Glenn County officials planning central dispatch center

WILLOWS -- In a whopping step forward, Glenn County revved the engine Tuesday, propelling forward plans to centralize emergency dispatching and building a dispatch center.

In explaining an item on Tuesday's Willows City Council consent agenda, Glenn County Administrative Officer David Shoemaker said the county hopes to write federal legislators asking them to place the county's central dispatching project in an appropriations bill next year.

The Willows action was a resolution to show the city's support in the effort to get federal funding. Shoemaker said similar resolutions will be heard by Orland City Council, possibly Feb. 4, and Glenn County Board of Supervisors Feb. 5. Fire chiefs are also being asked to indicate their support.

Willows City Manager Steve Holsinger explained to the council Tuesday night that the resolution is an opportunity to procure millions of dollars for equipment and other needs to put central dispatch in place.

Holsinger said there would be no financial impact on the city at this time.

The council unanimously approved the resolution.

Tuesday's approval is one indication that support for centralizing dispatch has grown from just talk to serious action.

"We have the commitment. Everybody wants a central dispatch ..." Shoemaker said.

Two years ago, officials representing fire districts, city and county governments and law enforcement agencies formed a committee looking for ways to change the decades-old, fragmented system currently used.

Talks evolved into a formal study funded by a state grant and now a request for federal help to make the change a reality.

Currently, fires, accidents and medical emergencies are routed to the 14 city and rural-district firefighters through three sources: the Willows Fire Department, Cal Fire in Red Bluff and the Corning Fire Department.

Sheriff Larry Jones took steps to centralize dispatching through his office in 2006, including getting new equipment to dispatch the fire services. The Sheriff's Office currently provides emergency backup if needed. Progress toward becoming the sole dispatch center stalled for lack of funds to hire dispatchers.

The money Shoemaker said the county hopes to get from Washington D.C. would go toward constructing a building and buying communications equipment and possibly land.

Once the cities, supervisors and fire chiefs sign on, the next step is to send the letter to Rep. Wally Herger (R-Chico), and Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) by the end of February, when projects are normally submitted.

He said the dispatching center will be the only project requested.

"They don't want to see a long list," Shoemaker said. "This is the project we feel strongest about."

The actual cost of the project hasn't been determined, but the county is looking at dispatch centers recently built in Southern California for an estimate of costs. Shoemaker said the committee is trying to figure out what a building, land and other costs would be, along with identifying a local governing entity to agree to match funds.

"We're not just putting a hand out," he said.

Shoemaker said if a new dispatching center is built, it would probably be in the south end of the county, which would allow it to also be used as an Emergency Operations Center. Although the Sheriff's Office will likely become the sole dispatch provider, Shoemaker didn't know whether a new center would be adjacent to the Sheriff's Office or a separate entity.

Shoemaker said he thinks it's a very important project that has a good chance of being approved, and added the amount the project will require is probably "insignificant" for the amount of money Congress normally appropriates.

"I'm optimistic," Shoemaker said. "It has a lot of potential."

Source: ChicoEr