Consolidating Mahoning 911 services will take time, consultant says
YOUNGSTOWN — Local officials exploring consolidation of Mahoning County’s eight 911 answering points have a long planning process ahead of them and shouldn’t expect instant results, a consultant advised.
“You can’t do it quickly. If you’re looking for a quick fix, you’re dreaming,” said Barry Strock, the Albany, N.Y., based consultant the county commissioners hired to guide the exploratory process.
“It would have happened already if it was easy,” Strock told the audience at today’s inaugural meeting of the county’s E-911 Consolidation Exploratory Advisory Committee.
About 40 people, including mayors, township trustees, police and fire chiefs and emergency dispatching administrators, gathered for the meeting in the Boardman Township Government Center.
One year from now, the group should have a proposed 911 consolidation plan specifying governance, budget, bylaws, the cost-sharing arrangement among participating communities and the location of the main and backup answering points of the new system, Strock said.
To build and open a new consolidated emergency dispatching center, however, likely would take five years, he said.
For the complete story, see Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com