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Butler County Emergency Management Coordinator Mark Doehling and Sheriff Tom Dion speak with Butler County Supervisors at a March 15 meeting in the Butler County Courthouse. They discussed steps the county can take to prevent a shutdown of the Sheriff’s Office phones, like the one that happened on March 10.

Molly Hunter

Butler County is examining ways to introduce more redundancy in its dispatch phone and radio paging systems following a power issue that would have caused local 911 calls to route to agencies in other counties for several hours on March 10.There were no emergencies during the disruption to the county’s 911 services, handled by Windstream Communications. Fire departments and their members in Butler County were still able to dispatch from portable units.”We had a couple power outages back-to-back. The first time, we came back. The second time … it shut everything down,” Butler County Sheriff Tom Dion told the Banner-Press.Later, Dion said, they learned there was an issue with a generator.“We have back-up batteries in the basement that need to be replaced and it was just a snowball effect,” Dion said.Dion said those issues are being addressed.At the time, however, the Butler County dispatch center was hamstrung without power.“The dispatch consoles went down. … They don’t have a hardwired phone that I know of, in dispatch,” Butler County Emergency Management Coordinator Mark Doehling said during the March 15 Board of Supervisors meeting. “…When the dispatch center loses power, they lose everything.”Normally, Saunders County is Butler’s designated back-up emergency 911 dispatch center. Dion said the sheriff’s office called its carrier and told them to start routing Butler County calls to Saunders County.”We sent our dispatcher to Saunders County immediately … and they designated a dispatch station for her,” Dion told the Banner-Press.

The entrance door to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, 451 N. Fifth St. in David City. Phones at the Sheriff’s Office went down for several hours on March 10.

Molly Hunter

Non-emergency calls went through to that dispatcher. Meanwhile, Butler County 911 calls were routed to the next nearest dispatch center instead of to Butler County’s.”No emergencies happened, thank God,” Dion told the Banner-Press. “…It worked out about as well as it could have.”The main concern was the possibility of a prolonged emergency response.Butler County didn’t know about the 911 calls until ringing the carrier to start routing local calls to Butler County again.Dion said the whole situation lasted approximately five hours.Doehling suggested to install a landline phone at the dispatch center several months ago in the wake of the November ice storm and power outages.He brought the idea up again at the Board’s March 15 meeting, adding that a landline at the sheriff’s office would also be a good idea.Doehling also discussed the need for redundancy with the county’s radio paging system.”We have more redundancy now than we’ve ever had,” Board Chairman and District 5 Supervisor Scott Steager told the Banner-Press.However, Doehling said, if something were to happen to the radio tower, Butler loses that redundancy.To address that, Doehling said he will look into putting a back-up tower at the Highway 92 Building.Molly Hunter is a reporter for The Banner-Press. Reach her via email at molly.hunter@lee.net.

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Karen Montgomery is retiring as an emergency dispatcher after 21 years of service and while her co-workers at the St. Johnsbury Dispatch Center wish her well, it’s pretty clear her departure will be a big loss.“Karen has been a big part of our operations here at the fire department and her retirement will mean a great loss of knowledge,” said St. Johnsbury Fire Chief Jon Bouffard.“She was reliable in a crisis and her knowledge of procedure lent her the ability to handle any situation,” said Police Chief Tim Page.

“She has been an instrumental member of the Dispatch team and we will sorely miss her knowledge and expertise,” said Dispatch Operations Manager Tony Skelton. “Karen ensured that the wellness of other dispatchers was at the forefront, and was always willing to lend a hand when needed.”“Karen’s dedication and commitment to the town and the public she has served over the years has been outstanding,” said St. Johnsbury Town Manager Chad Whitehead.Montgomery, who who grew up in St. Johnsbury and started as an emergency dispatch trainee in April of 2000, will work her last shift on April 1. Over the years she has been the first point-of-contact for those experiencing their darkest and most tragic times. She’s also been the key link and steady voice of support for police, firefighters and ambulance crews as they responded to chaotic situations such as fires, car crashes, medical emergencies and death.And in recent years, the job has been even more challenging with the COVID-19 pandemic and an ongoing upgrade of the dispatch center and changes in dispatch center procedures and operations.Police Chief Page said Montgomery has also played a key role in that process due largely to her experience, team-oriented approach, positive attitude and her kindness.“Karen Montgomery was an integral part of that change,” said Chief Page. “She never comes in to work without a kind word or greeting. She accepted the changes without complaint and led by example. She supported the efforts to improve and was a positive influence. We will miss her positivity and I will miss her morning greetings and conversations.”

