County expects new 911 system [Columbiana Co, OH]

[yfdgricker]

County expects new 911 system
Published in the Youngstown Vindicator on Thu, Mar 24, 2005

Grants would help buy equipment for the network.

LISBON — County commissioners unveiled a draft Wednesday of an $875,000 plan to install an enhanced 911 emergency system in Columbiana County.

"We will have an inexpensive system to operate that will increase efficiency in handling emergencies for the citizens of Columbiana County," said Commissioner Gary Williams, who chairs the county's Enhanced 911 Technical Advisory Committee. "We're in the process of finalizing the plan and hope to have the system up and running by the end of the year."

Jim Hoppel, board president, said the system will be a great improvement over the current situation in which 911 calls made in the county are answered by sheriff's office personnel, who refer them to the appropriate community emergency units.

The new system also will allow the locations of callers to be identified on computer screens to speed responses, Hoppel said.

Commissioners said they believed their county was one of only two in Ohio without enhanced 911 capability. About a dozen people attended the meeting in the courthouse.

Five locations

Williams said plans call for installing enhanced 911 centers at five "public service answering points," which include Salem, Columbiana, East Liverpool, East Palestine and the County Sheriff's Office in Lisbon.

He said the county's cities and townships will only have to fund the personnel to staff the answering points, not the equipment, which will be paid through grants along with revenue from people making 911 calls.

The budget as drafted includes computer equipment, $600,000; work stations, $100,000; renovating dispatch centers, $50,000; voice recorders, $30,000; electrical grounding equipment, $10,000; moving telephone and radio equipment, $10,000; and paying a person to direct the creation of the new system, $50,000.

Williams said the budget also will include $25,000 for "reverse 911" capability to allow residents countywide to be notified by telephone regarding a missing child or adult, a natural disaster or a human-related threat or problem.

Funding

The board member said the cost of the equipment and installation will be paid with a $545,700 grant from the SBC telephone company, $225,000 in fees of 50 cents per 911 call received from land-line telephone companies through March 31 and a pending $186,900 grant the county anticipates receiving from the Appalachia Regional Commission.

This money, totaling $957,600, is more than enough to pay for the system as planned, he said.

He said the county also may receive about $55,000 per quarter from a 32-cent fee cellular phone companies charge their customers for 911 calls.

Williams said the budget and plans for the system will likely be finalized and approved by the task force during a meeting at 1 p.m. May 24 at the courthouse.

Once the county planning committee and commissioners approve them, the plan and budget will move on to the county's 27 political subdivisions for approval. If the officials in at least 60 percent of those political entities approve the plan and budget, the system will be installed, Williams said.

[yfdgricker]

New 911 Service?
Columbiana County

If enough communities in Columbiana County okay it, the county could have enhanced 911 service next year.

The 911 planning committee approved final plans last night.
The enhanced service means a caller's address would appear on a computer screen.
Right now, a caller must be able to say where they are.
The new plan would also include 911 service for cell phones

[yfdgricker]

Published in the Youngstown Vindicator on Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Committee approves final plan for better 911 service countywide

Also included would be an easier way to track cell phone users in need.

By D.A. WILKINSON

VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU

LISBON — Officials in Columbiana County hope to ring in the New Year with enhanced 911 emergency telephone service.

The county's 911 planning committee approved the final plan Tuesday. All cities, villages and townships in the county now have until Oct. 21 to adopt or reject it.

Gary Williams, the county commissioner spearheading the project, said the plan will go into effect if subdivisions representing 60 percent of the county's population approve it. The county has about 112,000 residents.

Before the unanimous vote, Williams said, "This is kind of a momentous moment."

If approved, the plan would be something of a first and a last.

Williams said the plan would be one of the first in the state to include 911 service for cell phones. Counties that already have 911 service plans have to amend their plans to reflect fees now charged cell phone users to support the emergency service.

But the county is one of the last in Ohio to have a coordinated 911 plan. Efforts to enact 911 service were defeated in 1985.

Various enhancements

The "enhanced" portion of the service means a caller's address will appear on computers at the answering center.

Robert Emmons, the county's 911 director, said that when the enhanced system is in place, 911 calls from cell phones will appear as a dot on a map. Now such calls are routed to a police department somewhere, he added.

