Pa. County Council Approves 9-1-1 Inquiry

Jan. 14--Luzerne County Council unanimously voted Tuesday to conduct an inquiry into 911 services to figure out how to correct problems impeding emergency response.

Council Chairwoman Linda McClosky Houck appointed Council members Kathy Dobash, Eileen Sorokas and Harry Haas to the special committee overseeing the inquiry.

Dobash initially had proposed council exercise its home rule charter authority to conduct an investigation, which includes subpoena power, but she agreed to a less formal inquiry after several council members said they did not believe a full-blown investigation was necessary to get to the bottom of problems.

An inquiry will dispel the "negative perception" that council is not addressing 911 concerns, including employee errors in which crews were dispatched to the wrong location for two emergencies in which the subjects died, Dobash said.

Dobash said she understands 911 excels in some areas and wants to show the positives but said council must face problems, whether they stem from county decisions or those of municipalities that ultimately decide which emergency responders are summoned and what duplicate street names are changed.

"We need to take this serious, and there's nothing light or fluffy about it," Dobash said, noting council's findings could save lives in the future.

For starters, Dobash said she wants to know how many incorrect location dispatches and delayed responses were documented last year and how they were handled.

Haas proposed regional committee meetings to solicit input from fire, police and emergency medical responders.

Among the other issues he wants the committee to explore:

-- Streamlining addresses countywide to eliminate confusion

-- Reducing the nine-minute window for emergency crews to accept a 911 dispatch request before another responder can be requested.

-- Identifying all reasons why employees have dispatched crews to the wrong location. For example, the county has added additional staff in the county's 2015 budget.

-- Evaluating the computer-aided dispatching system used at the 911 center.

-- Working with municipalities on their selection of first and secondresponders that must be dispatched by 911.

-- Improving communication with the public on the emergency response system, including formulation of frequently asked questions.

Council Vice Chairman Edward Brominski said he'd like to explore the feasibility of an alternate non-emergency number for 911 callers and asked the administration to determine if funding is available to help municipalities switch to unique street names.

Haas said a 2007 study of the county's 911 system surveyed 911 stakeholders and said a similar questionnaire may be helpful.

Councilman Stephen A. Urban advised the committee to obtain 911 protocol from similarly-sized counties in the state, particularly on the amount of time they allow a responder before the next one on the list is summoned.

Former county controller Walter Griffith told council he contacted Dauphin County, which has a comparable population, and it does not allow nine minutes and also personally notifies municipalities whenever their designated responders don't answer calls.

The nine-minute wait came up here because it took 13 minutes for emergency crews to arrive at a West Wyoming church Dec. 20 to assist an unresponsive woman. The first responder was not in service, and the borough's second designated responder -- Swoyersville Ambulance -- did not answer three requests spaced at three-minute intervals.

Veteran county 911 worker Robert Bomboy praised council for focusing on concerns and suggested it also consider an ordinance requiring address signs on all public phones, rental properties and hotels for travelers and other newcomers who may be unsure of their locations.

The committee also should address volunteer emergency departments, which save communities money but also may be unable to round up the necessary crews to regularly respond to calls, he said.

In other business Tuesday, council:

-- Postponed a vote on a new $5 vehicle registration fee, in part because some council members want to force municipalities to take over county roads and bridges that would be funded with the additional fee revenue.

-- Rejected a contract for the county treasurer's office to continue collecting Nanticoke's city and county taxes. Some council members objected because the administration mistakenly failed to obtain council approval for the arrangement in the past. Others said the agreement generates revenue for the county and expressed concerns the city would not have sufficient time to find someone else to handle the duty.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter@TLJenLearnAndes.

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