Montgomery’s positive outlook was tested on Dec. 23, 2012, when the landmark 1879 Building on Railroad Street in St. Johnsbury caught fire.A group of St. Johnsbury firefighters were inside the building searching for anyone who might trapped or injured when the situation suddenly deteriorated and firefighters found themselves facing a wall of flames blocking their escape route.They called for help and Dispatcher Montgomery did what no other St. Johnsbury dispatcher had ever done before.She dispatched a “Mayday” alert and sounded the evacuation tone.“I was shaking because I was afraid I was gonna lose friends,” said Montgomery on Thursday. “Co-workers and friends.”Fortunately, all of the firefighters escaped the building by jumping through third-story windows. Some landed on a third-story deck. Others dropped a full story to the deck below. Two suffered minor injures and one was taken to the hospital. But everyone was okay.“As soon as my shift ended I went right down to the scene to check on everybody,” said Montgomery.Montgomery said she’ll miss her co-workers the most and offered this advice to anyone thinking about starting a career as an emergency dispatcher.“It takes a lot of patience,” said Montgomery. “And you can’t take anything for granted. Every day is a learning experience. You just keep learning. You’re interacting with different personalities and people, but you can’t take this job to heart. You have to learn that when you leave the building, you leave it there. You bring it home and it makes your home life miserable … You just gotta stay yourself.”

The Minneapolis Third Precinct held backup 9-1-1 equipment, but it was destroyed in last year’s riots.Aaron Lavinsky | Star TribuneMetro area 9-1-1 leaders are boosting their communication and buying additional equipment in hopes of avoiding problems that hampered their response during riots last year.Minneapolis officials said Thursday that they have been holding weekly meetings with regional 9-1-1 leaders, purchased two additional sets of backup equipment, and are creating a dedicated line of communication, should more unrest happen during the murder trial of former officer Derek Chauvin.”This is a plan that we’re working on not just within Minneapolis, but how will this work if something happens in another city,” Minneapolis interim 9-1-1 director Joni Hodne said during a news conference Thursday morning.During the riots that followed George Floyd’s death last year, many residents complained that they couldn’t get through to 9-1-1 or didn’t receive a quick response.When cell towers flooded with traffic, some calls got automatically transferred to other counties, which lacked the technology to share information as phone lines jammed and emergency radios crowded with traffic.”If the cell towers become overloaded and we have calls routing into partner agencies, we’ve developed a dedicated radio channel that can be used to communicate between the (9-1-1 centers) so they’re not having to call into our already overloaded telephone lines,” Hodne said.”Should our 9-1-1 calls roll to another dispatch center, they can communicate to us on that 9-1-1 radio line as well or transfer medical emergency calls directly to our medical partners.”The metro area has 25 9-1-1 centers. Each has a computer-aided dispatch system, which allows workers to send call information to officers in the field, often by pinging it to computers in their cars.An after-action review conducted by the Metropolitan Emergency Services Board recommended buying technology that would connect those systems, allowing them to share information electronically when other communication lines jam. That solution is far off. Before they can buy a new system, regional 9-1-1 centers first need to develop funding plans and legal agreements governing how they would share information.”This is an interim” solution, City Coordinator Mark Ruff said of the dedicated radio channel for 9-1-1 centers.In addition, Hodne said they are working with other 9-1-1 centers in the area to boost staffing, if needed.Ruff said the city has also purchased additional backup 9-1-1 equipment and placed it in two publicly owned buildings “so that we have redundancy in our system.”The city’s previous backup 9-1-1 equipment had been located in the city’s Third Precinct, which burned during the riots last year.In hopes of reducing call volume, the city is also releasing guidance to help residents determine when they should call 9-1-1 or another city office.Hodne said people should call 9-1-1 for emergencies when someone’s life or safety is at risk and a police officer, firefighter or medic is needed immediately. People can call the MPD tip line to report suspicious activity, and should use 3-1-1 for nonemergency calls, Hodne said.___(c)2021 the Star Tribune (Minneapolis)Visit the Star Tribune (Minneapolis) at www.startribune.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

BRAS D’OR, N.S. —

A Cape Breton woman says police are refusing to take accountability for treating her brother’s 911 call as a hoax, which she believes resulted in his death. 