The plan calls for five answering points: Salem, Columbiana, East Palestine, the county sheriff's office and East Liverpool. Each will handle police, fire, and ambulance calls. The sheriff's office will handle calls for the largest number of subdivisions, including villages, such as Lisbon, that have their own police departments.

The only subdivision that has not been assigned to an answering point is Wellsville. It will go with the sheriff's office or East Liverpool.

"I think this is a good plan that can work for everyone in Columbiana County," Williams said.

The sheriff's office and the Salem and Columbiana answering points will need remodeling at a cost of $90,000. The committee also approved spending funds from an Appalachian Regional Commission for the remodeling and work stations for the call centers.

The state may not find fault with the plan. Williams said he had given a draft copy to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, which must approve it.

County residents can read the plan and see service area maps by going to www.columbianacounty.org and clicking on E-911.

wilkinson@vindy.com

[yfdgricker]

From the Lisbon Morning Journal on 9/27/2005...

911 plan finalized
By TOM GIAMBRONI Journal Staff Writer

LISBON - Communities will now get a chance to vote on the countywide 911 plan after the final version was approved Tuesday by the 911 technical advisory committee.

For the 911 to take effect, it must be approved by the governing bodies of cities, villages and townships representing at least 60 percent of the county's population.

"This is kind of a monumental moment. Here we are now 20 years later," said Gary Williams, county commissioner and advisory committee chairman, referring to the initial efforts to come up with a countywide 911 plan in 1985.

A plan was finally drafted in 1991 but voters the next year declined to approve a property tax to fund 911, so the plan languished for nearly 10 more years before being resurrected by former Commissioner David Cranmer.

The new plan will be funded entirely with monthly taxes of 50 cents per phone line and 32 cent per cell phone, which will be used to fund the wireless 911 component.

"It's taken us 20 years to get to this point," said Williams, who took up the 911 issue after being elected in 2002.

Under the 911 plan, emergency police, fire and ambulance calls will be distributed among answering centers to be located at the East Liverpool, Salem, East Palestine and Columbiana police departments and the county sheriff's office.

Each department is to use its existing dispatchers to answer 911 calls and none of the money will go for their salaries or benefits.

The money will be used for equipment and to hire a 911 director or consultant to oversee operations. The plan calls for the 911 transfer center itself to be located in the new county emergency management operations' building currently under construction in Lisbon.

Williams wants all of the communities to vote on the plan by the time the advisory committee next meets on Oct. 25, and he doesn't expect to have any problem reaching the 60 percent approval since they have done their best to keep everyone informed.

If approval is received according to the proposed timetable, 911 service could be up and running by the end of the year.

In related news, the committee unanimously agreed to recommend county commissioners hire Verizon as the 911 equipment supplier at a cost of $645,125. This was based on the recommendation of the equipment subcommittee.

SBC also submitted two proposals to be the equipment supplier, and the two SBC representatives who serve on the advisory committee said there was a difference between their plans and Verizon's that should be taken into consideration.

Robert Emmons, the county's 911 consultant, said the major difference between the proposals as pointed out by the SBC officials is the automatic alarm system would alert SBC of any phone line or circuit problems, with SBC advising the county. Verizon's proposal eliminates the middleman, with the county being alerted directly of any problems.

Emmons said the cost difference between the proposals was negligible, with the one SBC proposal costing about $50,000 more and the other $5,000 to $7,000 less.

Four of the equipment committee members also are members of the advisory committee and they stood by their recommendation to go with Verizon because its proposal was better.

tgiambroni@mojonews.com

[yfdgricker]

From the Lisbon Morning Journal on 10/11/2005...

Lisbon council votes down 911
By KRISTY FOSTER, Journal Staff Writer

LISBON - Village council gave a resounding 'no' when asked for approval of the county's 911 final plan at Monday's meeting.

In an emergency measure because of the lack of time to give three readings council gave the final vote on the 911 plan. The resolution giving seeking approval of the 911 final plan was voted down by council members 3-2.

After the meeting, Council member Mary Ann Gray was asked why she voted no on the measure.

She said her main concern was over the cost and funding of the system as well as the redundance for Lisbon residents.

"What are they going to do when the Sheriff's Department has no money again. Are they going to come back to the residents?" Gray said.

The other concern expressed by council members was the redundancy of the system.

Currently, all 911 calls placed from the 424 or 420 exchange are automatically sent to the Lisbon Police Department.

