Fire Commissioners Favor Merging Dispatch Centers

Spokane Valley Fire commissioners voted unanimously this week to merge the district’s dispatch center with three other local fire agencies.

Valley Fire became the first to accept the plan, which calls for the district to join Spokane City Fire, Fire District 8 and Fire District 9 in a consolidated dispatch effort.

The remaining three agencies have tentatively agreed to the merger. They have until the contract’s self-imposed deadline of June 15 to officially accept the proposal.

If approved, the centers would consolidate April 1, 1997.

Slow communication among fire control agencies during the 1991 Fire Storm and the rising cost of operating separate dispatch centers spawned interest in merging the centers.

Some details remain to be worked out in the contract, but Valley Fire officials are confident a combined dispatch center will save Valley Fire money without reducing service. The joint venture will save Valley Fire about $1 million over a 10-year period, including more than $155,000 in 1997, chief Pat Humphries said.

A combined dispatch operation, housed in the city’s communications center, would be staffed by a mix of dispatchers from the four agencies.

Terms of the contract allow Valley Fire to send four of its six dispatchers to work at the new combined dispatch center without losing seniority. Valley Fire officials expect two dispatchers to make the switch.

Equipment from Valley Fire’s communications center would be shipped to the city’s facility.

Dispatchers who choose to stay with Valley Fire will be assigned to firefighting positions, Humphries said. Those who move to the combined dispatch center will have a year to change their minds and accept a firefighting position with Valley Fire.

Even though the contract addresses the seniority issues, a new civil service agreement must be drawn to accommodate the merger of staffs. Current civil service regulations do not allow such a move, Humphries said.

A new civil service agreement would affect other city agencies, such as the police department.

“Even if everybody in the fire department wanted it, there’s still a roadblock,” Humphries said.

If a new civil service agreement cannot be reached, dispatchers who move to the combined dispatch center also will be offered firefighting jobs with Valley Fire, Humphries said.

Fire commissioners had been leery of jumping to a combined dispatch center. They feared losing control over operator performance and increased dispatched times could be a result.

But after studying several drafts of the proposal for more than two years, fire commissioners voted Wednesday night to merge with the other fire agencies.

“Everything we do in business is a risk,” said fire commissioner Jim Fox. “I think your risk and reward is very safe.”

, DataTimes