“It’s negligence by the Cape Breton Regional Police causing death,” said Amy Gerrow of Millville.  

“My goal is to make sure no one else has to go through what we did.” 

Gerrow said her brother Jeff Harrietha had called 911 looking for help but police dismissed the call and she said it resulted in a delayed search for him.  

Harrietha was found dead six days after his call, pinned under an all-terrain vehicle in a lightly wooded area off Alder Point Road in Bras d’Or. 

The coroner told the family Harrietha died of exposure and dehydration.  

“It was an emergency call but not treated as an emergency,” Gerrow said. “If it was, I believe 100 per cent my brother would still be alive.” 

Gerrow said an investigation into a complaint filed with the Office of the Nova Scotia Complaints Commissioner on how the emergency call was handled was disappointing to the family.  

She has filed for a review of the decision and doesn’t plan to stop fighting until the police service takes responsibility.  

Gerrow said Cape Breton Regional Police tried to hide the cause of death from her mother. Police dismissing responsibility in her brother’s death has forced her to go public.  

“Why should she have to know her son suffered for God knows how many days,” Gerrow said. “How much more can you put a family through?” 

Amy Gerrow of Millville standing on the Alder Point Road at an earlier date, the area where the body of her brother Jeff Harrietha was found in a lightly wooded area about 400-500 metres in back of her, on Sept. 10, 2020. Sharon Montgomery-Dupe/Cape Breton Post

 
A FAMILY’S TRAGIC LOSS 

Gerrow said her brother had been living with her and her husband in Millville. On Sept. 5, 2020, Gerrow and her husband went away for the weekend, returning home Sept. 7 to discover Harrietha wasn’t there and their 2010 Can-Am Outlander all-terrain vehicle he often used was gone. 

On Sept. 8, she reported her brother missing to the regional police.  

The next day, Cape Breton Search and Rescue were called out to the area. 

Police asked to meet with the family on Sept. 10 and that’s when the family learned Harrietha had called 911 on Sept. 5 at 1:13 p.m., reporting his bike had flipped and he was trapped underneath it. 

In the 911 call that lasted 16 seconds, Harrietha says, “I rolled my four-wheeler.” 

The dispatcher asked, “Where are you?” 

Harrietha answered, “Alder Point.” 

And the dispatcher asked, “Where?” 

Harrietha said, “Use my GPS.” 

Then the call ended because Harrietha’s cellphone had died. 

Gerrow was told two police officers went out, drove Alder Point Road and after not seeing ‘a bike,’ left the area and then went on days off. 

Police said Harrietha’s phone pinged off a North Sydney tower but because his phone then died police couldn’t track it to a second location.  

Meanwhile, police also tracked his cell number to a Dartmouth address. Harrietha did live in Dartmouth but had been living with his sister and brother-in-law for some time. 

The staff sergeant told Gerrow after tracking Harrietha’s address to Dartmouth, because they had recently received so many false 911 calls, they treated it as a hoax. 

Hours after police shared that information, searchers in a helicopter spotted the yellow ATV in a wooded area along Alder Point Road, about 400 to 500 metres off the road.  

Gerrow said 911 did their part, they contacted the police service, it was then up to the police to initiate help for her brother. The days he was missing there were hot temperatures and extensive rain.  

She said her brother would have been better off calling a family member than 911 and that’s not how it should be. She said the public should be scared seeing how this call was treated. 

“911 is our saving grace, the police are our saving grace, the firefighters, EHS. They are our first responders, the ones that are supposed to be there. They let my brother down.”  

The ATV the late Jeff Harrietha was driving on a trail off the Alder Point Road on Sept. 5, 2020 when the bike flipped and trapped him underneath. Harrietha died of exposure and hypothermia, his body was found six days later. Sharon Montgomery-Dupe/Cape Breton Post

 
THE COMPLAINT 

Gerrow filed a complaint on how the police handled her brother’s 911 call with Nova Scotia’s Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) but was informed they would not be investigating as there was no proof of criminal negligence. 