Under the new plan, the 911 calls will be sent to the Sheriff's Department and then the dispatcher will contact the dispatcher at the Lisbon Police Department who will then send a police officer or other help that is needed.

Village council members are refusing to budge on making changes to the parking meter policy as requested by the Lisbon Chambers of Commerce and downtown business owners.

About two weeks ago, the Chamber called a meeting of the business owners to discuss the parking meters. They made a list of problems and submitted it to council.

The business owners at the meeting confirmed that they realized the parking meters were necessary but were asking for some adjustments.

Council members agreed that the warnings or friendly reminders as requested by the Chamber would not be possible so that suggestion was thrown out.

"Parking meters are there for a reason," Council woman Mary Ann Gray said.

Councilman Bob Sheehan shared a similar opinion.

"A parking meter is a parking meter-you know what I mean," he said.

One suggestion, council did agree to examine is the possibility of bags decorated with holiday greetings to be placed over the parking meters during the portion of December when parking tolls are not collected.

Another idea being considered by council is the purchase of some type of sticker to be placed on the meters in an easily located place so motorists know how much money to place in the meter for the length of time they need.

In other matters, the village agreed to help the Chamber of Commerce fund the visit of Downtown Ohio Inc. to the village later this week. The village agreed to pay 50 percent of the expense or $2,500 and the lodging of a person from the organization.

The council also gave the informal approval to Street Superintendent Bill McClelland to contact Dallas Dawson and Associates about a project along Lincoln Way that would place curbs, drainage and sidewalks from one end of the village to the other.

Mayor Mike Lewis said that water has damaged the existing sidewalks and the roadway due to lack of drainage.

Lewis said the project could be considered in 2007 if matching funds are found. The price is expected to be between $2 and $3 million.

kfoster@mojonews.com

[thevossinator]

thats why glendale doesn't have parking meters---oh the confusion! free parking for everyone! (even at our sports arenas!)

[yfdgricker]

Published in the Youngstown Vindicator on Wednesday, October 26, 2005...

Deadline to OK 911 plan now in Nov.

A county official plans to spend more time explaining the proposed enhanced 911 system.

By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU

LISBON — Columbiana County has pushed back its deadline to approve its plan for enhanced 911 emergency telephone service.

The county's 911 planning committee had approved the plan in September and set last Friday as the deadline for approval by subdivisions.

The plan will go into effect if subdivisions that represent 60 percent of the county's population approve it.

Gary Williams, the county commissioner who is heading the effort, believed the deadline would give most subdivisions time for two meetings to consider the plan and vote. But that didn't happen.

The committee planned to meet Tuesday to move forward after the plan was approved. Instead, a new deadline was set for Nov. 21.

Williams said the problem is in informing some subdivisions about the plan, not with the plan itself.

"I believe this is a plan that will work in Columbiana County," he said.

Williams has been talking to officials and plans to spend the next month talking mostly to township officials who have not voted. He noted that townships voted down the county's initial plan for 911 service in the 1980s.

Old vs. new plan

That plan called for nine centers to receive emergency calls. The complaint at the time was that there were too many answering centers.

The new plan calls for five centers to receive emergency calls that automatically show the caller's location. The centers would be at the East Liverpool, East Palestine, Columbiana and Salem police departments and the county sheriff's office.

East Liverpool, East Palestine, Columbiana and Wellsville have approved the plan. Those cities represent about 35 percent of the county's population. Williams said trustees represent most of the remaining population.

But under the appointing process, the trustees only had one representative on the planning committee, Williams said.

The plan spells out which of the five centers would receive police, fire and ambulance calls from a given subdivision.

In Liverpool Township, for example, officials aren't sure if they want to stay with the sheriff's office under the plan or have their calls answered by nearby East Liverpool.

Williams explained that the planned call routings are not etched in stone and can be changed if local officials want it.

One misconception in some subdivisions, the commissioner said, is that the centers would provide full dispatching for all activities. For example, police departments with dispatchers will still have them if the plan is approved. The answering centers will only relay emergency calls to the subdivision and let the subdivision handle the call.

A few worries

Williams said one of the biggest concerns he has heard is whether the sheriff's office will be able to handle the number of calls it receives. The office should because it gets about 47 percent of all calls now, Williams said.

Another concern may have to be addressed through a public awareness campaign. Williams said some officials are concerned that people will call 911 to get information or discuss nonemergency problems.

