EMERGENCY SERVICES County officials meeting with 911 system expert

By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HOWLAND -- A representative of a Florida consulting firm is meeting this week with Trumbull County elected officials and department heads about the county 911 system.
"I talked to the consultant this afternoon and he will be meeting with the other commissioners and officials from the different communities that use the system," said Commissioner Jim Tsagaris. "He is leaving town Friday and hopes to get something together for us by the end of the month."
Darlene St. George, Howland Township administrator, also met with the representative from RCC Consultants Inc. of Tallahassee, Fla. She said that Pat Ungaro, Liberty Township administrator, plans to meet with the consultant today.
Currently, Liberty Township provides its own 911 dispatching services.
"I will meet with him and let him know what the concerns are in our community," Ungaro says.
Improving efficiency
Last month, Trumbull County commissioners allocated $24,437 to hire the consulting company to review the 911 operation and how it's funded. The consultant is to find the most cost-effective way to operate the 911 system.
"We want to have a budget and staffing analysis done," Tsagaris said.
RCC Consultants is an international telecommunications consulting, integration and outsourcing company that has been in business since 1983.
The company has offices in New Jersey, Florida, Virginia, California, Texas and Pennsylvania. Emergency number services, such as 911, is one of its specialty areas.
The 911 Center in Howland is 80 percent funded by Trumbull County and 20 percent by member communities. Some communities -- Liberty, Girard, Newton Falls, Warren Township, Niles, Hubbard and Lordstown -- are not members.
sinkovich@vindy.com