MARSHALLVILLE - When William Crawford thought his wife was having a heart attack last week, his first reaction was natural -- he dialed 911. <br>
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He didn't expect a recorded voice to tell him that 911 was not a working emergency number for his area. <br>
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The Crawfords live about 90 miles south of Atlanta in rural Macon County, one of 33 counties in the state without an emergency 911 system. They moved to the area two years from nearby Houston County, which does have 911. <br>
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It took Crawford about 15 minutes and three calls to request an ambulance, which arrived about 15 minutes later. Fortunately, 53-year-old Patricia Crawford, survived the ordeal, although doctors aren't sure what happened. She may have had a minor heart attack. <br>
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The Crawfords are among about 280,000 Georgians without 911. <br>
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The lack of emergency service is mostly blamed on the small populations of the counties and a lack of money. Counties are allowed to charge one dollar and 50 cents for every hard-wired telephone in their jurisdiction, but that wouldn't be enough in Macon County, population 14,074. <br>
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Start-up costs would be about $500,000 and annual costs would be another $350,000.