Williams said those types of calls are normally high when a 911 system begins, but drop considerably after a short time.

Another concern was addressed by the planning committee in the plan. Williams said that if one answering center goes out of commission, the emergency calls from that area will automatically be transferred to another center. The overall system will have enough capability to be able to handle such situations, Williams said.

wilkinson@vindy.com

[yfdgricker]

From the Lisbon Morning Journal on 10/27/2005...

Commissioner sees no emergency in 911 vote
By TOM GIAMBRONI Journal Staff Writer

LISBON - The proposed countywide 911 plan is getting closer to obtaining the necessary approval.

County Commissioner Gary Williams, who also serves as chairman of the 911 advisory committee, reported at Wednesday's board the plan has 76 percent of the necessary approval to date, despite one rejection and concerns raised by other communities that have yet to vote.

The plan drafted by the advisory committee requires approval from communities representing at least 60 percent of the county's population of 112,075. The approval figure is 67,200.

Williams reported Wednesday that communities representing 51,471 of the population have so far approved the plan. The list of those communities are Columbiana, East Liverpool, East Palestine, Wellsville, Rogers plus the townships of Fairfield, Hanover, Madison, Middleton and St. Clair.

Salem, with a population of 12,197, and adjoining Perry Township (population 4,852) are among 20 other communities that have yet to vote.

Lisbon (population 2,788) is the only community to reject the plan so far, and Liverpool Township (population 4,374) is leaning toward doing the same after having twice deferred taking a vote.

Under the 911 plan, calls from these communities would go to the county sheriff's office, which is one of five designated 911 answering centers where the calls would be directed. Lisbon and Liverpool Township officials are primarily concerned about the ability of the sheriff's office to handle the additional 911 calls.

But under the plan, the answering centers would simply press a button to automatically transfer the 911 call to the intended destination. For example, a 911 call intended for Lisbon would go to the sheriff's office, which would transfer the call to Lisbon's dispatcher, who would take over from there.

The advisory committee has asked communities to act by Nov. 18 and Williams isn't anticipating there to be a problem reaching the 60 percent approval.

"It's certainly coming along, and I think it'll be approved. It's just taking a little longer than expected," he said.

Williams also wants to hear from all communities, even once they have hit the 60 percent approval. Williams and 911 consultant Robert Emmons are continuing to meet with communities that have asked to speak them before taking a vote.

In action taken at Wednesday's meeting, commissioners approved the request of county Dog Warden Barbara Derringer and hired two people as contract employees - Joseph Hoy and Dan Means - for the rest of the year. They are to work full-time during that period and be paid no more than $3,500 each.

Two dog pound employees are currently off on extended medical leave and the hirings are intended to fill those positions temporarily until their future status is known.

The commissioners' next meeting is 9 a.m. Nov. 2.

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From the Lisbon Morning Journal on 11/1/2005...

County wants to enhance understanding of 911 plan
By TOM GIAMBRONI Journal Staff Writer

LISBON - For whatever reason, communities voting against the proposed county 911 plan are doing so largely based on their misunderstanding of how the system would work.

Center Township recently joined Lisbon in voting against the plan, with both citing as a major reason the belief 911 will overburden already understaffed county sheriff's dispatchers.

These statements, similar to ones made by Liverpool Township trustees, have puzzled Robert Emmons, the county's 911 consultant, and county Commissioner Gary Williams, who is chairman of the county 911 advisory committee, because they reflect a lack of understanding of how the system is to work.

"Gary and I keep scratching our heads and wonder, aren't they reading these articles and don't they understand," Emmons said.

"Implementing enhanced 911 should not generate any more 911 calls than what are currently received," he said, because the county has had basic 911 service for the past several years.

These 911 calls have been directed to a police department in the county - usually the closest to the caller's home - but most go to the sheriff's office. The dispatcher must then manually transfer the call to the appropriate destination.

Under the proposed enhanced, or E-911 plan, the calls would be distributed among five designated answering centers - the sheriff's office and the East Liverpool, Salem, Columbiana and East Palestine police departments.

Each would be outfitted with the latest 911 equipment that would enable the dispatcher - even without speaking to the caller - to immediately determine where the call originated and the applicable police, fire or ambulance service. Then, with the press of a button, the dispatcher would automatically transfer the call along with all of the detailed information to the intended destination.

