07/27/2026
We’re always looking for ways to serve you better, and we're excited to share a change that does exactly that.
You may have heard the term "911 center," but a big part of what we do goes beyond just 911. Every day, our team also fields calls to our administrative line: people looking to reach the courthouse, the animal shelter, the jail, asking about burn permits, or just needing to be pointed in the right direction. In fact, nearly 3 out of every 4 calls to that line aren't emergencies at all, they're folks who just need help getting to the right place.
The problem is, when a real emergency comes in on 911, that call has to come first, every time, by law. So when our team is handling 911 calls and the admin line rings, callers have sometimes been left waiting, or worse, the call goes unanswered altogether because we legally must complete the processing of the 911 call before taking any administrative call.
That's where AVA comes in. AVA answers our administrative line immediately, day or night, with no hold time. To be clear, AVA does not touch 911 in any way. She only handles the non-emergency line. Every 911 call still goes straight to our telecommunicators, exactly as it always has. AVA listens to what you need and gets you where you need to go, whether that's a transfer to the right department, a text with a link or a map, or getting your information collected and passed straight to the right people.
You might wonder why we didn't just set up a standard phone menu, the "press 1 for this, press 2 for that" kind. The honest answer is that a menu like that can't listen for an emergency buried in what someone is saying, can't gather details for a report, can't text you a map or a link, and leaves you stuck if what you need isn't one of the options. AVA has an actual conversation with you, the same way one of our staff would, so you never have to guess which button to press.
What This Means for You
- No more waiting on hold for non-emergency questions. AVA answers instantly, every time.
- Nothing falls through the cracks. Every caller gets a response, even during our busiest moments. Got disconnected? That information is forwarded to our telecommunicators so they can follow up.
- Emergencies are never missed. If AVA hears anything indicating an in progress or recent crime, a weapon, a medical emergency, a fire, or any other safety threat, that call is immediately moved through to our live team. That said, if you are experiencing a true emergency, calling 911 directly is always the fastest and best way to get help.
- Real help, not just a menu. Need to know about burn permits? She can text you the link. Curious about the parade route? She'll send you the map.
- Reporting something like a theft after the fact? She can gather all the details up front so our officers have everything they need right away so they can confirm info and focus on investigating when they reach out!
- Help in more than one language. AVA can communicate with callers in multiple languages, not just English, so language is never the reason someone can't get connected to the help they need.
Faster Alarm Response Too With ASAP To PSAP
Alongside AVA, we're also rolling out a system called ASAP to PSAP. In simple terms, it lets alarm companies send fire and burglar alarm information straight into our dispatch system the moment it happens, instead of relying on a phone call to get through first. That means faster fire alarm dispatch, instant updates when an alarm is cancelled, and less time spent waiting on hold-ups between the alarm company and our center. If you have a monitored alarm system at your home or business, this means a quicker, more accurate response when it matters.
One important note: this benefit only works if your alarm company is set up to use ASAP to PSAP on their end too. It's a two-way connection, so if your provider hasn't adopted it yet, the speed advantage won't apply to your alarm. This goes for fire and burglar alarms, medical alert systems, and anything else routed through a monitoring company. We'd encourage you to reach out to your alarm or medical alert provider and ask directly whether they support ASAP to PSAP. If they don't yet, asking is also a good way to encourage them to get on board.
Why are we doing this?
To be clear, this isn't about replacing anyone. Every telecommunicator on our team is still here, still answering 911 calls, and still the ones dispatching help to you. AVA and ASAP to PSAP don't take anyone's job, they take work off our team's plate that was never supposed to be their main focus in the first place, so they can stay locked in on 911 and the radio.
Here's the reality: our call volume has grown substantially over the last decade, but our staffing levels largely haven't. Our telecommunicators need to be able to give 911 their full attention, every time, without also splitting focus to answer an admin line ringing next to them. AVA gives our team that bandwidth back, so both lines actually get answered instead of one waiting on the other.
The honest reality is that staffing a 911 center costs money, and that funding doesn't come easily or quickly. We can't just hire more people to solve this. So while we continue to make the case for the staffing our call volume actually requires, we're doing everything we can to be as efficient as possible with the team we have right now. AVA and ASAP to PSAP are part of that effort: getting more out of every shift, making sure no call goes unanswered, and keeping our focus where it matters most, on you, in a real emergency.
Is This Safe?
AVA runs on a platform built specifically for 911 centers and proven in real-world service, currently serving over 15 million people nationwide and answering 500,000 calls each month. It meets the same FBI-level security standards (CJIS) that protect criminal justice data, and it holds an independent SOC 2 Type II certification, meaning outside auditors have verified the security controls actually work, not just that they're written down somewhere. Your information stays in the United States, is never sold, and is never mixed with data from other agencies. It belongs to Yadkin County, plain and simple - same as the recorder we already record every single telephone call with.
It's a big step for our center, and we're excited about what it means for how quickly and reliably we can serve you.
As always, if you ever have a true emergency, call 911. 911 lines will ALWAYS be answered first prior to any other lines. For general questions, concerns, etc. then AVA can get you pointed in the right direction.
