Consolidation could lead to delays

FRANKLIN COUNTY

June 29

Future of emergency dispatch unclear

Critics say consolidation of 9-1-1 call centers could lead to delays in services, response times

By Leslie Bridgers
Staff writer

FARMINGTON — Emergency calls in Franklin County soon could be answered by dispatchers as far away as Bangor.

County officials hope a plea to the Public Utilities Commission will prevent that from happening.

State legislators have directed the commission to consolidate the number of communications centers that directly handle 911 calls. With one of the lowest call volumes in the state, the Franklin County public-safety answering point is at risk of getting cut.

Officials met in a Franklin County District Court room Monday morning to consider how to make sure the communications center stays.

“It’s about lives. It’s not about money,” said state Rep. Thomas Saviello, R-Wilton.

If the Franklin public-safety answering point is eliminated, the county wouldn’t lose its dispatchers altogether, but emergency calls first would be answered at another center, then transferred to the county dispatch.

Now, when a 911 call comes into the communications center, information about the caller’s location immediately appears on monitors in front of the dispatchers.

Not having access to that information is one of the things officials said upsets them most about losing the service.

“If they want to explain to someone in Augusta where they are in Freeman Township, forget it. Might as well dig a hole right there,” Saviello said at the meeting.

The additional time it takes to transfer a call was another of their concerns.

“In a lot of cases, a few minutes makes a big difference,” said Rangeley Fire Chief Rudy Davis.

Stan Wheeler, a dispatcher at the Franklin County center, described a recent situation in which his ability to track a caller’s location was crucial to the rescue.

A woman and her daughter had gotten lost while riding an ATV in Chesterville. By talking to her while she was on her cell phone, Wheeler said, he could watch her movement on the monitor. She had been walking the wrong way to get to safety, and he was able to point her in the right direction.

Clyde Ross, chairman of the Franklin County Regional Radio Committee, explained after the meeting that, by losing designation as a public-safety answering point, the center loses the mapping equipment. That’s how the state could save money through the consolidation effort.

Ross said the state’s communication equipment needs to be updated soon, and, with fewer answering points, there would be less equipment to replace.

Though the state might realize savings through consolidation, Ross said, costs would increase for county taxpayers. The county would still have to pay for its dispatchers, and, in addition, would have to pay a per-capita fee to whichever answering point is handling the emergency calls.

“If anyone thinks this is going to save us money, it isn’t,” said Melinda Caton, the county’s dispatch supervisor.

Last year, Franklin County handled about 9,000 emergency calls, which is the fifth-lowest call volume of the state’s 26 public-safety answering points. Legislators have asked the commission to eliminate about 10 of those call centers.

“All they are about is numbers,” said Wilton Police Chief Dennis Brown. “We’re going to lose that argument.”

Brown said, in expressing their concern to the commission, people need to show evidence, aside from call volume, of how the center is critical to the public safety of county residents.

Franklin County Sheriff Dennis Pike said, while the number of emergency calls might be among the state’s lowest, the area from which the calls are received is one of the largest.

“You’re looking at 40 square miles versus 1,600 square miles,” Pike said about the difference between coverage of communications centers in Cumberland County and the one in Franklin.

“We have a lot more people lost in Franklin County than in the city of Portland,” he said.

Rangeley Town Manager Perry Ellsworth urged people at the meeting to talk to residents about the potential loss the county is facing and tell them to write to the commission about their concerns.

“You might find stories where dispatch saved their life,” Ellsworth said. “If you start telling those stories, it has an impact, probably more than the town manager writing a letter.”

The Public Utilities Commission is accepting feedback about the consolidation plan through July 12. The commission is scheduled to present a finalized plan to the Legislature in November.

Leslie Bridgers — 861-9252
lbridgers@centralmaine.com