In other words, the five answering centers are more like 911 call transfer centers, with each community continuing to handle the actual dispatching duties for the same areas they currently serve. Williams said this was how the majority of communities wanted it when the plan was developed.

"They wanted to keep their own dispatching and didn't want to give it up," he said.

The sheriff's office will be transferring only 911 calls intended for other destinations, not serving as the dispatcher for those calls, a distinction that seems to be lost on opponents. This is why Williams believes the 911 system as proposed should not increase the sheriff's workload.

"They're just a call transfer station," Williams said about the five answering centers. "We've run into this problem, mostly with the townships, where they get 911 and the dispatching confused."

What if there is a major storm and the sheriff's office is swamped with 911 calls? Emmons said the E-911 system allows each of the five answering centers to automatically back up the other.

"If it's not answered after four to five rings, the call is automatically rerouted" to an available answering center, he said. "With E-911, all five can work very closely to help each other out."

Emmons said they are open to altering the plan to accommodate special situations. For instance, all Middleton Township 911 calls originally were to go to the sheriff's office, but the township trustees asked the calls go instead to the East Palestine police station because it handles dispatching for Negley's fire department and EMTs.

As for 911 calls coming from Middleton Township intended for the sheriff's office, "the East Palestine dispatcher will hit the button to transfer the call to the sheriff."

The plan requires approval from cities, townships and villages representing at least 60 percent of the county's population. The deadline is Nov. 18.

Williams said perhaps he deserves some of the blame for failing to adequately explain how the plan works.

"I've been trying to get to these meetings but I can't get to them all," he said.

tgiambroni@mojonews.com

[yfdgricker]

From the Lisbon Morning Journal on 11/2/2005...

Mayor puzzled about one 911 factor: money
By KRISTY FOSTER Journal Staff Writer

LISBON - Village Mayor Mike Lewis says he is not misinformed. He just does not think the enhanced 911 program can be sustained in Columbiana County.

Lewis was responding to statements made Monday by county Commissioner Gary Williams, who feels village officials and Center Township trustees lack understanding of how the proposed 911 system is to work.

Lewis said the reason for his personal and mayoral opinion of the 911 system is simple: It is a matter of money.

"I think it's grossly underfunded," Lewis said.

Lewis said he understands how the process is supposed to work. A person who dials 911 will be sent to the nearest answering location in either Salem, Columbiana, East Palestine, East Liverpool and the county sheriff's office.

The dispatcher then will be able to determine where the call originated and the applicable police, fire or ambulance service. Then with the press of the button, the dispatcher would transfer the call along with all of the detailed information to the intended destination.

The sheriff's office will be transferring only 911 calls intended for other destinations not serving as the dispatcher for those calls.

"I understand how it will work. I understand how the enhanced 911 system will benefit the county. I just don't know how it will be paid for," Lewis said.

He added he believes the system will come up short within a couple of years and is afraid municipalities will be left to pay for the system.

Lewis said he has been watching the 911 system situation in Trumbull County and the recent cuts in the program, and fears a similar thing will happen in Columbiana County within a couple of years.

"As a concerned citizen and mayor, I don't think they can pay for it," Lewis said.

Lewis said the county already has an existing 911 system that works rudimentally and wonders why the money should be spent to create a new system with budget cuts always in the news at the county level.

"I don't think its a bad thing. I just don't think we can pay for it," Lewis said.

Lewis added that county commissioners are constantly begging voters to pass the existing sales tax or additional sales taxes for the services the county already provides, and he wonders where the money eventually will come from for the 911 system.

He said that the cutbacks at the county sheriff's department has been in the news and the number of deputies laid off because of a lack of funding is often being reported in the news, which increases his nervousness about how the enhanced 911 system will be paid for in the future.

kfoster@mojonews.com

[yfdgricker]

Form the Lisbon Morning Journal on 12/1/2005...

County retains 911 expert
By TOM GIAMBRONI Journal Staff Writer

LISBON - The consultant who helped put together Columbiana County's enhanced 911 system is sticking around to get it off the ground.

County commissioners Wednesday voted to renew the contract of Robert Emmons for 2006 and name him 911 director.

"He's done a tremendous job and is well-respected in the county," said Commissioner Gary Williams, who is chairman of the 911 advisory committee. "(Emmons') been a real asset to the county."

The 911 committee had recommended commissioners renew the contract of Emmons, who originally was hired in November 2004 to help the committee draft a final plan.

