The county said Monday it plans to dispatch volunteer firefighters exclusively from the new Garland County 911 Communications Center starting next week.
In preparation for the transition, it and LifeNet have been simultaneously dispatching calls for service over the VHF and Arkansas Wireless Information Network, or AWIN, bands since last week. LifeNet uses VHF to dispatch volunteer firefighters from its Ouachita Avenue offices, a service that will stop when the county assumes dispatching responsibility.
The county moved to the higher range AWIN band late last year, using the state-run public safety platform to dispatch sheriff's deputies. Part of the county's $5.9 million transition to AWIN includes assuming responsibility from LifeNet for dispatching the county's nine volunteer fire departments.
Fire protection calls are currently transferred from the communications center to LifeNet. Calls will be received and dispatched from one location when the transition is completed, which the county said will improve response times.
To ensure law enforcement and fire protection calls are given equal priority, the county moved authority of the communications center from the sheriff's department to the department of emergency management last year. It also purchased 157 AWIN-capable handheld radios for volunteer firefighters. The county said those units combined with radios purchased through a $600,000 Federal Emergency Management Agency grant outfitted all of the county's volunteer firefighters with AWIN radios.
LifeNet has agreed to join the new 911 communications center the city of Hot Springs is building inside its police department. Calls for ambulance service are currently transferred to LifeNet's dispatch, but they'll be received and dispatched from one location when the city's communications center goes live later this year.
The franchise agreement that gives LifeNet exclusive rights to provide emergency medical services in the incorporated area of Hot Springs expires at the end of the year. Legislation passed in 2017 also allows counties to contract exclusively with an EMS provider, which the county has said would be dispatched from its communication center should it procure such a service.
911 bill
Legislation remaking funding and oversight schemes for 911 service cleared the state House last week after telecommunication providers withdrew opposition.
House Bill 1564 originally called for a $2.25 monthly, per-line public safety connectivity fee to replace the 65 cent cellphone fee, percentage based landline charge and fees collected in support of the rural telecommunications service fund. Industry representatives balked at part of the fee being used to support small, rural providers, preventing the bill from getting out of committee when it was presented last month.
The version that advanced to the Senate proposed a $1.30 monthly, per-line fee administered by a state board. The population-based distribution formula would be similar to the current structure, with more than 80 percent going to the maintenance and operation of local 911 service and 15 percent for dispatch center and infrastructure upgrades, but quarterly distributions for AWIN upgrades and maintenance would be made from the fund.
The emergency telephone service charge on cellphones was established in 1997. It was 50 cents until the Legislature increased it to 65 cents in 2009.
The Association of Arkansas Counties said more than $50 million in annual statewide 911 expenses are offset by about $25 million in revenue providers collect for 911 service. County general funds are left to fill the breach, subsidizing 911 service at the expense of other services.
HB 1564 would also force 911 call center consolidation, stipulating that the new state oversight board develop a funding plan for 77 facilities by 2022. There are currently more than 120 facilities statewide.
Local on 03/19/2019