On Chas County’s Consolidated 911 Center Report
I remember an article the P&C had on it a while back, and I heard today from Eric and also a short blurb on Channel 2 that the report that Charleston County (and several other municipalities within) had commissioned had returned, and that it stated that it was feasible. They have it posted on the County’s website. Well, I think consolidation has good points, however there are also many other aspects that must be considered. I will commence picking it apart and commenting on it, since I work in 911 communications. For the record, I am totally against consolidation – to a point. Berkeley County Central Communications is a prime example of when ‘a good comm center goes bad.’
On paper, consolidation is a fabulous thing. For the individual agencies it eliminates the need for all the equipment needed for a dispatch center, none of which is cheap. It also eliminates the personnel – which in turn saves money (payroll, benefits, etc). Overall for the agencies themselves, it’s a good thing – it saves lots of money. For the citizens it will result in one 911 center receiving the 911 calls for that area – provided that 911 is called from a landline, or a cell phone that hits the proper tower – a cell phone that hits a tower in Berkeley County even if you are in North Charleston is not likely to make it to North Charleston without first being answered and transferred from Berkeley County. For the units, or the users, of the comm center, there are little benefits for them, aside from easier communication between other agencies within the same comm center.>The Charleston County study was conducted with”‘law enforcement, fire, and EMS leaders from within Charleston County.” We all know that the higher-ups generally have not been where the ‘rubber meets the road’ for quite some time, and as such their decisions may not be inline with what happens at the operational level. Tell me that an Exxon executive would be able to make a decision about quickee mart operations when he’s likely never worked the counter at a stop and rob.
My favorite part of the news release:
Consolidation of emergency public safety communications is being considered for Charleston County for the following reasons:
- To improve service to citizens, which will save lives
- To provide the most efficient and effective emergency communications possible
- To increase safety to emergency responders
- To enhance coordination among responding agencies
Sounds definitive, right? Riddle me this – how do they know that it WILL save lives? I mean, people are not dying in the streets because it took less than three seconds to transfer a caller (it’s single button hot transfer, it’s quick). Efficient and effective…mmmkay, but to whom? To the citizens, or the units out in the street? Increase the safety to first responders…yeah..explain how. The last one is a gimme – of course having all the agencies in the same room would enhance coordination…but as I pointed out before – this doesn’t always work. Look at the recent Moncks Corner PD incident. If coordination within the consolidated communications center works so well, then why were the MCPD units allowed to go that far outside of their town limits without a Berkeley County unit being dispatched? (note: none of the info I’ve received stated that they asked for one either).
Further on, they stated that it’s time consuming to repeat information to different dispatchers, and also that transfers consume time as well. Well, I can tell you that if a caller answers the questions that are asked of them that their call will likely be delayed very little. A caller that knows where they are is even better. One of the first questions asked of any 911 caller is their location. A good dispatcher should confirm the location by asking what’s nearby or what subdivision or a cross street, to ensure that everyone is talking about the same location. If it’s in another jurisdiction, then it’s a simple press of the button, and the original dispatcher should remain on the line until the receiving agency picks up and starts conversing with the caller. Elapsed time, likely less than 30 seconds – if the caller is prepared. Public education about 911 is lacking everywhere and would help to alleviate the problem of unprepared callers.
Delays in response are reduced through eliminating transferred 911 calls and through standardizing training, processes and protocols. Better technology would be available to benefit all response agencies and citizens in Charleston County. Additionally, improved interoperability and information sharing among agencies will be realized.
Standardized processes and protocols does not mean they are better. It means ‘generic.’ For example, Goose Creek PD may have a particular way they want their calls dispatched (and we do), and Hanahan PD may have another. Both agencies want it done that way. A consolidated center does not lend itself to the specific desires of the agencies (a customer) which they serve. Ultimately an agency may have to settle on a compromise that isn’t necessarily what they wanted initially. Imagine if all the fast food was consolidated into one large fast food restaurant – obviously it’s easier on them to have one generic cheeseburger instead of the many different types (work with me here) than each of the smaller ‘pieces’ the agency was made of had initially. So in that scenario, you the customer, gets screwed. In the comm center scenario, the agency gets screwed (potentially).
