Extra training is 'if' -- official

LISBON -- Columbiana County Commissioner Gary Williams said Wednesday that Salem's fear of paying for extra training for its dispatchers is "just a big if."
Williams said that there is no legal requirement in place for the training.
"There seems to be a lot of misinformation," Williams said.
Salem had feared that overtime to train its safety forces as emergency medical technicians or emergency medical dispatchers would cost the city $60,000.
Salem is one of five answering points in the county's new enhanced-911 system. The system is expected to go into operation sometime in the third quarter of this year.
Under the local plan, the enhanced-911 group will provide all the equipment and the five answering points will provide the staffing. The answering points are the county's four cities and the sheriff's office.
Williams said the National Emergency Number Association, a nonprofit association that promotes the use of 911, had discussed having the dispatchers trained. Robert Emmon, the county's 911 director, is involved in NENA.
The move would be a revision of an older state law, but nothing has been approved, Williams said.
The NENA, in discussing the idea, had considered paying for the training with either state funds or part of the surcharge on cell phones.
The equipment for the county's new system is to be paid for with charges on land and cell phone lines.
Under NENA's idea, the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International Inc. would provide the training, possibly at vocational schools. APCO is a nonprofit organization that promotes public safety communications.