COLUMBIANA CO. Officials hire 911 expert

Emmons has helped other communities to implement 911 service.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- Columbiana County commissioners have hired the man who will help make enhanced 911 service a reality in the county.
Robert K. Emmons, the head of Exact 911 in Chardon, Ohio, was hired Wednesday as a consultant at a cost of $60,000.
The county plans call for enhanced 911 service to be in place by the end of 2005.
"It's time to start implementing that plan," Emmons said.
Commissioners said he's been a consultant to other counties that have enacted various 911 plans.
Enhanced 911 service means safety forces will be able to see the address and occupant's name at the location when the call is placed from a land line.
Commissioner Gary Williams, who is coordinating the plan, said that's somewhat difficult because the names and addresses will constantly be changing as people move.
Emmons will be responsible for making sure all the equipment works together to make sure emergency calls go to the correct dispatching center and provide the correct information.
Several answering centers
There will be several answering centers throughout the county. The 911 service is being financed with a 50-cent monthly charge on phone bills.
Williams said that land line 911 service is a little disorganized. Emergency calls are routed through SBC, the area's largest provider, in Kent. Williams said, however, he's been told some emergency calls have gone through an answering point in Colorado.
A proposal to collect a monthly fee on cell phones has passed the Ohio House and is before the Senate. Providers of 911 service would collect a 32-cent monthly fee per cell phone.
"When you need 911 service, you'll pay just about anything," Emmons said.
If that measure is approved, cell phones will be incorporated into the county's plan. The needed technology is available, commissioners said.
Cell phones have global positioning signals that would help 911 authorities locate a person in distress. Now, Williams said, 911 calls on cell phones are routed through the Ohio State Highway Patrol.
wilkinson@vindy.com