The plan recently received the necessary approval from communities representing the majority of county residents, and Wednesday commissioners added their blessing.

Under the revised timetable, the 911 system is expected to be up and running sometime between April and July. Williams said they needed Emmons to remain on board to help shepherd them through this period and during the first months of operations.

Emmons' compensation will remain the same as before: $60 an hour and 40 cents per mile mileage reimbursement to and from his home in Geauga County. Although paid mileage during the drive, his hourly salary does not begin until he arrives in Lisbon. His contract is not to exceed $60,000, and during the past 12 months Emmons was paid $50,927.

Williams is anticipating that once 911 goes online they will need Emmons' services less and less, so his costs should be lower in 2006. Commissioners also may consider keeping Emmons on as the regular 911 director beyond 2006.

"(Emmons') said he'd be willing to talk about it" when the time comes, Williams said, adding if they did hire him it would be as a contract worker instead of a county employee to avoid the cost of paying his benefits.

In related news, commissioners approved a resolution requiring interest earned from the investment of 911 funds sitting in county-controlled bank accounts be spent on 911.

There is currently $800,000 in 911 funds sitting in the bank which generated $20,557 in interest income through Oct. 31. The $800,000 represents revenue generated by the monthly 50 cents phone line tax voters approved in 2003 and fine money awarded the county.

The interest generated from this money would normally go into the county general fund, where commissioners would be free to spend it how they see fit. The 911 committee recommended the interest income go toward paying for 911, and commissioners agreed - at least for now.

"Is this going to be forever?" wondered Commission Chairman Jim Hoppel, before he gave his support to the measure, which applies only to 2005 interest income.

Williams believes the interest income should be spent on 911 as long as commissioners "deem it necessary."

He said they need the additional money this year and in 2006 to help cover the nearly $1 million start-up cost of purchasing equipment, getting the five 911 answering centers outfitted and paying Emmons. After that, the interest income may be needed as an additional source of 911 funding.

tgiambroni@mojonews.com

[yfdgricker]

Published in the Youngstown Vindicator on Thursday, December 1, 2005

Plan for enhanced 911 sent to PUCO for OK

Answering points are being created for emergency calls.

By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU

LISBON — Columbiana County's plan for enhanced 911 emergency telephone service has been sent to the Ohio Public Utilities Commission for final approval.

Gary Williams, the county commissioner overseeing the project, said the service should begin sometime between April and June next year.

When installed, the system will show emergency dispatchers the location of calls from regular or cellular phones.

Williams expects the plan will be approved.

The commissioners approved the plan Wednesday. Williams and members of the county's technical advisory committee voted Tuesday to take many of the last steps needed to complete the project. Those moves were also approved by the mayors of East Liverpool and Salem before the plan went to the commissioners.

Police, fire and ambulance calls will be routed to five law enforcement agencies: Salem, Columbiana, East Palestine, and East Liverpool police and the county sheriff's office.

New centers
SteelHounds Hockey Games

Robert Emmons, the county's 911 director, said that the remodeling to create new dispatching centers at East Liverpool and the sheriff's office were complete. Work is under way in East Palestine, and Columbiana is awaiting equipment. Work is supposed to start in Salem in December.

The committee had earlier approved the work, but discovered it had to approve $40,000 more to make each site bulletproof to protect the dispatchers and to make them accessible to members of the public with disabilities.

The committee also approved an additional $86,000 to make the radio equipment in the five sites compatible. Each site has one dispatching station. Part of the money will be used to create a second dispatching station at each center.

Emmons said that a concern about the committee's decision to buy the main equipment for the system for $963,000 was no longer an issue.

The committee earlier agreed to buy the equipment from CML Emergency Services that was offered by Verizon. SBC, which handles local phone service, offered products from Plant Equipment Inc. SBC representatives raised technical questions about linking its equipment to the CML equipment.

Emmons said Golden Gate Capital, which owns Plant, just bought CML. The company announced that CML and Plant have complementary technologies that represent two-thirds of the public safety market in the United States.

The technical advisory committee will meet in January to decide whether it will buy the equipment outright or through a lease agreement.

wilkinson@vindy.com

[yfdgricker]

Published in the Youngstown Vindicator on Thursday, December 22, 2005

Commissioners to buy equipment for 911

LISBON — The Columbiana County Commissioners voted Wednesday to buy the equipment and a maintenance plan from Verizon for the county's enhanced 911 system.

