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CUMBERLAND — A new computer-aided dispatch system will breath life into Allegany County’s emergency dispatch system at Constitution Park.
The Allegany County Board of Commissioners on Thursday awarded a contract to Public Safety Systems Inc. of Lanham for $481,400 to install the new software in the 911 center. PSSI’s was the second lowest of three requests for proposals. New World Systems in Troy, Mich., submitted a $461,370 package and Logisys Education Logistics of Missoula, Mont., offered to do the job for $751,169. The project is being funded through existing bond revenue from the county’s Capital Improvement Program.
Dick DeVore, acting chief of the Allegany County Joint Communications Center and direct supervisor to nearly two dozen emergency dispatchers, said PSSI had a successful track record working with other Maryland counties. And the job needs done, DeVore said.
The CAD system is “the heart of the 911 operations,” DeVore said, helping dispatchers in records management and call processing as well as improving efficiency and accountability.
The existing system is 14 years old and antiquated by current standards.
“This system drives all call taking functions and assigns and tracks resources dispatched to emergency calls,” DeVore told County Administrator David Eberly in a report recommending approval.
“There are not alternatives to this project,” DeVore said. “Without replacement, the present system will ultimately experience a catastrophic failure, which will cripple our ability to deliver services.”
For the first time since the county consolidated dispatching duties with the city of Cumberland in 2006, DeVore said, 911 operators will have access to a CAD system that will include police dispatching as well as fire and EMS.
“All 10 consoles in the new center (at Constitution Park) can answer all calls for police and fire/EMS,” according to a stress assessment report of dispatchers recently completed by Karen Zealand, a licensed clinical professional counselor.
The new system “will help standardize dispatching and will be helpful to dispatchers, especially new hires,” Zealand concluded.
Zealand cautioned, however, that while the new system will be beneficial in the long run, “dispatchers may experience a stressful interim adjustment. During this period, efforts should be made to remove or delay other stresses such as any additional job responsibilities, any further technological changes (until) the current ones are integrated and maintaining an optimum number of dispatchers per shift as much as possible.”
DeVore said new hardware also needs to be bid but the project should be completed under budget. A total cost estimate was not provided.
Kevin Spradlin can be reached at kspradlin@times-news.com.
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