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Billings Emergency Services Reveals New Dispatch System Timeline Details
Local dispatch operations and alert changes rest on specific processes and recovery times documented by county sources.
How we reported this
Billings is transitioning to a nurse navigation system for EMS calls to improve response efficiency by determining if a nurse can handle non-life-threatening situations over the phone instead of dispatching a fire truck and ambulance. The Yellowstone Emergency Communications Center handles all 911 calls for the city and county through a single centralized operation.
Context for Current Operations
These updates affect how residents in the Billings metro area receive emergency response. The nurse navigation approach targets non-life-threatening calls to match resources more closely to the situation. This follows the structure already in place at the Yellowstone Emergency Communications Center, which manages dispatch for both municipal and county needs without separate systems.
Dispatch Center Details
Local emergency dispatch for the Billings metro area is centralized through the Yellowstone Emergency Communications Center, which handles 911 calls for both the city and county. Emergency assistance is not available through the City of Billings website. Immediate help for fires, crimes, or medical emergencies requires calling 9-1-1 directly.
Outage Recovery Timeline
911 service in Yellowstone County and Billings was temporarily disrupted by a nationwide Verizon outage but has been fully restored as of 3 a.m. The timeline shows restoration occurred after the disruption affected service across the area served by the Yellowstone Emergency Communications Center.
Alert Notification System
Yellowstone County now uses the Everbridge app for emergency alerts, replacing previous siren and CodeRED systems, to notify residents about tornadoes, floods, fires, and other local incidents. The change shifts notification methods to a single app-based platform for the county including Billings.
Practical Steps Going Forward
Residents should continue calling 9-1-1 for immediate emergencies and download the Everbridge app to receive county alerts. The nurse navigation system rollout focuses on refining how non-emergency calls are assessed at the dispatch level through the existing Yellowstone Emergency Communications Center process.