Dispatch-center unity sought in Utah County

PROVO — To be the most effective against terrorism and threats of natural disaster, the five dispatch centers in the county need to get on the same page, says Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy.

And consolidating the county's five police dispatching agencies into one is a key element, Tracy said. Also needed is the consolidation of records, finding a central location, combining resources and perhaps in some instances, eliminating jobs — if area public safety officials can agree.

Tracy told the Utah County mayors in a recent Council of Governments meeting that the $2.7 million Homeland Security grant awarded to the county this past year to help pay for an upgraded Record Management System (RMS) is just one component of what needs to be a complete unification process.

"Our goal is for all police, fire and EMS agencies to be able to immediately share critical information. Right now we have precious little ability to push and pull information. Only a couple of the centers are integrated," Tracy said. "It's been like herding cats."

Tracy said the dispatch centers are not all on the same radio frequencies, for one thing. There are varying levels of computer capability and breakdowns in the flow of information.

The five dispatch centers are located in Springville, Orem, Provo, Pleasant Grove and the Utah County Sheriff's Office.

With consolidation, all police, fire and emergency services personnel would be able to immediately share critical information, Tracy said.

"The joint RMS system opens the door to a single, unified dispatch center," Tracy said.

Tracy said the report on the 9/11 disaster in New York City showed the single biggest problem was in communication between agencies. "Lack of communication killed firefighters and policemen," he said.

Although combining the centers could eventually save money and bring about a more coordinated response, it could also come with substantial start-up costs and some loss of local control.

Tracy said some jobs would be duplicated and thus some personnel would need to be reassigned or let go. However, most of the dispatchers can probably be absorbed into the central unit, he said.

A safe, central location will need to be found, a place that can continue operating through natural or human-caused disaster.

"There are plenty of places in Utah County it can't go," Tracy said.