Pasco, Franklin County ask to join 911 dispatch

Franklin County and the city of Pasco have taken a big step toward combining their 911 dispatch center with the dispatch center that processes emergency calls in Benton County.

The city and county formally asked Southeast Communications Center (SECOMM) to start negotiations to create a combined dispatch center covering both counties with the goal of improving emergency responses.

Franklin County Commissioner Brad Peck, Franklin County Sheriff Jim Raymond and Pasco City Manager Dave Zabell signed a letter dated Tuesday that calls for a consultant to speed up the process.

“We believe moving this forward as soon as possible is in the best interests of the citizens we serve,” said the letter.

The call for consolidation arrives on the eve of a Benton County Emergency Services board meeting at 7:30 a.m. Feb. 25. While no decision is expected, consolidation is on the agenda.

Pasco and Franklin County are clear that they want to enter the combined system as full partners, not junior-level subscribers. That had been a sticking point in previous negotiations.

Declaring their intent to be full partners, ready to pay their share of the system cost, is a major advancement in the years-long effort to combine emergency dispatching.

Full partners have two votes on the SECOMM board, while subscribers simply contract for dispatch services and have a single vote.

Police and fire chiefs on both sides of the river agree that having dispatch centers so close but not combined leads to confusion, miscommunication and response delays. Calls from mobile phones are often routed to the wrong dispatch center.

An estimated 5,000 mobile calls are misrouted each year. Dispatchers must reroute them by landline to the proper dispatch center, leading to dropped calls and misinformation. Response times suffer, often by as much as 10 minutes.

The problem will only worsen as mobile phones continue to displace landlines.

SECOMM, with its modern equipment, would be the surviving dispatch center, though Franklin County’s center could in theory remain in place as a backup.

Ownerships will be one of the key sticking points. SECOMM is owned by Benton County and the cities of Richland and Kennewick. All made significant investments in the system, with sizable support from the federal government.

The city of West Richland, Benton Fire District 4 and other agencies are fee-paying subscribers with limited decision making.

Pasco and Franklin County made it clear they want to enter SECOMM or the successor organization, dubbed MATRICS, as full-fledged partners and owners. The combined system would see its call and dispatch activity rise by about half.

In the letter, the city and county officials acknowledge they will need to make a financial contribution toward the cost of the existing infrastructure.

Negotiations will cover staffing levels, human resources, voting rights on the dispatch center board and other administrative challenges.

Peck has said he wants to ensure Franklin County’s roughly 18 dispatchers are able to move easily to the newly expanded joint operation.

The advantages of consolidation go beyond eliminating the problem of dropped calls.

Supporters say it will enhance the safety of police officers and firefighters, speed up call processing and spread the cost of capital investments across more partners.

Previous issues with incompatible radio systems have been largely resolved. Franklin County received a $623,000 federal grant to equip law enforcement with 800 MHz radios. All Tri-City law enforcement officers are now able to communicate on the same system.

This story was originally published February 24, 2016 at 7:26 PM with the headline "Pasco, Franklin County ask to join 911 dispatch."