Franklin-Adams-Dauphin regional 911 system could save millions

(Chambersburg) — Franklin County is ready to join with Adams and Dauphin counties in a regional 911 communications system.

The past two times that county officials tinkered with the emergency communications system it cost taxpayers millions of dollars. This time the proposed change could save millions.

People dial 9-1-1 in an emergency. Dispatchers alert police, fire or ambulance personnel. The system is to work anywhere, anytime, from any phone.

Franklin County and local communities have spent nearly $10 million in less than 20 years to improve its own 911 system. The three counties in a regional system would share costs.

“Under the regional system, Franklin County will give up its core system — which means we won’t have much of the hardware we have today,” said John Thierwechter, director Franklin County Department of Emergency Services.

Less hardware means less cost for maintenance and support, such as software upgrades, he said. Franklin County is estimated to save $1.3 million over the span of 7 years.

“Our people are not going to notice any difference at all,” Thierwechter said. “The hardware will reside in Adams and Dauphin counties instead of all three counties. It doesn’t require anyone to go out and purchase anything.”

Emergency radio frequencies and bandwidths will not change. Mobile and hand-held devices will not change. County employment will not change.

What will change: Franklin County will lose its core switches, the high-capacity gateways to the communications network, and will rely instead on the core hardware in Adams and Dauphin counties.

It’s like each county has an engine powerful enough to run all three counties.

“We have a V-8 and don’t need to run it,” Thierwechter said.

Franklin County will connect to the core with its existing towers and microwave communications system or its backup microwave links, according to Bryan Stevenson, Franklin County communications coordinator.

Other counties in Pennsylvania rely on regional 911 systems.

Thirteen counties in western Pennsylvania operate the WestCORE system.

“It’s a pretty robust and pretty solid system,” said Ronald Baustert, 911 coordinator for Armstrong County.

The counties share maintenance costs for the system. The WestCORE system saved upfront costs of $4.3 million and annual operating costs of $172,000, according to the National Association of State 911 Administrators.

“The need for each county to have, and pay for, its own backup public safety answering point was eliminated, while at the same time region-wide disaster recovery and continuity of operations capabilities were improved,” according to the association.

Regionalization of 911 emergency communications does not require the approval of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, according to Ruth Miller, PEMA director of communications.

“Counties are free to work with another county in order to use the same communications or radio systems from whatever vendor they agree upon as part of a regionalization plan,” she said.

Franklin, Adams and Dauphin counties have compatible communications systems, Thierwechter said. Other counties may also join the regional system, but Cumberland County’s system currently is not compatible.

“It was not prudent to continue the way we were going,” Thierwechter said. “We’re all on our own islands at this point. There will be redundancy through the two other counties.”

Either remaining core system can support radio traffic from all three counties, he said. Should one core radio system experience problems, the other core could take over. Franklin County currently does not have such a backup.

The regional system has been years in the making, Thierwechter said. The three counties have come to an informal agreement.

Franklin County Commissioners on Tuesday took the first step toward agreeing to develop and operate a regional telecommunication system with other counties. They voted to advertise a proposed ordinance.

Franklin County Commissioners in 2004 borrowed $4 million to pay for improving 911 communications. Changing federal rules required the county to switch its hardware, and the cost jumped from $2.7 million to $6.9 million, even after a discount from the county’s vendor.

The upgraded system allows first responders from different agencies to communicate directly with each other during emergencies. It also eliminates “dead spots” where radio transmissions are lost. Fire departments and municipal governments had to buy, then reprogram, radios to work with the new system.

This story comes to us through a partnerhsip between WITF and The Chambersburg Public Opinion.