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County bidding for new 911 system: Current computer can't handle the volume of calls, says support manager.
HANOVER TWP., Mar 15, 2010 (The Times Leader - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
Luzerne County is seeking bids for a new computerized 911 dispatch system expected to shorten response times and give emergency responders access to more critical information.
The county has outgrown its current Computer Assisted Dispatch system, which was installed in 2002, said Luzerne County 911 Data Manager/Technical Support Manager Fred Rosencrans.
"It can't handle the volume. We dispatch for 76 municipalities and handle 1,000-plus calls per day," Rosencrans said.
The CAD system "tracks and handles the heart and soul of 911 functions," he said.
One of those functions is automatically plotting the address and location of a caller on a county GIS map on a computer screen.
Currently, when the 911 center receives a call, a dispatcher has to look up the protocol for the police, fire or other emergency department that would handle the call before dispatching.
"That inherently adds a 30- to 45-second delay," Rosencrans said.
The new system will have all of the approximately 75,000 incident card details programmed in and will work interdependently with the county's GIS mapping and address system, which should eliminate that delay, he said.
The county is seeking a "Tier 1" system because it is unique in having such a large number of agencies for which the center dispatches in relation to the county population. Normally, Tier 1 systems are designed for counties with a population of more than 500,000, he said.
Luzerne County has a population of about 320,000 -- not including students at the five colleges -- and the center dispatches for eight county departments, 11 FBI and state police agencies, four state park ranger agencies, 82 fire departments, 53 ambulance stations, four aero-medical departments, 55 police departments and 10 other agencies, the county needs a larger system.
Not only does the system map caller locations and then dispatch the appropriate emergency response agency when working properly, it records incident logs for each agency and is a central repository for those records.
The new system also will offer mobile CAD functionality, which will give emergency responders with mobile computers, Internet access and a software license access to any information available to county 911 operators.
For example, responders will be able to view addresses and locations of callers on county GIS maps on their mobile computers.
In addition, police officers will have direct access to driving records, criminal histories and other information on potential suspects. They'll also have silent dispatch capabilities -- the ability of police and dispatchers to communicate via computer, rather than radio, Rosencrans said.
Rosencrans said the state Emergency Management Agency is covering a percentage of the cost of the new CAD/Mobile CAD system based on the percentage of county 911 calls placed from cell phones. The funding comes from a $1 monthly e-911 surcharge assessed on cell phone bills. About 56 percent of the 911 calls received are from wireless callers, Rosencrans said.
The county will cover the remainder of the cost with funding received from the $1.25 monthly surcharges collected in landline phone bills. Commissioners earmarked $2.5 million for a new CAD system and GIS mapping/address projects from a bond floated a couple years ago, and the county can use the state contribution to help pay down that debt, Rosencrans said.
Bids were advertised previously, but because of problems with the bidder's negotiations with a state reseller, the purchase was never made and the system had to be re-bid. New proposals from interested bidders are due March 17. After equipment demonstrations are conducted and county officials make a choice, the system should be up and running in about a year, Rosencrans said.
Some police departments already have mobile computers in patrol units and would just need to buy software licenses to use the county system after it comes online.
Butler Township police began using mobile computers in patrol units about two years ago. Officers can access the state Justice Network (JNET) system for criminal history and other information on the road, but they can't use their computers to communicate with county dispatchers, said township police Chief Charles Altmiller.
"It will be a big improvement," he said of the county Mobile CAD system, adding that he likes the silent dispatch feature.
"It's nice because the public with scanners can't tell what you're up too. Criminals use scanners too," he said.
Sgt. Michael Moravec, officer in charge of Kingston Township Police, said one patrol vehicle has a computer with Internet access and the township will purchase computers for three other units.
Moravec said the township has seen a substantial savings in paper costs thanks to the county's CAD incident log repository, and he thinks the Mobile CAD system "would be a benefit countywide."
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