E-9-1-1: Who you gonna call?

To the editor:
    A few weeks ago an article was printed in the Houlton Pioneer Times about the potential of 9-1-1 calls being answered by the Penobscot Regional Communications Center in Bangor. The County Commissioners Office met and discussed the change in service providers as being a cost-saving measure to the county.     At the present time, all 9-1-1 calls dialed from Aroostook County are answered at the Houlton Regional Communications Center. It is important for the citizens of Aroostook County to know that the Public Utilities Commission sets the 9-1-1 rates and those rates have yet to be determined by the PUC. The County Commissioners Office is giving the impression the rates have been increased and agreed upon. This is not the case. If an increased rate is imposed upon the county, it will not exceed $1,000 per town or $1.53 per citizen. This would be the maximum amount.
    If the commissioners vote to have Penobscot RCC answer the 9-1-1 calls originating from Aroostook County, three full-time jobs will be eliminated from the Houlton RCC.
    The article indicated there wouldn’t be any change in service other than another town answering the initial 9-1-1 call. If this change takes place, all it will do is slow the dispatch time of Fire, EMS and/or Police. For example, if a person lives in Mapleton and they call 9-1-1 to report a structure fire, their call will go to Penobscot RCC, who, in turn, will transfer the call to Houlton RCC who will tone out Mapleton Fire Dept. If a domestic abuse call is dialed from an area the Aroostook County Sheriff’s Office is covering due to call sharing, the call will be transferred from Penobscot RCC to Houlton RCC and we will transfer the call to Aroostook County SO.
    Every time a call is transferred from one agency to another, the complaint or information provided by the original caller is repeated. This increases the caller’s frustration during an emergency call. What if there is a multi-agency emergency and several emergency crews need to be toned out? Will the personnel at Penobscot RCC know, within a timely manner, which crews are toned out by what agencies?
    The 9-1-1 operators at Houlton RCC are longtime residents of Aroostook County and the potential for delays are increased when an operator is unfamiliar with the area. Mr. Ryan, the supervisor at Penobscot RCC, indicated 9-1-1 calls from Aroostook County will be clearly mapped out when the call is received. Houlton RCC has the same equipment, but can add that they are familiar with places such as Knowles Corner, Soucy Hill, Buckley Hill, Haystack and Hedgehog Mts., etc. Can Penobscot RCC say that? These landmarks are commonly used by stranded motorists using cell phones or landline callers giving directions to EMS providers. When longtime residents refer to their town as Sinclair, Guerette, Plaisted, St. David, and Crouseville, will Penobscot RCC dispatchers know the addresses verify as T17-R4, T17-R5, Eagle Lake, Madawaska and Washburn?
    Mr. Ryan also stated that there are three buttons on the 9-1-1 system – Fire, EMS and Police and it’s a matter of hitting the appropriate button once the emergency is determined. It is not that simple for several towns in Aroostook County. Island Falls, Van Buren, Fort Fairfield, Mapleton and Ashland are just a few towns that have emergency personnel toned out. These are rural communities that will be impacted by a delay in transferring a call. The delay will impact these communities because they are volunteer departments, which means they respond from home. The change in dispatch will add that much more time before they actually receive a tone and head to ambulance to respond.
    These are just a few examples of how important it is when relying on local dispatchers to tone out emergency personnel in a timely and efficient manner. Every second counts when handling an emergency call. Let’s not risk an unnecessary amount of time and the potential for information to be misconstrued while your call is being transferred several times to the appropriate agent.
    The cost-saving measure the County Commissioners Office is proposing only adds unnecessary step(s) in dispatching and responding to emergencies. People of Aroostook County should have an opportunity to make an informed decision about these changes that directly impact them and their families. To support keeping Aroostook County residents safe, please make an effort to contact your local emergency personnel, town manager, representative, etc.
Jennifer Michaud,