That’s when she lodged a complaint with the Office of the Nova Scotia Complaints Commissioner.  

The complaint, dated Oct. 26, 2020, read, “neglecting to or without adequate reason, failing to promptly, properly or diligently perform a duty as a member.” 

An investigation into how the regional police handled the call was conducted by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). Gerrow said a “Coles notes version” of the conclusion was provided to her by the Cape Breton Regional Police acting chief Robert Walsh.  

The conclusion was not adequate, she said, noting Walsh merely agreed to review recommendations and implement any necessary policies.  

“They didn’t mention anything about treating it as a hoax call,” she said. “Nothing like that is mentioned in the report.” 

Gerrow requested a copy of the full report and on Wednesday was informed she will be receiving it in a couple of days.  

Meanwhile, she misses her brother described as “a kind man” who deeply loved his sons Hayden Pye, 16, and Dalton Eyking, 14.  

Gerrow said he loved to torment his nieces and nephews. 

“I miss his smile … just him goofing around.” 

The late Jeff Harrietha. Family say they miss his smile and fun goofy ways. CONTRIBUTED

 
CAPE BRETON REGIONAL POLICE 

Desiree Magnus, spokesperson for the Cape Breton Regional Police, said for independence and transparency Walsh requested an outside agency to investigate the family’s complaint filed through the Office of Nova Scotia Police Complaints Commissioner.  

The OPP recently submitted a report back to the regional police detailing an extensive investigation across police and communications dispatch staff, reports, recordings and policies.  

The report concluded there is nothing to support any different outcome to this incident or to warrant any allegations of misconduct in the officers’ response.   

Walsh said he is satisfied with the OPP investigation, which confirms that their police service responded appropriately, based on the information made available to them through the 911 call and their further attempts to determine the nature and location of the reported rollover. 

“I do, however, also agree with recommendations made to improve our response to similar situations, which we are already acting on including policy to guide consistent response to 911 calls and missing persons, as well as technological adjustments to the dispatch and police records systems to identify potentially related calls for service,” he said. 

OFFICE OF THE NOVA SCOTIA COMPLAINTS COMMISSIONER 

Jeff Garber, manager of investigations and outreach for the Office of the Nova Scotia Complaints Commissioner, confirmed a complaint regarding this matter has been filed. 

On Wednesday, Garber said he can’t share much information as it’s still an active file. 

“The investigation concluded and we received a copy of the disposition of the public complaint earlier this month,” he said.  

Speaking generally about the complaint process, Gerber said if a complainant isn’t satisfied with the decision of the police force, they have 30 days from receipt of the decision to file a notice of review.  

At that point, the Office of Complaints Commissioner can conduct an independent investigation into the matter, can forward the matter to the Police Review Board or take no further action. 

Sharon-Montgomery-Dupe is a health and breaking news reporter at the Cape Breton Post. 

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This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19.

NIAID

Ali Rockett

Eleven employees of Richmond’s Department of Emergency Communications have tested posted for COVID-19 over the past two weeks, a spokeswoman for the department confirmed Thursday.With a tenth of the call center’s 100 employees affected, “there has been minimal impact on 911 operations and a slight delay in non-emergency answer times,” said Karen L. Gill in an email.No DEC employee has face-to-face contact with the public as a regular part of their jobs, she said.”DEC has contingency plans and multiple redundancies in place to cover a multitude of situations, including those in which our workforce is reduced, so that we are always prepared to answer and dispatch all 911 calls and non-emergency calls in a timely manner,” Gill said. “For this particular situation, we have made staffing and scheduling changes to ensure that core functions are being met while employees are recovering.”The first week of March, 98.2% of non-emergency calls were answered within 10 seconds; a week later, March 7-13, that measure of efficacy fell to 92.8% of non-emergency calls answered within 10 seconds, according to information provided by Gill.”As always, we are encouraging the public to stay on the line until their call is answered, even if it’s a mistake, to help us save time and resources,” she said in the email.The positive cases did not occur all at the same time, but intermittently over the past two weeks, Gill said.The department worked with the Richmond Health District and VCU Health to offer employees two testing events this week, Gill said. Employees aren’t regularly tested at work, but their temperatures are checked before they report for work in the emergency communications center.”DEC is working with the Richmond-Henrico Health District and is following all applicable safety protocols to keep its workforce safe and provide for employees’ safe return to duty,” Gill said. “Fulfilling our critical mission and ensuring the safety of our employees is, and remains, our highest priority.”arockett@timesdispatch.com(804) 649-6527Twitter: @AliRockettRTD

