Pa. town to save $70K in 911 shift

West Homestead is dismissing four of its five dispatchers and switching to the Allegheny County 911 system next month

April 15, 2011 12:56 PM

By Matthew Santoni
Pittsburgh Tribune Review

WEST HOMESTEAD, Pa. — West Homestead is dismissing four of its five dispatchers and switching to the Allegheny County 911 system next month, continuing a trend of municipalities shuttering their emergency dispatch centers.

Effective May 16, county dispatchers in Point Breeze will begin directing West Homestead’s firefighters and police officers, said Gary J. Thomas, assistant chief and 911 coordinator for the county.

Making the switch could save the borough about $70,000 in salaries and benefits in next year’s $1.6 million budget, which is looking tight after a busy winter of snow clearing and salting, said Councilman William Stasko.

Councilman Dean Collins emphasized that the change was not because of any failings on the local dispatchers’ part.

“That’s about two-thirds or three-quarters of a mill (of property taxes) in our borough, which is a substantial savings for us,” Stasko said. “It’s not like we’re blazing a trail or anything. We’re just falling in with the rest of them.”

Just 15 of the 130 municipalities in Allegheny County use their own dispatchers. Since 2001, 37 communities have switched their 911 service to the county. Robinson will be integrated into the county’s system as of July 6.

Thomas said the transition should be relatively easy for West Homestead because the police department uses the same radio frequency as the county, and the fire department has gotten federal money to buy additional portable radios and switch its emergency pagers over to the new frequency.

Though some of the county’s dispatchers know West Homestead well through second jobs as emergency responders, and the rest can use maps in the computer-aided dispatch system, some officials say local dispatchers offer shorter response times and more personal service.

“We got the mom-and-pop treatment in our town,” said West Homestead Fire Chief John G. Dindak. “The county offers the same services, but in some ways it’s not the same.”

In the western edge of the county, Moon, Findlay, Coraopolis and Crescent also are independent of the county dispatch system. Other municipalities that still have their own dispatchers include Munhall, Monroeville, Turtle Creek, Bethel Park, Upper St. Clair and Whitehall, Thomas said.

“But we’re at a point budget-wise where we’re not going to be able to fund it,” said Munhall Councilman Dan Lloyd, citing pension liabilities and property tax refunds that the borough owes U.S. Steel after a reassessment.

Moon police Chief Leo McCarthy said his eight dispatchers are valuable employees who perform a variety of duties.

McCarthy said his team also monitors video surveillance throughout the township, starts the process of filling out police reports and offers a constant presence at the police station. Other communities might only have a phone line to county 911 after regular office hours.

“When you call our dispatch center, which is open 24-7, the people you talk to know who you are, they know where you are, and they might even know who it is you’re calling about,” McCarthy said.

911 and Dispatch