The better technology they speak of costs money. Agencies will have useless equipment if they move to a consolidated dispatch center. What would Isle of Palms do with their stuff if they have no need for it? Once again, if they ‘generic-ize’ (I just made that up…lol) a dispatch center, the equipment from the agencies from which it is composed is not likely to be usable. So new equipment will have to be purchased for the new consolidated center…which…costs money!
Interoperability and information sharing could potentially be realized. I can tell you that when I was dispatching the city channel in Berkeley County that I could pass information to the Sheriff’s dispatcher next to me…but that doesn’t mean it always happened. Often one side of the room had no idea what was going on in the other half.
“The Consolidated Dispatch Feasibility Study is an incredible opportunity for the Lowcountry,” said Tim Scott, Charleston County Council Chairman. “Millions of dollars can be saved, which would be a significant return to the taxpayers.”
Don’t count on you ever seeing that money. I can’t think of any municipality or county that reduces taxes when they save money – they just find something else to spend it on. Like I said, on paper it’s an excellent idea. In execution is where the issues crop up.
As part of the Consolidated Dispatch Study, high-level officials were interviewed, as well as management and dispatch staff at each of the 10 centers in Charleston County. Although most of those interviewed were supportive of the concept of consolidating emergency public safety communications, some concerns were expressed. These included worry over how to deal with the other duties, such as administrative call-taking or other jurisdiction-specific functions performed by many dispatchers. Concern was also expressed over job security for dispatchers, as well as concern over losing quality or familiarity in serving a specific emergency response agency in a specific geographic area.
Read my earlier statement about the higher ups. They’re often out of touch with what happens in the trenches. Dispatch staff might appear initially in support of such a concept, however it was not likely that they were all that familiar with what could happen. They could lose their jobs, since less personnel are likely to be required. The administrative duties and other jurisdiction-specific functions are one example of how an agency will lose control over what they wish to happen. If dispatchers are no longer available to answer the administrative phone lines for an agency – who will? Guess what – they’ll have to hire a receptionist – which detracts from the financial benefit of a consolidated center.
The geographic familiarity can be a big deal in this line of work. When I worked for Berkeley County, since I lived in the southern part of Berkeley, I was familiar with it and found working the south Fire/EMS channel was much easier, and I knew where things were without having to look them up in the computer. This is the same for many of the people that worked there. Dispatchers who lived in St. Stephen could cover that area better than someone who did not. When I worked north Fire/EMS I had no clue where things where, or how far places were, landmarks, etc. The citizens benefited when a dispatcher who was familiar with their area was on that channel. Think about calling for a service call to your house. If you talk to a dispatcher in a regional call center, say….Atlanta, do you think they are familiar with your area? If you stated ‘I live near Carnes Crossroads’ they aren’t likely to know that you mean where Hwy 176 and Hwy 17-A cross in Goose Creek. A local call taker is much more likely to know this, and customer service will benefit from that.’
While I am generally against consolidation of communications centers, there are instances when it is a GOOD idea. St. Andrews PSD for example, has a rudimentary dispatch center. I have more communications capability at my house than they do in their center, which consists of a desktop radio, a notebook, a map and if I remember correctly, maybe a computer. They do not have E-911 capability. The PSD being consolidated would greatly help the citizens in that area. Small agencies do benefit, however most medium and large agencies may not.
You’ll note that the bottom of the little press release states the agencies which requested and contributed to the study. City of Charleston was not involved – why? Because they have no desire to consolidate. I also noted that Sullivan’s Island was also not involved….I’m not sure why. In Berkeley County Hanahan and Goose Creek are not consolidated (nor is Summerville, which partially lays in Berkeley as well). In Dorchester County you have North Charleston (partially) and Summerville that are not parts of the consolidated dispatch center (run by the Sheriff’s Office). In both counties consolidated dispatch centers are already in operation and the fact that those agencies did not opt to join in with the others should say something about it.
IMHO – It is prudent that the citizens of the cities they reside in must have their municipalities separately examine their needs and ensure that a consolidated center would meet their needs. The citizens need to be involved in this process as their lives and property are at stake. It would be foolish to assume that the local government knows best.