When Northwest Communications goes out of existence at the end of March, it will move Allegheny County a step closer to a centralized 911 system.
But directors at other regional dispatch centers say progress toward the centralized emergency dispatch system has been slow, and the county has not offered many details about its plans.
Northwest, which handles calls for 24 communities, is one of four suburban emergency dispatch networks; the others are Eastern Regional, Newcom and South Hills.
Communities served by Newcom Communications will be watching Northwest's transition closely, said Brian Melby, Newcom's executive director.
"Everyone here is anxious," Melby said. "It looks like everyone is headed toward consolidation with the county, but no one seems to know when."
Northwest's board of directors voted in October to cease operations at the end of 2005, when the organization would run out of money, said Paul Cusick, chairman of its board of directors. But on Dec. 21, Northwest reached an agreement with Allegheny County emergency dispatch to consolidate services.
"If everything goes according to plan, we will cease to exist by the end of March," Cusick said. "All of our functions will be taken over by the county, and all our employees in good standing will be hired by the county."
Suburban Allegheny County residents pay a 74-cent-a-month surcharge on their phone bills for 911 service. The county reimburses the regional centers $3 per capita, based on 1990 census figures.
When Allegheny County first moved toward a countywide 911 service in the mid-1990s, about 100 of the 130 municipalities wanted to retain control of dispatching duties, citing doubts about whether centralized dispatchers would know local roads.
The number of dispatching centers initially was whittled to about 40 and eventually to six. Two of those centers -- Mon Valley in West Mifflin and Southwest Regional in Scott -- merged with the county in 2001. The goal from the beginning was to have the county responsible for all dispatching duties.
The Pittsburgh and county centers merged in 2004. Several smaller communities that are part of regional dispatch centers have asked Allegheny County to bring them on board with the county's main dispatch center, in the hopes of saving money.
Baldwin Township, Castle Shannon and Medical Rescue Team South all voted to pull out of South Hills Dispatch as of Jan. 1, leaving Baldwin Borough, Dormont, Mt. Oliver and Mt. Lebanon.
The agencies that left did not want to help pay for a new $1.1 million dispatch center in Mt. Lebanon.
Details are being ironed out for the county 911 center in Point Breeze to assume the duties of the city 911 center in the Strip District, but other communities are beginning to break away from the four regional dispatch centers in the county to join county dispatch.
Mt. Lebanon municipal manager Steve Feller said county officials and members of Medical Rescue Team South are still deciding how to handle 911 calls from Dormont and Mt. Lebanon after Dec. 31.
County emergency services director Bob Full said previous consolidations of Mon Valley and Southwest went smoothly, as did the integration with the City of Pittsburgh. He said he is confident the remaining consolidations would go smoothly, but did not provide a schedule. He said that while Castle Shannon and Baldwin Township were integrated into the county system as of Jan. 1, Medical Rescue Team South transition was expected in the coming weeks.
A task force put in place by county executive Dan Onorato continues to investigate consolidation with regional centers, Full said. Jim Flynn, county manager, is head of the task force. He did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Eastern Regional Communications Center director Henry Hoffman is annoyed the county is taking so long to unveil whatever plans it has for 911 consolidation. "We're not county employees, so we're completely out of the loop," Hoffman said. He added that 2004 was "the worst year of my professional career, because every day I didn't know if I'd come in and find my staff gone or my budget completely cut. There needs to be a plan in place. It's extremely frustrating."
Eastern Regional filed suit this week against cash-strapped Wilkinsburg, saying the borough owes almost $180,000 for dispatching services last year. Hoffman said he was notified Dec. 30 that the county would be taking Wilkinsburg into its main dispatch. Wilkinsburg was supposed to pay half of its bill in January 2004 and half in July, Hoffman said, adding that the borough did not pay its 2003 bill until two months ago.
Melby said if Newcom joins the county system, all of its 16 communities should join at once, rather than individual communities splintering off.
"I think it's better in the interest of public safety if we all joined as a group."
Cusick sees consolidation as a positive thing for communities because of reduced costs. Bellevue will save $42,000 in 2005 alone, he said.
"I've been taken to task for wrecking 911, but I think by consolidating with the county, we're making it a better system, more efficient."