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It started at a party, with a card game and drinks. A gun came out. Everyone was having fun, passing it around and doing tricks. The gun was loaded and went off and shot one of them in the stomach.Roxanne Van Gundy, the director of the Lyon County Emergency Communications Center, took that call. While the call came in 10 years ago, she remembers it like happened yesterday.”As I came into the situation on 9-1-1, the friend was bleeding profusely,” she said. “The man who shot him was crying and yelling. He was saying that he was going to go to jail. He was going to get fired from his job. He’d lose his child. Throughout the call, the shooter became more and more agitated. He still had the gun in his hands.” While the shooter threatened suicide, Van Gundy walked the called through keeping the victim as stable as possible. “There was a point in the conversation, that I wondered if I should talk to the shooter,” she said. “Could I solve this situation? Could I talk him down? My training said no. Stay with your caller.”The shooting victim survived, Van Gundy said, thanks to the caller’s calm control of the situation. But when emergency crews arrived, the shooter sat on the couch and began to cry.Van Gundy heard her caller unable to get his friend to put down the gun. She heard units arriving at the front door. “In my other ear, I heard a sound that I still remember a decade later,”she said. “The way he sighed right before. I blamed myself for a long time for that man’s death. I know what happened to him was decided by a something much greater than me, but I always felt like I let him down because I didn’t try to talk to him and help him see that everything would work out. I couldn’t tell you the saves I’ve had in 15 years. I’m sure I’ve had some great ones. I just remember the losses.” It’s calls like this one, that stay with dispatchers like Van Gundy and other emergency first responders. But, up until just a few days ago, public safety dispatchers didn’t even have that designation. After more than a year of campaigning and advocating, Kansas 9-1-1 dispatchers have finally received the classification they have been pushing for: the state’s 9-1-1 dispatchers and public safety telecommunicators are officially first responders.The designation was made as part of an amendment to the Emergency Management Act, which Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law late Wednesday night. For Van Gundy, who also serves as vice president of the Kansas chapter of the National Emergency Number Association, it’s been a long and mentally exhausting road to get there. Prior to Wednesday’s signing, Van Gundy said 9-1-1 dispatchers were classified as clerical workers. That may have made sense 68 years ago when 9-1-1 was first established, she said, but technological advances and the training required to become a public safety dispatcher have drastically changed over the years. “This has been something that I felt really passionate about for a lot of years,” she said. “The amount of training that a dispatcher has to have in 2021, clerical is almost laughable.” LCECC Dispatcher Selena Lasser has been answering 9-1-1 calls for 15 years. The calls that stick with her are anything but “clerical.” “I remember it was spring of 2011, I remember it was second shift on a Saturday night, I even remember the partners I was working with at the time,” she said. “I remember answering 9-1-1 and a woman hysterically screaming that her 2-year-old son was choking on food. He wasn’t awake, he wasn’t breathing. I started CPR instructions hoping to hear that sweet baby boy cry. Nothing.”Lasser walked the mother through lifesaving measures for 20 excruciating minutes. The “For 20 minutes, I only heard the screaming of a mother begging for child to wake up,” she said. “Those 20 minutes seemed to last 20 hours. I still cry for that little baby boy.”A seat at the tableVan Gundy has worked as a public safety dispatcher since 2005, starting her career with the Emporia Police Department. After moving to Alaska in 2009 and several years working with the Alaska State Troopers, she returned to Kansas and local dispatch. She took over LCECC’s director in 2018 and has been heavily involved in the efforts to reclassify dispatchers’ status. She said a clear need for reclassification came last year when the COVID-19 pandemic forced statewide shutdowns. Emergency first responders were eligible for priority testing when test supplies were being rationed early on, but dispatchers weren’t included in that group — even though they were working closely with law enforcement, fire departments and more. Van Gundy asked if dispatchers were included in that group.”The state came back and said, ‘You know, you have a really important job, but not important enough for priority testing,'” she said. “Then the CARES Act happened where it was day care reimbursement that was just for first responders. Well, what about our employees that are still coming in and leaving their families? Well, you had to call everybody under the sun to see if we were a part of that.” Vaccinations were the next big question. “It would have eliminated a lot of confusion if we were listed in the Emergency Management Act before this all started,” Van Gundy said. “I think the culture of law enforcement and fire and EMS, it shifted from, ‘dispatch just answers the phones,’ to they looked at us like we’re first responders already. It gets really difficult when we have to fight with everyone else to say, ‘Hey, we do a first responder job. We are first responders.'”