Fire Dispatch Merger Could Save Money, Time

Spokane Valley Fire Chief Pat Humphries recommended to the board of fire commissioners Wednesday that they accept a plan to merge their dispatch center with three others, including the city’s.

Officials from Valley Fire, Spokane City Fire, Fire District 8 and Fire District 9 have tentatively agreed to the plan, which would save Valley Fire more than $1 million over 10 years.

Slow communication among fire control agencies during the fire storm in 1991 and the rising cost of operating separate dispatch centers spawned interest in merging the centers, fire officials said.

All four parties must officially approve the plan by June 15, the proposed contract’s self-imposed deadline. If approved, the centers would consolidate April 1, 1997.

Valley Fire commissioners appear to be leaning toward approval.

Equipment from Valley Fire and Fire District 8 would be shipped to the city communication center, which will be used as the primary dispatch center. District 9’s communication center will be maintained as a backup center.

Additionally, the 911 board has agreed to put up $800,000 to help fund the change. The 911 board will save $1.3 million if the four consolidate because they will only have to maintain one set of phone lines instead of four, fire officials said.

County commissioners still must approve the subsidy at a meeting next Tuesday.

Officials from District 9 originally approached city fire administrators more than three years ago after evaluating communications with other fire agencies during Fire Storm.

Valley Fire and District 8 joined the negotiations a year later.

Improving communications and using the resources of Valley Fire and other fire agencies more efficiently were a priority, Humphries said.

Valley Fire, like other the other fire control agencies, also has experienced a dramatic increase in calls and is faced with hiring a new dispatcher. Combining dispatch centers would eliminate that need and save nearly $155,000 for Valley Fire, Humphries said.

The combined dispatch center would be staffed by a mix of dispatchers from all four agencies. Under the proposed agreement, Valley Fire can send up to four of its six dispatchers to the center.

Dispatchers displaced by consolidation will be assigned on trucks as firefighters, Humphries said.

Two major issues for Valley Fire commissioners have been control of the dispatch center and response times.

Before agreeing to the merger, they wanted to be sure performance criteria were included in the contract and that the city could be penalized for not meeting the standards. Fire commissioners also want assurance response times will not suffer. Both stipulations have since been met.

The contract “holds the city’s feet to the fire to perform,” Humphries said.

An eight-member “policy board” would be formed to direct the combined dispatch center, including the city fire chief and one member each from Fire Districts 1, 8 and 9.

Two representatives from among the eight agencies in northern Spokane County and Stevens County that currently contract with the primary fire agencies for fire dispatch service and two representatives from among the nine agencies in southern Spokane County that contract for service also would serve on the board.

Combining the four dispatch centers will not have a large impact on routine calls, but will make a big difference on major incidents, such as the fire storm, fire officials said.

“It isn’t going to change who shows up, but it is going to improve the support they have,” said Bob Anderson, District 9 chief.

, DataTimes