COLUMBIANA COUNTY Group formed to improve 911

A meeting has been scheduled for July 29.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- A committee is being formed to finalize details of a modernized 911 plan for Columbiana County.
The group will likely be drawn from a 911 technical advisory committee made up of area government, safety and emergency officials, which met Tuesday.
County Commissioner Gary Williams, who oversaw the meeting, said the subcommittee, whose members haven't been named yet, will meet at 2 p.m. July 29 with the aim of working toward a final 911 plan.
The meeting will come a day before the first of two public hearings that are required before a measure to fund operation of a modern 911 system can be put on the November general election ballot.
Voters will be asked to approve a 50-cent monthly surcharge on residential and commercial telephone lines. The charge would raise about $280,000 annually to pay for operation of a modernized 911 system.
The emergency telephone number is available in the county now. But it lacks equipment and data that enables emergency personnel to immediately determine the location from which the 911 call is placed.
Most 911 systems have that capability. Columbiana County is one of only a few counties in the state that doesn't have modernized 911.
County officials and emergency personnel say it's crucial to implement the updated system here to enhance public safety.
Public hearings on the matter are set for 10 a.m. July 30 and Aug. 6 at the commissioners meeting room in the courthouse.
Answering points
Planners have yet to determine whether the county's new 911 system would have a central answering point to field emergency calls or as many as three answering points, Williams said.
The answering points would consist of someone being available around the clock to answer 911 calls, determine what department needs to handle them and transferring the data to that department for emergency dispatching.
The answering points will not replace any community's dispatchers, Williams said.
It's uncertain how many people will be hired to staff answering points, or where they'll be located.
Most likely, the sheriff's department would have one answering point. The other two could be installed in the dispatching centers for Salem and East Liverpool, the county's two largest cities, Williams said.
The updated 911 system will require hiring an administrator who will be paid $40,000 to $50,000 a year, he added.
Should voters approve the surcharge, it could be early 2005 before a modernized 911 system is operational, Williams said.
It will take time to begin collecting revenue from it and to have equipment installed and personnel hired, he explained.