Callers clog emergency phone lines daily seeking help for mundane problems -- needing a tow truck or having no money at a pay phone and asking to be connected to another number.

The United Way of Volusia-Flagler Counties and other agencies hope those calls subside with a new 211 information phone system to replace an existing one starting in September.

Similar to those in 37 other counties in the state, the three-digit number is for people seeking non-emergency help such as food, shelter, counseling or financial assistance.

"If you have a situation where red or blue flashing lights need to come to your home, call 911. But for everything else, call 211," said Tim Sylvia, director for United Way's First Call For Help, the current information and referral system for the area.

United Way plans to roll out the 211 system first in Daytona Beach and the rest of the two-county area by the end of September.

The $25,000 phone system replaces First Call For Help's more than 15-year-old system. Installation begins next week. The system, being paid for through Volusia County's health, emergency management and community services departments, will be digital and allow operators to transfer calls to other agencies. The program will be operated through the United Way's budget and grants. The agency will also seek corporate sponsorships.

Operators will also be on hand 24 hours a day every day instead First Call's five-day a week system. The United Way call center may have to add to its six-member staff and contract after-hour services to other 211 agencies in Florida.

First Call For Help offers local and toll-free numbers and receives about 20,000 calls a month referring people to 407 agencies in Volusia and Flagler counties. When 211 is implemented, calls are expected to increase about 40 percent based on figures from other parts of the state. Sylvia said the increase will come because the number is easy to remember.

Jim Ryan, director of emergency management for Volusia County, said the county looks at 211 as being a "one-stop clearing house" for people needing social service assistance. He said a "substantial" percentage of calls made to 911 are not for emergencies, though specific statistics are not available.

"We want people to use 911 for bonafide life or death calls," Ryan said.

Ryan said the new system will also help after a storm or other disaster to direct people to the appropriate services.

Gail Camputaro, executive director of the Council on Aging of Volusia County, said the new number will minimize confusion.

"We've had some of our people in the past dial 911 just because they needed their furniture moved on a weekend," Camputaro said.

The Federal Communications Commission in July 2000 designated the three-digit number for easy access to community health information. Brevard County was the first to start the service in Florida in May 2001.

"People have struggled throughout the nation trying to figure out how to get the help they needed," said Libby Donoghue executive director of 211 Brevard Inc. "Now there is an easy number to remember."

Sylvia said the system will meet guidelines including accessibility to the deaf and hard of hearing, and will be multi-lingual.

After the network begins, Sylvia will work on getting cell phone companies in the area to recognize the number and then pay phones.

"We realize we can't just flip and switch and everyone will know about us," Sylvia said. "But 211 is going to be as widely known as 911."

deborah.circelli@news-jrnl.com

People needing information from First Call For Help can call (386) 253-0563 or (877) 253-9010.