The City of Fort Payne e911 Communications system operates, and is supervised, as a division of the Fort Payne Police Department. The e911 Communications Center handles all 911 emergency calls for assistance within the City of Fort Payne.

The Center handles all police and fire rescue calls for service or information as well as medical calls for service within the City of Fort Payne. The center dispatches for the Fort Payne Police Department and the Fort Payne Fire Rescue Department. Medical calls are transferred to the Dekalb Ambulance Service for dispatch. Calls for other services are transferred to other agencies as is necessary.

The City of Fort Payne e911 Communications Center coordinates closely with the Dekalb County 911 Communications Center, the Dekalb Ambulance Service, and other surrounding state, county, and local agencies or departments in an attempt to offer the best service possible to the public.

The Center is responsible for issuing burn permits as regulated by the Fire Rescue Department. The 911 Center is also charged with the responsibility of addressing for the City of Fort Payne. Persons needing an address must call (256) 845-1272 to obtain an address.

Eddie Wilhite
Eddie Wilhitee911 Director / Police Records / GIS Mapping
(256) 845-1272
Mandy Miller
Mandy MillerGIS Mapping & Addressing
(256) 845-7326

GIS Mapping & Addressing

We are proud to have an enhanced 9-1-1 system in the City of Fort Payne. With this system, as with all enhanced 9-1-1 systems, as soon as you dial the emergency number “9 1 1” and the call connects, we have your location information even if the connection is lost. Therefore, it is imperative that your information be correct and initially assigned by us. When connecting your phone service, the phone company will ask that you give a valid 9-1-1 address for the residence the phone will be located in. It is very important the address given is correct as the phone company is responsible for routing a 9-1-1 call from your location to our facility. We will still ask you to verify your address if you place a 9-1-1 call even though it appears on our display. We know the address of the phone used to dial 9-1-1 but we want to make sure the address is correct and that the problem you are calling about is actually at this address.

Each home and business in the City of Fort Payne should have a 9-1-1 address. Except under certain circumstances, when you relocate into an existing home or business the address for that home or business does not change. If the person you buy or rent from does not  know the address, call our business office at 845-1272. In most cases we can give you your correct address over the phone if you know the names or addresses of your new neighbors and the correct road name and/or parcel number. If you would like to stop by our office  to provide the information or to get assistance we are located at 200 Gault Av S in the old City Hall building that now houses the Police Department and 9-1-1.

9-1-1 addresses are not limited to just homes and businesses. If a structure requires a telephone line connection, electrical power connection or simply if an address is required for insurance purposes we can provide a 9-1-1 address. Due to the numerous addresses  that could exist per a large area of vacant property we do not provide permanent addresses for open land or property. We can provide a general reference address in these cases but it will not be kept on file and if it were ever used for a valid structure, it is subject to being  changed by our office. Multiple structures, even on the same property, require a unique individual address.

911 call

To obtain a 9-1-1 address contact our office, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please have ready as much of the following information about your property as possible:

  • Name of the person who this address will be assigned to and your name if you are an agent for this party.
  • Phone number to contact you with any questions and to inform you of your address.
  • Name of the road this address will be located on.
  • Description of any structures already standing or nearby landmarks.
  • Tax parcel number including lot number if applicable.
  • Approximate distance to nearest neighboring structures.

Once you have received your 9-1-1 address we encourage that it be posted at your driveway, on both sides of your mailbox or on an address marker, so emergency responders are able to read the address from the roadway traveling in either direction. We also encourage   that your address number be posted on your home. Numbers used on your structure, marker or mailbox should be large enough to be easily seen from the road and visible at night.

Remember, in an emergency there is no time to waste, please make your home easy to locate!