“Now, with GPS and phones being a lot more accurate, it'll give us a lot more accurate location of that phone call, which will either give a better representation of where that call came from to first responders, but it also helps route that to the proper public safety answering point, be it Allen County Sheriff's Office or the Lima Police Department,” said Jared Gesler, Allen County EMA director and 9-1-1 coordinator.
Around 4:30 pm dispatch received a report of a crash at the intersection of US Route 127 and State Route 119. When a 2015 Kenworth semi driven by Roel Villarreal of Edinberg, Texas was struck by a 2007 Jeep Cherokee driven by Bradley Wendel after the vehicle failed to stop for the stop sign.
“That doesn’t mean we’re cutting fire dispatch. Ok, we’re still dispatching for fire and we will continue no matter what the dispatch for fire because I will never let that take place. However, the manner in which we do it is going to change.”
Allen County Commissioners and local police agencies gathered in order to discuss details and finances on the central dispatch project. The project would house all Allen County city and township fire and police departments, in order to create a faster process between when someone calls 911 to when a unit is dispatched to their location.
A project for a central dispatch center would house all Allen County city and township fire and police departments, in order to create a faster process between when someone calls 911 to when a unit is dispatched to their location. Wednesday's meeting was held in order to follow up on previous meetings for the center, where commissioners gathered feedback from participating police and fire departments.
A project for a central dispatch center would house all Allen County city and township fire and police departments, in order to create a faster process between when someone calls 911 to when a unit is dispatched to their location. On Wednesday, Shawnee Township leaders, such as a trustee, police chief, and fire chief, met with the Allen County Sheriff's Office and the Allen County Commissioners on the central dispatch center.
Commissioners met with fire and police chiefs within the county to discuss the future as their current 3-year contract is up at the end of the month. Currently, the dispatch center is located at the Allen County Sheriff's Office. One idea discussed, which has been talked about in the past, would be having a centralized dispatch, where a board of directors would oversee the operations, which could shorten response times.
We often hear about the work our first responders do, but for National Telecommunicators Week, the people who send them our way are getting some recognition. Dispatchers make it possible for law enforcement, fire, and EMS services to do their job by fielding calls, giving directions, and collecting information from those calling for help. Dispatcher Denise Spallinger has worked the phones for the Allen County Sheriff's Office for 25 years and says it is definitely a high-stress job.