‘We’re not gonna stop’Cassandra Grimm remembered a series of calls that began in Dec. 2014, starting when a man called 9-1-1 to say he had found his friend not breathing and turning blue. Grimm started providing CPR instructions while her partners got the ambulance out. The address, she said, was in northern Lyon County and she stayed on the line for close to 20 minutes providing lifesaving instructions. “He survived,” Grimm said. “In April of 2016, I get a call from the wife of the same man I helped save in Dec. 2014. Again, in the northern part of Lyon County. I walked her through step-by-step instructions having her perform CPR on her husband. He survived.”Grimm was scheduled to work in March 2018 but called in. She was sick. A 9-1-1 call came into dispatch. It was the same man she’d helped those two times before. “He was at work and they were given CPR instructions,” she said. “He didn’t make it. I’ve asked myself what would have happened if I had gone to work. Would I have answered the call? Would he still be here if I was there? After the call in Dec. of 2014 I got to meet him and his family in Jan. of 2015. I was his first responder.”It’s memories like this, Van Gundy said, that will keep organizations like NENA and the Public Safety Communications Officials will keep advocating for public safety dispatchers in other states that have not yet received first responder designation. And, they will keep pushing to make positive gains for dispatchers through trainings, resources and further advocacy.It’s rare that someone is calling 9-1-1 on their happiest days, Van Gundy said. And that wears on the 15 dispatchers that takes shifts at LCECC. “They’re not just robots,” she said. “They’re all humans and they all struggle. … They’re hearing everyone’s worst day for 12 hours a day.” “We’re not gonna stop,” she said. “Our goal in Kansas is to work to make the lives of our membership better. So this is step one. There’s some legislation that was introduced this year on PTSD as a worker’s comp claim — that’s huge for us because we’re experiencing PTSD in the center and 20-30% nationwide. We want to work to advocate to be included in things like that. I think mental health is a good first step.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Melanie Bergers called Wednesday “a historic day” in Kansas history.On Wednesday, they officially became classified as “emergency responders” under Senate Bill 40, which was signed into law by Gov. Laura Kelly.The bill, which reforms to the Kansas Emergency Management Act, was passed March 16 in a bipartisan vote of 31-8.Bergers is the director of communications for the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center, which handles all 911 calls in Topeka and Shawnee County.She said dispatchers in Kansas are often the first point of contact for people reporting emergencies.She said efforts have been underway “for a long time” to have dispatchers included in the group of “emergency responders” as they play a vital role in the communities they serve.“This doesn’t change their classification at a federal level,” Bergers said, “but it does give them the recognition and the title that they deserve. They work very, very hard, and they are the first first-responders to every emergency that comes into our center, and oftentimes, they’re able to take care of that emergency without a responder.”Bergers said the dispatchers undergo extensive training to be able to do their jobs, helping them stay calm in the most difficult of circumstances.“We have dispatchers that perform CPR, that can help a suicidal caller who might be just having a terrible day and this is their last person — that they just need some help to get to the right resources,” Berger said. “A mom who’s called and her baby’s not breathing. Or somebody’s found that their house has been broken into.“Those dispatchers are a calm voice when somebody is having probably the worst day of their life, while they are dispatching resources and really orchestrating every response that responders go to.”Bergers said on Thursday she was still excited about the state officially including dispatchers among other emergency responders.“This is a historical day in Kansas,” Bergers said. “There are several other states out there that have fought to get appropriate recognition for their dispatchers, and our professional organizations have worked tirelessly over the last few years.“We really came together and found ways to make this happen, and I’m very proud of our 911 professionals throughout the entire state. We have an incredible group of people. They always come together and they find a way to make it happen.”Brown County Sheriff John Merchant on Thursday said the inclusion of dispatchers being classified as “emergency responders” was “great news” and was the culmination of “many years” of efforts.Merchant noted that dispatchers “receive calls reporting everything from littering to homicides.” Unlike other emergency responders, however, the dispatchers remain at their stations.Merchant said the bill not only recognizes dispatchers for their “incredible efforts in keeping our communities safe, but also opens doors for them to obtain services needed to better perform their duties.”Merchant added that he was “very appreciative that dispatchers are being recognized for the truly remarkable jobs that they do.”According to a section of the SB 40, emergency responders include: law enforcement officers; firefighters; 911 call-takers; emergency medical services personnel; physicians; nurses; physician assistants; public health personnel; emergency management personnel; public works personnel; and individuals with skills or training in operating specialized equipment needed to provide aid in a declared emergency.Other components of the bill include measures that: end all coronavirus-related statewide mandates on March 31; prohibit the governor from closing businesses, civil organizations and churches.; establish due process rights for Kansans “aggrieved” by an order; and preserve local control of schools.Copyright 2021 WIBW. All rights reserved.

