COAL TOWNSHIP - When public safety is an issue, it attracts the attention of many.
Thus was the case Tuesday night when approximately 200 people came to a rare evening meeting of the Northumberland County Board of Commissioners at Shamokin Area Middle/High School to voice concerns over ongoing problems at the county 911 Center.
Firefighters, ambulance and other rescue personnel, 911 Center administrators, Emergency Management Agency (EMA) staff and dispatchers presented complaints, questions, accusations and potential solutions to the commissioners in an effort to remedy problems including late dispatch times, personnel being sent to the wrong addresses, inaccurate record keeping and tones not being activated for emergency calls.
After more than an hour of discussion that featured complaints by Elysburg
fire and rescue personnel about a lack of cooperation received by the commissioners over the years to rectify the problems, Commissioners Vinny Clausi, Merle Phillips and Frank Sawicki pledged their support to correct the problems and agreed to meet with emergency responders to get their input.
Elysburg Fire Chief Dennis Kroh initially complained about the commissioners' failure to respond to a letter sent to them two weeks ago. He gave credit to 911 staff for responding, but said the same problems continue to occur, some of which began in 2006.
"Times posted on the new web CAD system indicate that it is taking on average four minutes to dispatch units to an emergency. Some are longer," he said. "Sometimes, units from other municipalities are being sent only to find out the incident is in another town.
He continued, "Can someone please tell me why it should take any longer than this: 911 what's your emergency? Yes, I would like to report a house fire at 123 any street in Shamokin. OK, you are saying there is a house fire at 123 any street in Shamokin? Yes. We are sending the fire department. Please stay on the line."
Kroh then directed a question to Clausi by alluding to a recent article in The News-Item that claimed the commissioner didn't have the support from Sawicki and then-Commissioner Kurt Masser to rectify the problems.
"Are you serious?" Kroh asked. "I have met with Mr. Sawicki and Mr. Paul Froutz (911 Center director and EMA coordinator) at my fire company and discussed issues, although I don't believe any progress was made as a result of that meeting. Masser, who is now a state representative, met with us several times over the years and had taken a pro-active approach with issues at the 911 Center by appointing then-chief clerk Mike Lindermuth to oversee the 911 Center in an attempt to correct many issues. We were making great progress before a new administration took over and new 'political people' were appointed throughout the county, including at the 911 Center. That's when things started to slide to where we are today."
Kroh concluded that he doesn't know the "fix" for the 911 Center, whether it be funding, training or leadership, but that the timeline of 90 days to six months suggested by Froutz is "unacceptable."
Harvey M. Boyer Jr., president and assistant fire chief with Elysburg Fire Company, stated, "Currently you have taxpayers afraid to call 911 and drive themselves to the emergency room because of recent past ambulance issues. There is something wrong with that. Unfortunately, the public immediately blames the ambulance, and are not aware that the issue lies with the poor performance of the 911 Center."
Boyer, who questioned if the 911 Center was up to national standards and had qualified telecommunicators, claimed the radio used at the center is fine and blamed most of the problems on protocols, dispatch systems and addressing mistakes.
He added, "It appears some of the blame is being pushed on the local communities in regard to addressing issues. Just because a township chooses not to change their mailboxes doesn't resolve the management of the 911 Center to ignore these taxpayers."
Boyer also criticized Froutz for claiming he is unable to attract or maintain good personnel due to pay scales.
"Taxpayers are not getting services they deserve," he said. "This needs your immediate attention. All of our lives depend on it."
Robert Dluge, an assistant fire chief for Elysburg Fire Company and a longtime active firefighter, said multiple jurisdictions in the county are experiencing the same problems.
"These problems are costing lives and property," Dluge said.
Dluge referenced a Feb. 14 cardiac arrest emergency on Route 54 just outside Elysburg in which the call was forwarded to Montour County instead of Elysburg Ambulance due to a lack of an accurate 911 address system. He said Elysburg Ambulance wasn't dispatched until 15 minutes later to provide assistance. He said the patient did not survive.
"You (commissioners) are subjecting the county to great liability because of your ineptness in not correcting these problems," Dluge said. "The county certainly doesn't need another lawsuit, but it may be headed for one."
Dluge said the commissioners have refused over the years to allow fire and emergency personnel to have a say in what 911 procedures work and don't work, while neighboring counties have been able to resolve dispatching problems.
Raymond Siko II, a Shamokin police officer and deputy fire chief in Kulpmont, recommended commissioners establish a steering committee comprised of firefighters, ambulance personnel and other rescue staff.
Ruth Wisniewski of Shamokin, a former dispatcher for Northumberland County who previously was employed as a dispatcher in Crawford County, said the dispatchers are being unfairly criticized for problems at the 911 Center.
"We (dispatchers) can only give out information from what information we are given," she said. "The dispatchers get blamed, but they aren't the problem. The system is the problem. The county administration and the management at the 911 Center are making excuses for the problems."
Russell Fellman, a supervisor at the 911 Center, also voiced support for the dispatchers, who undergo strict training procedures and face major responsibilities in their positions.
Froutz, who acknowledged problems exist, said he recently received a commitment from the commissioners to move forward to make improvements. But he said the commissioners never fulfilled a promise in 2008 to raise salaries of dispatchers to make them competitive with other counties.
Froutz also recommended the commissioners adopt a countywide addressing ordinance that would mandate all municipalities compile proper addresses.
Clausi, who was the most outspoken commissioner about the 911 problems at the meeting, welcomed the assistance of firefighters, ambulance, police and other emergency personnel. Clausi, who recently took over as the commissioner in charge of public safety, admitted he knew very little about 911 Center operations, but vowed to do his best in solving the problems.
A handout prepared by Sawicki and Froutz that outlines the problems facing the center, including municipalities not conforming to federal and national emergency numbering association addressing, was presented to those at the meeting.