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ROBERT KING and DUANE BOURNELeaders of Hernando's emergency services plan discussions on June 26.
When Spring Hill residents call 911, the first voice they hear is an emergency dispatcher at the Hernando County Sheriff's Office in Brooksville.
If the problem is a backyard prowler or some other crime-related problem, the dispatcher sends out a deputy. But if it is a fire or a medical emergency, the dispatcher quickly transfers the call back to Spring Hill, and the Spring Hill Fire Rescue communications center off Deltona Boulevard.
The round trip takes just a few seconds, probably not enough to affect the outcome in a life and death situation. But discussions are about to begin on a new consolidated 911 center that has the potential to handle every 911 call in the county from dial-up to hang up. It would be part of a new Emergency Operations Center the county is planning to build near the existing sheriff's office.
Leaders of all the county's emergency agencies will meet June 26 to discuss the possibilities of a unified 911 center. Invited are representatives of Spring Hill Fire Rescue and the city of Brooksville, which currently handles its own 911 calls, both police and fire.
"If it's good for the citizens, it's good for Hernando County," said Hernando County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Michael Hensley.
Already, Sheriff Richard Nugent supports the idea. And Hernando County Fire Rescue officials say it makes sense to them. It is still uncertain whether the Brooksville Police Department will back the proposed plan. Chief Ed Tincher was unavailable for comment.
County Commissioners last month approved funding for the new emergency operations center, which would include the 911 dispatch office.
Currently, the county's Emergency Operations Center is in a training room inside the Sheriff's Office. Under the proposed plan, the new facility will provide for a more "hardened" facility with more room to operate.
"Historically, our concerns have been that we don't have a facility that is hardened or designed to withstand the natural disaster potential in Florida," said Hensley.
When the facility was built in 1991, officials were concerned that it might not hold up in powerful tornadoes and hurricanes, such as Hurricane Andrew.
County administrator Richard Radacky has said a centralized dispatch system could improve efficiency, effectiveness and save money as well.
"Response time in the field is usually judged in minutes," said Bill Kicklighter, who is the county's 911 coordinator. "In communications, it is judged in seconds. It might not mean much to the average citizen, but in our business every second counts."
With its own dispatch center, Spring Hill Fire Rescue has two operators waiting by the phones around the clock. Last year, they handled 22,000 emergency calls.
Slightly more than half were from outside Spring Hill - fire and medical emergencies from unincorporated areas of Hernando County. A contract with the county pays Spring Hill $141,000 a year to handle those calls, as well as after-hours dispatching for emergency preparedness and the county public works department.
Presumably, all of that would be diverted into the new centralized dispatch center and Spring Hill Fire Rescue would lose the $141,000-a-year contract.
That budgetary hole could push Spring Hill to give up its dispatch operations altogether.
That's because the lower call volume would not translate into a need for less manpower for Spring Hill. To cover simultaneous emergencies, two operators would still be needed around the clock - which is currently a $531,000 a year operation.
In other words, Spring Hill would have to keep the same staffing levels with a quarter of its communications budget taken away. Fire officials say the hole would be tough to fill.
If Spring Hill disbands its communications center, there is the question of what would happen to the jobs of the dozen people - dispatchers and their supervisors - who work there. While some could land a job in the new consolidated center, others could be without jobs.
Capt. Mike Rampino, president of the Spring Hill firefighters union, said it is too early to tell what the consolidation proposal might mean.
Though it has its own five-person commission, Spring Hill Fire Rescue is a special district dependent on county oversight. It isn't clear whether it could be forced to accept consolidated 911.
"We've been invited to a meeting to discuss possibilities and that's what I'm going there to do," said Spring Hill fire chief J.J. Morrison.
Hensley agreed that it is too premature to say that jobs will be lost or the potential cost-savings if the effort come to pass.
Instead, he said that the coordination of emergency services under "one umbrella" will enhance how the agencies work together at the scene and provide for the community.
"I think it's both security and efficiency," said Hensley. "If you build it they will come."