Question from Anonymous
Please tell us step by step what happens when we call 911.
Also, tell us what will happen if we do the combined 911.
It seems we should be willing to pay $3.00 if that is what it takes to save lives.
Michael Bryant answered:
The Richmond 911 Center, located in the basement of Richmond City Hall, dispatches for Richmond Police and Richmond Fire.
The Consolidated 911 Center is located in the Madison County Emergency Operations Center. They dispatch for Madison County Emergency Medical Services, Madison County Sheriff’s Department, Berea Police, Berea Fire and Rescue, Madison County Fire and all county volunteer fire departments, Madison County Rescue Squad and the Madison County Emergency Management Agency.
If you live in the City of Richmond and need the police, fire, or an ambulance; there’s a good chance that your call will be transferred. It depends on whether you call from a land line telephone or a cell phone. If you need the Richmond Police or Fire Department and call on a land line there’s no problem. Your call goes directly to the Richmond 911 Center. A dispatcher will answer, “911, what is your emergency”. You relay the information and the same dispatcher will send the police or fire to your location.
If you call for an ambulance on a landline, your call goes to Richmond 911. You will hear the words, “911, what is your emergency?” You will tell the dispatcher what your emergency is and you will get a reply, “hold on while I transfer you. The next voice you hear will be a different dispatcher, “911, what is your emergency?” After you relay the information for a second time the ambulance start’s rolling.
If you call from a cell phone the process is reversed. Your Richmond Police or Fire request will be answered by the Consolidated 911 Center and then transferred back to the Richmond 911 Center who will then dispatch the units. Call for an ambulance on a cell phone and your call will be answered by the Consolidated 911, who will then dispatch the ambulance.
So, if you live in the City of Richmond you have a chance of having your emergency call delayed and transferred. In an emergency from the time you start punching in the numbers 911, the clock starts ticking. Dialing the numbers, listening to the ringing, talking to the dispatcher, maybe having to wait while you’re transferred to a second dispatcher and then repeating the emergency means that seconds and minutes start ticking by. If the person calling is hysterical or a child that call will take longer. In some emergencies time becomes the enemy.
A Consolidated 911 Center would eliminate 99 % of transferred emergency calls. The exception is Kentucky State Police. All 911 calls for K.S.P. from Richmond, Berea, or the County are transferred. Having one center dispatching for all emergency responders just makes sense. Information flow between agencies will be quicker. Dispatch times will be faster, and in a major emergency responders will be able to coordinate protective actions more efficiently.
The idea of a consolidated 911 has been around for several years. Richmond, Berea, and Madison County all have had extensive discussions and meetings about the matter. At times the discussion got a little heated. Berea and Madison County finally came to an agreement and for the betterment of all of Madison County residents placed public safety above politics. The City of Richmond has refused to do so. It seems to have become an issue they hope will disappear. But it’s still the elephant in the room. It’s been argued that the time it takes to transfer an emergency call will have very little impact on response times. I hope that’s true, but working in emergency management I also know that in a few sort seconds things can go terribly bad. If the unimaginable ever did happen I would hate to think that politics trumped the public safety and well being of 82,000 people.
It’s time to do the right thing.
The Consolidated 911 Center is located in the Madison County Emergency Operations Center. They dispatch for Madison County Emergency Medical Services, Madison County Sheriff’s Department, Berea Police, Berea Fire and Rescue, Madison County Fire and all county volunteer fire departments, Madison County Rescue Squad and the Madison County Emergency Management Agency.
If you live in the City of Richmond and need the police, fire, or an ambulance; there’s a good chance that your call will be transferred. It depends on whether you call from a land line telephone or a cell phone. If you need the Richmond Police or Fire Department and call on a land line there’s no problem. Your call goes directly to the Richmond 911 Center. A dispatcher will answer, “911, what is your emergency”. You relay the information and the same dispatcher will send the police or fire to your location.
If you call for an ambulance on a landline, your call goes to Richmond 911. You will hear the words, “911, what is your emergency?” You will tell the dispatcher what your emergency is and you will get a reply, “hold on while I transfer you. The next voice you hear will be a different dispatcher, “911, what is your emergency?” After you relay the information for a second time the ambulance start’s rolling.
If you call from a cell phone the process is reversed. Your Richmond Police or Fire request will be answered by the Consolidated 911 Center and then transferred back to the Richmond 911 Center who will then dispatch the units. Call for an ambulance on a cell phone and your call will be answered by the Consolidated 911, who will then dispatch the ambulance.
So, if you live in the City of Richmond you have a chance of having your emergency call delayed and transferred. In an emergency from the time you start punching in the numbers 911, the clock starts ticking. Dialing the numbers, listening to the ringing, talking to the dispatcher, maybe having to wait while you’re transferred to a second dispatcher and then repeating the emergency means that seconds and minutes start ticking by. If the person calling is hysterical or a child that call will take longer. In some emergencies time becomes the enemy.
A Consolidated 911 Center would eliminate 99 % of transferred emergency calls. The exception is Kentucky State Police. All 911 calls for K.S.P. from Richmond, Berea, or the County are transferred. Having one center dispatching for all emergency responders just makes sense. Information flow between agencies will be quicker. Dispatch times will be faster, and in a major emergency responders will be able to coordinate protective actions more efficiently.
The idea of a consolidated 911 has been around for several years. Richmond, Berea, and Madison County all have had extensive discussions and meetings about the matter. At times the discussion got a little heated. Berea and Madison County finally came to an agreement and for the betterment of all of Madison County residents placed public safety above politics. The City of Richmond has refused to do so. It seems to have become an issue they hope will disappear. But it’s still the elephant in the room. It’s been argued that the time it takes to transfer an emergency call will have very little impact on response times. I hope that’s true, but working in emergency management I also know that in a few sort seconds things can go terribly bad. If the unimaginable ever did happen I would hate to think that politics trumped the public safety and well being of 82,000 people.
It’s time to do the right thing.