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SNOW HILL – Increases in proposed public safety and emergency services spending highlighted a Worcester County budget work session.The Worcester County Commissioners on Tuesday met with department leaders to begin reviewing the proposed fiscal year 2022 budget. General fund revenues for the coming year are estimated at $211 million while proposed expenditures total $219 million.The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and Worcester County Emergency Services are both seeking an increase in funding in the coming year in efforts to ensure public safety.“We have over eight million visitors per summer and we need our residents and visitors to feel safe and secure if we want to maintain Worcester County as a national landmark,” Sheriff Matt Crisafulli said.
Crisafulli has proposed a budget of $9.7 million — a $2.2 million increase over the current year’s budget — for the coming fiscal year. The nearly 30% increase in funding would allow his department to hire three new deputies and convert seven part-time positions to full-time. The additional manpower will ensure that there’s adequate police coverage when other officers are at mandated training and will also enable the office to assist allied agencies better, according to Crisafulli.“Outside of Ocean City, our office handled more than 50% of the total law enforcement calls for service last year and we project that that number’s going to increase due to a continued staffing issue throughout the county,” he said. “As I’ve mentioned previously, recruitment is a national issue that all law enforcement agencies are dealing with.”He added that West Ocean City was growing and was at the point it needed a dedicated patrol unit.Crisafulli’s proposed budget also includes funding for 18 replacement vehicles, vehicles for the potential three new deputies and funding for an armored rescue vehicle that could be used in a hostage standoff or natural disaster.“I know some of the critics say this is militarizing the police however this is just not true,” he said. “Adding a rescue vehicle doesn’t change our approach to community based policing. These vehicles are used to protect deputies and civilians in hostile situations with armed subjects and to rescue people in all kinds of potentially dangerous conditions. The sheriff’s office can use the rescue vehicle as an ambulance during a hurricane. And when a severe weather tears through our community, what kind of vehicle do you want to respond to your neighborhood?”He added that the vehicle could be used by officers responding to unruly crowds in Ocean City and would also be useful during hurricanes and potential flooding.Emergency Services Director Billy Birch told the commissioners his department was seeking an additional $1,062,824 in the coming year, bringing the department’s budget to $3.8 million.  Much of that increase—$580,000—would pay for capital equipment meant to address radio interference problems.“That’s an awful lot of money,” Commissioner Josh Nordstrom said.James Hamilton, the department’s assistant director, said the new equipment was needed to address interference problem the county’s radio system has been dealing with for several years.“Our radio system is impacted by signals that travel farther than they should,” he said. “It’s getting worse, not better.”Additional funding in the department’s proposed budget would allow for the hiring of six new employees.

AT&T has added a new cell tower to enhance Coon Rapids’ 4G LTE coverage.As part of its network enhancements, the company says it is bringing Band 14 to the area. Band 14 is a nationwide, high-quality spectrum set aside by the government for the public safety communications platform called FirstNet. In an emergency, this band can be cleared and locked just for FirstNet subscribers.FirstNet is built with AT&T in a public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority. It’s designed to help first responders in Minnesota and across the country connect to the information they need, when they need it.