June 14, 2024 |
Photo – Several members of the emergency dispatch community in Carbon County – By Matt Copeland Bigfoot99
Representatives from Carbon County’s three emergency call centers held their first public meeting to discuss the future of dispatching in the area. On Wednesday evening, the Saratoga town council and representatives from the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, and the Saratoga and Rawlins Police Departments gathered in the Platte Valley Community Center. The presenters explained to a crowd of roughly 30 attendees, mostly made up of county emergency and law enforcement officers and Saratoga residents, why emergency dispatching services in Carbon County need to change.
Last November, Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris informed the town council that his department could no longer provide 24-hour emergency call coverage due to a lack of staffing. The town then signed a memorandum of understanding with the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office to have a dispatcher from the county cover the Saratoga call center when necessary.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Sheriff Alex Bakken said Saratoga’s staffing issues caused him to consider alternative ways to provide dispatching services throughout the county.
Last month, Sheriff Bakken announced the formation of a Combined Dispatch Operations Collaborative Working Group between himself, Saratoga Police Chief Mike Morris, and Rawlins Police Chief Mike Ward. The sheriff said the idea for Wednesday’s public informational meeting came from the working group.
Saratoga Police Chief Morris said his department began having serious staffing issues last July. By November, Chief Morris said it became clear that he was going to need help from the sheriff’s office to continue offering emergency dispatching services for the Platte Valley.
Chief Morris said since last year, he has had success in recruiting more dispatchers and police officers to his department. However, the police chief said Saratoga’s dispatchers are using unreliable and outdated equipment.
Chief Morris said he needs approximately $700,000 to purchase up-to-date dispatching equipment for Saratoga’s call center.
Because the town’s budget will not cover such a large expense, Chief Morris said he began talking to Sheriff Bakken about combining Saratoga’s dispatching services with the county’s. The police chief said the conversation evolved toward bringing all three of the county’s dispatch centers under one roof.
Chief Morris said new dispatching equipment must be purchased every five to seven years.
Rawlins Police Chief Mike Ward said the Combined Dispatch Operations Collaborative Working Group was formed to investigate what, if any, changes need to be made to the county’s emergency dispatching services. Chief Ward said the group will consider all available options, not just a combined dispatching center.
Carbon County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Supervisor Tracy Newbrough said she was initially against the idea of creating a combined emergency call center. However, Newbrough said recruiting new dispatchers is getting more and more difficult.
County Fire Warden John Rutherford was in audience and asked if the Combined Dispatch Working Group had conducted a feasibility study to ensure that a single county-wide call center will work in Carbon County. Sheriff Bakken said he began looking into a feasibility study when the MOU with Saratoga was first created. The sheriff said a lot more research needs to be done.
Fire Warden Rutherford said budgets aren’t getting any higher. A combined dispatch center may be needed to continue providing emergency call services using the available funds.
Rawlins Police Chief Ward said contrary to what most people think, agencies that have created a combined dispatch center say it isn’t any less expensive to run.
An attendee at Wednesday’s meeting asked if having a combined dispatch center will speed up emergency response times. Sheriff Bakken said in theory, time would be saved by routing all emergency calls through one facility.
Rawlins Police Department Dispatch Supervisor Valeta Rodabaugh disagreed with the sheriff. Rodabaugh said the Rawlins dispatch center is very efficient at transferring calls between agencies.
Former Saratoga Councilman Jon Nelson said he has had two concerns about the creation of a joint dispatching center.
Nelson said moving dispatch services into the sheriff’s department may eliminate needed jobs in Saratoga and reduce the level of familiarity dispatchers have with the Platte Valley.
Despite his concerns, Nelson said a single county-wide emergency call center appears to be the only financially viable alternative to running three separate dispatch centers.
The presenters said a combined dispatch center may be needed to help alleviate staffing shortages and the increasing cost associated with the current system. However, everyone was quick to point out that nothing has been decided. The county and town representatives said they are just beginning to investigate ways to improve emergency dispatching services in Carbon County.
The presenters said they will continue to host public informational workshops in the future, although no date has been set for the next combined dispatch meeting.
The Saratoga emergency dispatch center costs roughly 10% of the town’s entire budget.
