Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - Finalization of 911 Call center - 5/28/2005 W
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911 call
center
(continued)
Responders also will be able to
talk to regional and statewide
users of the same system. Com-
munication from inside build-
ings also will improve.
Eventually, all of Minneso-
ta's 87 counties may be part of
an integrated statewide 800-
MHz system, said Russ Sinkler,
a county-hired technical con-
sultant with PSC Alliance in
Rosemount. The state and sev-
eral counties already have done
so, Sinkler said, while other
counties have signaled their
intention to do so.
In Dakota County alone,
Apple Valley Mayor Mary
Hamann-Roland estimated
operational-cost savings at
$8.5 million in the first five
years, compared with what the
six existing call centers would
have spent.
Morever, many officials con-
sider it cost-prohibitive for their
individual cities to undertake
the major technology upgrade
on their own.
"The goal is not only to save
dollars.The goal is also to save
lives," said Apple Valley Police
Chief Scott Johnson. "This is
going to make a difference
many years into the future."
Under the new system, dis-
patchers can set up "talk
groups" for conference calls at
disaster scenes. Dispatchers
will be able to better coordinate
and calibrate responses to send
"only what's needed" to the
scene,Johnson said.
His Eagan counterpart,Kent
Therkelson, said that during
disaster drills, "the first thing
that typically fails" is speedy
and effective multi-jurisdiction-
al communication.
Dakota County officials
talked about the cooperation,
foresight and mutual trust that
led to what they billed as a his-
toric consolidation agreement.
While all of that may be true,
federal and state grants —
including money earmarked for
better homeland security —
helped speed things along.
The urgency for making improvements
accelerated after the horror of Sept. ll, 2001, when
various New York emergency services workers
had difficulty communicating with each other. dd
:; .
Federal and state grants operated by the Dakota County
Dakota County received will Sheriff's Department in Hast- 7 .
pay for roughly half of the ings and by the cities of Westa
s�
$11 million in costs for con- St.Paul,Apple Valley,Lakeville,
structing the new sub-system. Burnsville and Eagan.
Dakota County will cover the The cities involved in the
rest of the capital costs, plus agreement are Apple Valley,
subsidize operating costs.Cities Burnsville, Eagan, Farmington, p
will be billed based on popula- Inver Grove Heights, Hastings,
tion and usage. They also will Lakeville, Mendota Heights, Squad cars parked outside the Eagan Municipal Center on Friday
have to buy compatible hand- Rosemount, South St. Paul and represent many of the communities involved in plans to build an
held and mobile radios. West St.Paul. $11 million communication center in Dakota County.
In contrast, Ramsey County Sinkler, the county-hired
and the city of St. Paul have consultant,said the expectation selected, but talk centers on 80 system.
been stalled for years in talks to is that none of the 69 full-time acres of county-owned land in County officials are working
combine their emergency com- equivalent employees in the six geographically central Empire on five other areas for greater
munication centers. Just last centers will lose their jobs. Township,south of Rosemount. cooperation. Those are joint
month, Ramsey County While the new center is pro- The new system will require purchasing of employee health
reached an agreement with jected to employ only 52 full- construction of nine transmis- insurance,combined operations
Maplewood to merge their dis- time equivalent employees, sion towers.Two state-operated and purchasing of information
patch operations. Lakeville City Administrator towers already exist in Dakota technology, a countywide law
The urgency for making Steven C.Mielke said the goal is County and will improve the enforcement center, joint non-
improvements accelerated after to reduce staff through attri- new system's performance and felony prosecution services and
the horror of Sept. 11, 2001, tion,not layoffs. capacity,officials said. sharing of public safety equip-
when various New York emer- The center will be run by a The agreement must be ment.
gency services workers had dif- separate governing authority approved by the Metropolitan
ficulty communicating with that includes representatives of Radio Board, which governs Brian Bonner can be reached at
each other. the 11 partner suburbs. construction and operation of bbonner@pioneerpress.com or
The current six centers are A building site has yet to be the 800-MHz public-safety radio 651-228-2173.