DELHI _ A team of consultants told the Delaware County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday that the county 911 system "is not broken" and is "not a threat to public safety."
The center is in Unadilla at the state police Troop C headquarters, and resolutions have been proposed _ and tabled _ in March 2007 and January 2008 on moving the center to the sheriff's department in Delhi. The issue was referred in January to committee for investigation.
Board Chairman James Eisel announced Oct. 24 that the members of the Public Safety, Finance and Budget Oversight committees met and agreed to hire security consultant/investigative specialist Robert Wolfgang of Tech Valley Security in Albany to perform a study of the 911 system.
Wolfgang presented a 14-page report to the board detailing the firm's five-month "911 Public Safety Answering Point Relocation Study."
Wolfgang said most of the perceived problems with the center's location could be resolved if people involved communicated with each other.
The consultants recommended scheduling bimonthly or quarterly meetings to bring all 911 call-center stakeholders together.
"Many of the issues and recommendations listed in the report can be addressed and may be resolved," the team wrote. "It is that goal of improved effectiveness for the citizens of Delaware County that should be the first priority on everyone's agenda."
At the end of the presentation, Delhi Supervisor Peter Bracci said, "The system we have is not broken."
He questioned the point of spending money to move the call center from Unadilla "when the state police have the resources."
Steve Finch, Delaware County 911 coordinator, said previously that the proposal to relocate the center was based on a lack of control by Delaware County officials.
Finch said the center would be relocated to the sheriff's department communications center, where 911 center employees would work under his direction.
Wolfgang said more than 100 interviews were done with county officials, fire and emergency services volunteers, people who had called 911 and random people on the street to determine how the county's 911 system was functioning.
Wolfgang said fire/EMS concerns included a lack of county control over the dispatchers, who are employees of the state police, and that dispatchers, working in Otsego County, don't have adequate knowledge of Delaware County.
Wolfgang said most of the 49 citizens interviewed were satisfied with the 911 service.
The team of consultants found that in 2007, the 911 center handled 17,814 events, for an average of 50 calls per day, or about two per hour.
During a three-year period when approximately 53,000 calls were handled, there were 50 documented complaints.
Wolfgang suggested that the board hire someone to assist Finch so he would have more time to spend at the 911 call center.
Finch had originally indicated that moving the 911 center to Delhi would require hiring six full-time dispatchers and using part-time dispatchers to fill the schedule.
Tom Catino, of Tech Valley Security, said it would require nine full-time dispatchers and three full-time supervisors to staff the center.
Eisel said previously that the state police have saved the county more than $2.7 million on payroll.
Finch said previously that money from the 911 reserve account would be used to cover the $289,000 to hire six dispatchers and the $18,000 to $20,000 in moving costs.
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Patricia Breakey can be reached at 746-2894 or at stardelhi@stny.rr.com.
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