Counties considering regional 911

Whether a regional 911 dispatch center is realistic in Northeast Michigan should be known in October.

The center would be funded in part by a $1.3 million Public Safety Inter-operable Communications grant obtained by Region 7 Homeland Security.

After several counties expressed initial interest in the possibility of consolidating 911 dispatch centers, they had to send letters signed by their county chairperson stating they understand there is a match to the grant.

If a dispatch center is created, the counties involved would have to account for a 20 percent match of the grant. That money could be split among the participating counties.

Counties have until Oct. 1 to submit letters stating they are still interested in the dispatch center and they understand there is a match.

"Just to say you want to have regional dispatches is not enough to move forward," Alpena County Emergency Services Coordinator Michael Szor said.

Once the letters are signed, a lead county will need to be identified and a business plan draft will have to be created.

Szor said Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Emmet, Alpena, Alcona, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Roscommon, Montmorency, Crawford and Ogemaw counties had shown initial interest in the project, but there hasn't been any county wanting to lead the effort as the grant administrator.

"Nobody has really stepped forward," Szor said. "Right now we're just kind of in limbo waiting for somebody to take the lead with the project."

A Region 7 subcommittee will meet in November to assess where the project is and what will need to be done.

The grant states 3-5 dispatch centers could be created in Northern Michigan, he said.

Szor said hopefully the grant money is used and a dispatch center is created somewhere in northern Michigan, but he realizes it is a difficult process.

"There's a lot of hurdles ... I think people are now realizing its a pretty major undertaking," he said.

Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Emmet counties currently operate a regional dispatch center, and Szor said it took them over five years to get it running.

"I don't think its a quick fix," he said.