February 20, 2007

Center Grove emergency calls rerouted

       The voice at the other end of the line is changing for some Center Grove area residents who call 911 for a fire or ambulance.  When they dialed 911 for fire or a medical emergency before, the call was handled by a dispatcher from the sheriff's office. Now, the call may be transferred to another dispatcher depending on what the situation is and where the caller lives.  Additional dispatchers will be needed to handle the more than 1,600 calls a year. The money to pay those people will come from a county fund to support emergency service and won't cost Greenwood taxpayers more, a city official said.  Residents of both the Center Grove area and Greenwood will benefit from the switch because it streamlines calls for the three departments, which already respond to the same fires and medical emergencies, officials with all three departments said.  For example, when a house catches fire in Greenwood, the city fire department responds to the address, and some firefighters from the White River Township department might also go to help with the fire. Greenwood police will arrive at the scene, and a White River Township fire truck will be sent to cover the Greenwood Fire Department station in case another emergency happens.

         Having the calls come from one place makes it simpler, said Jim Engmark, White River Township Fire Department spokesman.  Switching dispatchers will mean less equipment on the road.  Now, White River Township firefighters will take only two vehicles and will send the other equipment if the Greenwood dispatchers determine it's needed, Engmark said.  That has been a part of White River Fire Department learning new procedures for the dispatchers. Firefighters had to be trained in the protocols used by the Greenwood Fire Department so they will be dispatched in a uniform way.  Greenwood sends an engine and an ambulance to the scene of a traffic accident if it is a minor incident. In the past, White River Township sent a fire engine, an ambulance and a rescue truck, which carries lots of other equipment.

         Greenwood police and fire departments and White River Township firefighters have been working for months to create a system in which all three departments were dispatched from the same location, Engmark said.  White River Township firefighters frequently respond with Greenwood police officers to fire alarms and medical 911 calls at businesses along State Road 135 north of Curry Road, Greenwood Police Chief Joe Pitcher said.  Also, when the Greenwood Fire Department is called to a fire, the White River Township department is called either to help at the fire or to cover the empty station, Engmark said.  "We felt that if we were dispatched by them, it would be the most convenient way to do that," he said.  For the sheriff's office, the switch means dispatchers in Franklin will handle fewer calls and can focus on other departments.  Johnson County Sheriff's Office dispatchers also handle calls for town marshals in Bargersville, Prince's Lakes and Whiteland and several volunteer fire departments.  "This is also better for us because it allows everyone to share the workload," Sheriff Terry McLaughlin said.

         Which fire department and which police department would come to your door in an emergency has not changed.  Radios were reprogrammed and some computers at the call center were rearranged so dispatchers could begin taking the calls for the White River Township Department on Feb. 5.

Here's how it works:

• If you dial 911 from the Center Grove area, the call may be picked up by dispatchers in Greenwood or at the sheriff's office in Franklin.

• The dispatcher will first determine if you need police, firefighters or both.

• Once the emergency has been established, the dispatcher may have to send you to a dispatcher in Greenwood or Franklin, depending on what you need and who picked up the call.

         Greenwood is not being paid by the White River Township Fire Department to handle the calls. Now the number of calls dispatchers receive will go up.  Last year, the Greenwood firefighters responded to 4,444 fire, traffic and medical emergencies. Dispatchers took all of those calls. Now, they will handle the White River Township department, which last year had 1,673 calls.  That doesn't include calls for police. The Greenwood Police Department oversees the 911 dispatch center in Greenwood.  Part of the burden of the extra calls will be alleviated with money from the county given to the Greenwood Fire Department.  A full-time and several part-time dispatchers will be added to the current staff of 11, Greenwood Fire Chief Steve Dhondt said.  The additional dispatchers will be paid from the county emergency 911 fund, which is money raised from fees collected on land-line telephones. Greenwood Fire Department receives part of that money to hire personnel.  While the dispatcher will be trained to take calls for police as well, the person will specialize in fire procedures, Dhondt said.  He or she will supervise fire calls, work to streamline the protocol for taking calls, recommend the best kinds of software and act as a liaison between the fire department and the dispatch center.  Also, several part-time fire dispatchers will be hired to work during peak fire hours, such as in the evenings. They also will be paid with $65,000 in emergency 911 fund money the department receives.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal).
 
   

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