TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Pasco County Emergency Center Gets A 'Plan B'

ADVERTISEMENT

By CAROLE DICKEY

IN THE LOOP

Published: November 19, 2008

The Emergency Operations Center in New Port Richey fields 911 calls. The calls are routed through the center and dispatched to Fire Rescue or the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, as appropriate.

But what happens if a hurricane knocks out the operations center, as it did when Hurricane Charley disabled the Charlotte County Emergency Operations Center and the workers in the center had to evacuate?

When Pasco Emergency Operations moved from its basement facilities in Dade City to the new center in New Port Richey, it became more vulnerable to the whims of nature.

"We lacked the security of the landscape and wind protection from hurricane winds," said Sheriff Bob White. "So we had to have another place to locate in case the water or the wind got to the 911 center in New Port Richey."

So began a concentrated effort to create a backup that would provide not only uninterrupted 911 service, but also meet a state-required mandate that such a backup exist.

On Oct. 22, the new center was unveiled for the media. Located in the Land O' Lakes Detention Center in space donated by the Juvenile Assessment Center, the room houses 10 call stations to receive 911 calls and four radios to dispatch calls to Fire Rescue or the sheriff's office.

The most expensive piece of equipment in the facility is a specialized computer router, dubbed an 800-pound gorilla by White. It stands about 7 feet tall and its blinking lights dominate the center.

They were able to save the cost of a new router by refurbishing the one that had been in the old Dade City office for a cost of $160,000. The sheriff's office estimated the cost of new equipment, had it been necessary to replace the router, would have been about $1 million. However, by using the donated space, inmate labor for much of the renovations, and using the refurbished "gorilla," the total cost of the backup center was about $250,000, the sheriff's office reported. The project was funded with the 911 fees that most telephone users pay as part of their service contract.

The center's call-taking positions and radio positions are fully redundant to the systems that are in use in New Port Richey, said Jody Kenyon, public service answering point manager for Emergency 911 Operations.

"So if the switch in New Port Richey is to fail, this one in Land O' Lakes would automatically take over. And dispatchers don't have to come here and learn something new. It's all the same equipment they currently use," Kenyon said. "So the citizens and visitors can be sure that if they do call 911, the call will get through to somebody and get answered."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT