By EMS1 Staff
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati is dumping its 911 system vendor after a year of problems.
WCPO.com reported that some callers got a busy signal or their calls were dropped when calling the city’s 911 center. WCPO investigative reporters uncovered problems at the center in 2013, which included staffing issues, poor training and call routing from cellphones.
The city’s 911 calls have been handled through a Cincinnati Bell subcontractor for the past eight years, according to the report. Their latest subcontractor, Comtech, hasn’t been reliable, according to Jayson Dunn, the city’s director of information technology.
“I think a lot of people owe all of our citizens and all of our constituents an apology,” Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld said. “You deserve better – especially in this situation where you might be calling in a life-or-death situation, where minutes matter, where seconds matter. People deserve the highest level of service delivery. They haven’t gotten it.”
Sittenfeld wants the city to create a board of IT experts to help with technology issues, according to the report.
The city is working on finalizing a contract with a new vendor.
If you call 911 and can’t get through, call the city’s Emergency Communications Center at 513-765-1212.