County appoints emergency agency director

By Peter H. Milliken

911 consolidation would save tax dollars, the new director says.

YOUNGSTOWN — Consolidating 911 dispatching and increasing the number of emergency warning sirens from 59 to 65 in Mahoning County are among the priorities of the county’s newly appointed emergency management agency director.

The Mahoning County commissioners promoted Clark A. Jones, 61, of Poland, to the county’s EMA directorship, effective Thursday.

The commissioners named Jones as the agency’s interim director in December, following the retirement of Walter Duzzny, who had been the county’s EMA director for 25 years. Jones supervises a staff of 19, including EMA office staff and 911 emergency dispatchers employed by the county.

Jones said he favors consolidating the county’s seven 911 answering points, ideally into a single secure, centrally located dispatching center, preferably in a new building.

Such an arrangement would achieve “economies of scale,” eliminate unnecessary duplication of efforts and save tax dollars, he said.

“The more we put everything together, the more efficient we become on a countywide scale,” Jones explained.

Under the consolidated arrangement, a second location would serve as a backup 911 answering point, he said.

Other priorities of his administration would be to continue planning and funding for all hazard events and coordination of emergency response agencies, Jones said.

Before becoming the agency’s operations manager in 2000, Jones was regional general manager for Northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania for Rural Metro Ambulance Co.

Jones began his career in 1967 as an ambulance crew member with its predecessor, Gold Cross Ambulance Co.

Boardman Fire Chief James Dorman and Youngstown Police Lt. Robin Lees told the commissioners Jones was an excellent choice for the position because of his vast experience and his support for the needs of the county’s safety forces.

“Clark comes with a lot of letters of recommendation from a lot of influential people,” said Anthony T. Traficanti, chairman of the county commissioners.

Also at Thursday’s meeting, the commissioners received a bid from B&C Communications of Akron, the sole bidder for two new emergency warning sirens to be placed in western Mahoning County at $18,750 per siren, including installation.

The federally funded, radio-controlled sirens, to be installed in western Goshen Township and likely in western Green Township, will improve coverage by bringing the total number of sirens in the county to 59, Jones said.