Subject: [NEXTEL-1] 911 made still quicker, easier

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 16 Nov 2002 11:30:06 -0500

http://www.pressrepublican.com/Archive/2002/11_2002/111620024.htm

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11/16/02

911 made still quicker, easier

Grants, fund balance buy Clinton County system enhancements

By ANNA JOLLY Staff Writer

PLATTSBURGH — Using new adjustable desks and computerized
consoles, 911 dispatchers can more quickly assign help.

Clinton County Emergency Services started upgrading towers
and computer equipment last month.

Emergency Services Director James King said the $600,000
project is the first major technology change in eight years.

"This has brought us into the 21st century," he
said. "We’re all trying to make sure citizens have the fastest and most
reliable help possible."

new computers

The four older, push-button consoles have been replaced by
computers where county officers and emergency workers can be paged by clicking a
mouse.

The old console was bulky and took up so much space, plus
they were running out of buttons, King said.

Two other computer monitors sat on top of the console, and
dispatchers were straining their necks by constantly looking up from their work
stations.

"I want to keep them happy," King said. "They
are an extremely dedicated staff."

Other improvements started this fall include upgrades to the
Lyon Mountain and AuSable Forks towers, which will be completed in early 2003.

Money for the changes came from a New York state grant and
leftover money from an unmet-needs Ice Storm fund.

"We’re in fine shape here (Clinton County)," King
said. "We can’t do it by ourselves; we have a great support system that
includes first responders to more-remote fire teams."

Next year, King aims to get a computerized mapping system for
first responders to quicken response time.

cell-phone links

He also wants to add more cell-phone carriers that can call
911 directly.

Only Sprint and Nextel cell-phone servers can reach Emergency
Services; other cell-phone calls are picked up by State Police.

"All calls should come into the 911 center," King
said.

Emergency Services also got a free $700,000 upgrade to its
microwave technology when wireless companies decided to take over a few public
channels, he said.

State regulations required the companies to upgrade channels,
so now Emergency Services has six digital channels instead of five, King said.

"We were lucky. It saved us a lot of money."

more flexibility

King also had dispatchers lay out a floor plan where they
asked for workroom additions such as moveable desks.

Now, by touching a button, Dispatcher Supervisor Craig Scholl
can raise or lower the three computers on his desk so he can stand and still
answer calls.

Long shifts become less routine with the added options, he
said.

Dispatchers attended an eight-hour training session to learn
the new computer, but Scholl said it was a simple transition.

"It’s a lot more comfortable in here," he said,
pointing out the room’s fresh coat of paint and the new desks with added
drawer space. "It makes everything run more efficiently."

He has worked as a dispatcher in Clinton County for 16 years
and has experienced the move from the Cornelia Street Fire Station to the new
section of the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base and was there when the county
911 system went online about eight years ago.

"It was kind of sad to see it (the old console)
go," Scholl said. "But now we’re not limited at all."

Anna Jolly can be reached by e-mail:

[email-masked]

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