for the majority of jurisdictions in Cuyahoga County. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation continued to fund the backbone infrastructure nationally and facilitate cooperation with large corporations and telecommunications providers throughout the 1970's to form the nation's first 9-1-1 system. During the early 1980's C-Med partnered with Military Assistance to Safety and Traffic (MAST) to provide communications and coordination between EMS units and Army medical helicopters stationed at Cleveland Hopkins Airport to provide med-evac services throughout the county. In early 1985, Cleveland EMS decided to take their EMS communications in-house. C- MED became Cuyahoga Emergency Communications System (CECOMS) and was moved to the first floor of 1255 Euclid Avenue. While still taking calls for Cleveland EMS and surrounding communities, their priority during this time was to assist Cleveland with training and migration to their own EMS dispatch, coordinating records, and creating the Master Street Address Guide (MSAG) for Cuyahoga County. On July 1, 1985, Cuyahoga County's 9-1-1 Planning Committee was established by the Board of County Commissioners' Resolution No. 523321, as amended by Resolution No. 526327. In January 1986, "The Proposal for the Implementation of a Countywide 9-1-1 System" was presented by the 9-1-1 Planning Committee to the Cuyahoga County Board of 15