Jason Roblin, director of the Huron County Emergency Management Agency, summarized the potential future of 911 centralized dispatch in an information packet.
Roblin talked about the future at a recent Norwalk city council meeting. He has been visiting the cities, villages and townships lately to keep officials posted.
“(The) Ohio Revised Code changed in December 2012,” Roblin said.
“There are now penalties to our wireless surcharge funding should we not comply with these ORC sections. We must comply with new Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) rules or lose all funding until we are compliant and also comply with the PSAP limitations or lose half of our funding.
Roblin also has been working on this issue with the Huron County commissioners.
“The 911 system that these laws affect belongs to the Huron County commissioners,” Roblin said. “Staying out of compliance with any part of these rules, especially the professionally accepted standards they contain, increases their liability.
“A primary concern is that our four primary PSAPs (Bellevue, Norwalk and Willard police departments and Huron County Sheriff’s Office) all maintain total autonomy over how they operate, staff, train, etc.,” he added.
“None of our primary PSAPs would currently satisfy the new rules. They all understand the importance and began this discussion regarding consolidation of the 911 call-taking and dispatching.”
Roblin outlined the benefits of a centralized 911 dispatch. They include:
• Reduced re-insurance cost (via ISO ratings reductions).
• Consistent professionally recognized policies, procedures, level of service and training.
• Quality assurance and improvement program.
• Better usage of CAD/RMS and underutilized functions.
• Matching time stamps on all 911 records, voice logs and reports countywide.
• Manpower on demand for your large incidents.
• Bellevue tornado, July 2013.
• Norwalk straight line winds, Halloween 2013.
• Willard CSX derailment, Thanksgiving 2013.
• Reduced response times for your residents.
• Potential for zero 911 call transfers.
• Two-person call-taker/dispatcher teams can get help on the way faster.
Commissioner Tom Dunlap said the county doesn’t have much choice but to move forward.
”The state mandate is out there,“ he said. ”The group here in the county has been really proactive. We’re staying ahead of the curve.“
With the potential reduction in funding, the state has placed the county in a corner.
“That’s how it always is,” Dunlap said.
This move to centralized dispatch has to happen, he added.
“If not, it’s a real disservice to the citizens of Huron County,” Dunlap said. “It would take 911 and set it back to the dark ages.“
Where would a new dispatch center be located?
“That’s all still a work in progress,” Dunlap said. “There have been three or four different ideas.
“I think it makes sense from a financial standpoint to consolidate,” he said. “The biggest hurdle is getting all the different government entities all on the same page.”
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