ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — The 911 system across St. Charles County will be updated over the next several months to better route and locate wireless callers.

The emergency phone system was originally designed to route landline calls, according to an online press release, and with 85% of 911 calls in St. Charles County made on cell phones, there can be delays in locating callers using wireless technology.

“911 is the one service that almost everybody will need at some point in their life,” County Executive Steve Ehlmann said, “And when you need it—it’s the most important thing in your life.”

The new system will provide 911 with the location of callers received directly from their wireless device. Calls will be routed to the appropriate dispatcher based on the caller’s actual physical location instead of cell tower location or multiple tower triangulation.

There will be less need for the transfer of calls between dispatch agencies with a more accurate route, according to the press release. The system will eventually allow dispatchers to see the elevation of a 911 caller that could help locate what floor they are on.

Callers also will be able to send photos and videos from the scene of an emergency, according to the press release.

Totaling $12 million, the system includes new hardware, software and 911 call routing system. Over the next 18 months, the system will come online in phases with the complete installation within the next seven years, according to the press release.

St. Charles County’s capital improvement sales tax will fund about 55% of the new 911 system with the remainder from Lake Saint Louis, O’Fallon, St. Charles, St. Peters, and Wentzville.

The St. Charles County Council approved an agreement with the five cities, according to the press release.

“The only dedicated 911 funding source in St. Charles County is a tax on landlines that generates less than $250,000 annually in a county of 419,000 people,” the press release states. “Twenty years ago, before cell phones dominated, the same tax raised $571,000.”

To temporarily help with the staff shortages, St. Charles County hired contract 911 dispatchers in late summer where a handful have come on board with a total eight expected, according to the press release.

“More than 118,000 calls have been placed to 911 in St. Charles County this year through October. Of those, 98.7% have been answered within 10 seconds. The average answer time is 3.5 seconds,” the press release states.