The equipment for the five planned answering points in the county will cost $645,777, which includes a one-year maintenance agreement on all the equipment.

The county also purchased a maintenance agreement for four more years at a cost of $301,377.

Gary Williams, the commissioner heading the project, said the commissioners saved $54,000 in negotiations with the company after accepting its bid.

The county has the money for both the equipment and the maintenance agreements, Williams said.

The commissioners expect the system to begin operations in the second quarter of 2006.

[yfdgricker]

From the WFMJ TV21 Web Site on 1/25/2006...

Enhanced 911 Service Comes to Columbiana County
Janet Rogers

911 enhanced services for residents in Columbiana County will be delayed for a few months.

Columbiana County Commissioner Sean Logan says when his wife Melissa went into labor with their third child he couldn't remember any emergency phone numbers or the name of an ambulance service.

"To do it on your own is pretty scarry," says Commissioner Logan. "It felt like the world was spinning out of control around us."

He dialed 911 twice for help but that call never made it to the Sheriff's department.

"It was some sort of switching issue within the telephone system."

He ended up thumbing through the phone book for the number to the Columbiana County Sheriff's department, but within fifteen to 20 minutes he delivered his own son, Matthew Logan who weighed about 9 pounds.

He says soon residents in Columbiana County won't have to worry about which ten digit number to call during an emergency. By June or July this year enhanced 911 centers will be operating out of the Sheriff's department and four other sites throughout the county.

911's Director claims the enhanced system similar to that used in Trumbull and Mahoning Counties, will help get help to residents faster, by providing critical information.

"The call taker can identify who is the provider for police, fire and ambulance for that address," says 911 Director Bob Emmons.

Commissioner Logan says the bottom line is that families in Columbiana including his will soon be able to reach help faster during any emergency.

[yfdgricker]

Published in the Youngstown Vindicator on Wednesday, March 1, 2006...

E911 to begin service in July

Some panel members want to prevent tapes of calls from being made public.

By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU

LISBON — Enactment of enhanced 911 telephone service in Columbiana County has been moved back to July.

Officials had earlier said the system should be ready by the second quarter of 2006.

Gary Williams, the county commissioner who is overseeing the project, said it will likely take until early July to complete all the work.

The plan is being reviewed for approval by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio.

The system, when enacted, should route regular and cellular calls to one of five answering sites in the county. The sites should automatically show the location of the call from either regular or cellular phones.

The county sheriff's office and East Liverpool dispatching centers are ready. East Palestine is almost complete, and Salem needs equipment. Columbiana's is still being painted after remodeling.

Robert K. Emmons, the county's E911 director, said that 33 pallets of material had been delivered to the county jail for storage, pending installation.
SteelHounds Hockey Games

Verizon, which is providing the equipment for the system, will be wiring the answering points through early May.

Long process

Emmons said phone companies are providing information on addresses and subdivision boundaries that will determine which calls go to each answering point. Those will be given to subdivisions for review, and, if needed, be changed.

"That's a long, drawn-out process in March and April," Emmons said.

The committee is debating having a second cable from SBC, the local telephone line provider, installed at the county's Emergency Management Agency.

The EMA is moving into a new building in Lisbon that will house backup. Emmons said that if the present line, which is above ground at one point near the EMA, is broken, the entire system would be knocked out. The cost of the second line would be about $3,000.

An unknown cost will be the hiring of a company to map the county using a global positioning system. The information will show dispatchers the location of calls from cell phones. The company will have to go throughout the county and repeatedly send signals on each street to record their location.

Calls to one answering point may be transferred to another. Each site will record only their portion of the call. Complete versions of each call will be available only at the EMA.

Release of tapes to public

Several law enforcement officers on the committee were concerned about releasing copies of the full calls to the public and will discuss the issue in a committee meeting.

Such tapes are generally considered public records under Ohio law.

Sheriff David Smith, a committee member, told the officers that the tapes can't be withheld.

Capt. Norm Curtis of the East Liverpool Police Department said that investigatory material doesn't have to be released. He said that five minutes after a serious crime, police begin to get calls naming suspects. Curtis added that families shouldn't listen to tragic calls involving a loved one.

The law enforcement officers said they get more public records requests from lawyers than from the press.

wilkinson@vindy.com