KITTITAS COUNTY, Wash.- Decades of responding to over 48,000 yearly calls is starting to catch up to dispatchers for Kittitas County 911, or KITTCOM. With equipment that was built in the 1980s when KITTCOM formed still being used today, officials are now looking to make a change.
“We’re dealing with equipment, when KITTCOM was formed, that was purchased under the philosophy that good, sound used equipment, was the way to go” says KITTCOM Interim Director Rich Elliot. “We built a system and now that system is still somewhat analog and needs to move to digital.”
The dispatch center has attempted to remedy the situation while still serving 17 public safety agencies across the county. With as old as the equipment is, most replacement or compatible parts have been purchased from eBay.
“We’re trying to expand capacity, we’re trying to make things more efficient and to make those accommodations, but the reality is we’ll need to grow the center,” says Elliot.
The Interim Director of the communications center is also the Deputy Chief for Kittitas Valley Fire and Rescue, meaning he sees the issues firsthand.
He says there’s many instances of “dead zones,” where dispatch’s radio signal won’t reach over the many mountains or hills in Kittitas County.
“I quite frankly use my cell phone to talk to the dispatchers instead of the radio system,” says Deputy Chief Elliot. “It’s not ideal, but it’s a workaround. So, we know where some of those areas are, sometimes we don’t, and we find them.”
KITTCOM says in cases of wildfires or other emergencies requiring a longer stay with in a dead zone, a temporary repeater will be moved to the scene, but those can take over a day to set up.
“This delays the transfer of critical information between rescue teams as well as delays the coordination of critical resources and supplies needed during emergencies,” says Kittitas County Fire District 1 Chief Brandon Schmidt. “This is a significant safety issue when we are unable to coordinate time-sensitive resources and information because we are unable to communicate with KITTCOM.”
Elliot says there were talks of joining a neighboring county’s dispatch center but found it would cost more than replacing their own equipment. He adds that the change would affect how KITTCOM can tailor needs to the county but wouldn’t disrupt service.
A ballot measure is being prepared to present to voters in April, but any plans still need to be approved by the Kittitas County Board of Commissioners.
