[Scan-DC] Prince William Co, Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park to consolidate Fire Dispatching

[Kenneth Fowler]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/30/AR2010073006552.html

Prince William, Manassas, Manassas Park to merge dispatching

By Jennifer Buske
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 1, 2010; PW01

Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park will merge their
fire and rescue 911 dispatching services to improve efficiency and
reduce response times, fire and rescue officials said.

The Board of County Supervisors gave Prince William Fire and Rescue
Chief Kevin McGee the go-ahead Tuesday to create a consolidated
dispatch system with the two neighboring cities. Manassas and Manassas
Park officials had already approved the proposal.

"This consolidated dispatching proposal is a natural progression on a
mature and well-managed mutual aid agreement" already in place, McGee
said. "My colleagues from the cities and I have agreed there is a
level of duplication that we ought to redirect by combining into one
center."

In the current system, calls are sometimes transferred back and forth
between dispatch centers. With one dispatch system, fire and rescue
officials will be able to streamline the process, McGee said, noting
that Prince William already receives more than 40 percent of the
cities' 911 cellphone calls. The new system will reduce response times
by at least a minute-and-a-half in many cases.

"Sometimes, we will have multiple minutes saved," he said. "This
represents an incredible improvement in service."

Fire and rescue officials say dispatch centers work most efficiently
with at least three people on duty. Five new people will be hired to
staff the consolidated dispatching system, McGee said, which will
allow the center to have at least three dispatchers at all times.
Currently, there are only two in the county and one in each city at
any given time. The positions will be funded by all three
jurisdictions, costing about $340,000 annually to operate, McGee said.

"We look at this as a great regional opportunity," Manassas Fire Chief
Michael L. Wood said, noting that his department dissolved two already
vacant positions instead of cutting staff in order to handle the
merger. "It improves public safety as well as first-responder safety .
. . so we are very pleased we were able to bring this to fruition."

County officials said hiring and training the new dispatchers will
take six to 12 months. Current staff members will be reallocated in
the meantime to get the consolidated system running. McGee said that
Manassas is scheduled to be on the system Sunday and that Manassas
Park will be part of it by Sept. 1.


Kenneth Fowler
Virginia Correspondent