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Hernando Today

Fire Board OKs 911 Interlocal Agreement

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By TONY HOLT

Hernando Today

Published: February 27, 2009

SPRING HILL - It had to be done.

For the sake of cutting costs and keeping with the future of fire and rescue response, eliminating the communications center in Spring Hill and reaching an interlocal agreement with the county was the best course of action, according to the majority of those on the fire board.

The Spring Hill Fire Rescue Board of Commissioners voted 3 to 2 Wednesday night to request Chief Mike Rampino to draft a contract proposal with the county's dispatch center. The fire board would need to approve it.

After that, the center would close and the employees would be trained in their new positions. None of the full-time employees will lose their jobs, Rampino said.

The entire process is expected to take three to four months.

"It wasn't an easy decision for us," said fire commissioner Amy Brosnan, who along with Rob Giammarco and Leo Jacobs voted for the interlocal agreement. "It was a heartbreaking decision for me, but it had to be done."

Brosnan said the seven full-time dispatchers and two part-timers have nearly 100 years of experience among them in communications. Their new positions will either be in emergency response or administration.
Fire commissioners John Pasquale and Gene Panozzo voted against the agreement.

Giammarco said he was surprised by the vote, but satisfied with the result.

"We can start moving into the 21st century," he said. "We can't be on an island anymore ... This will be a better cost-savings move in the end. It's good for those employees because we're not saying goodbye and shoving them out the door."

The district spends about $600,000 per year on the dispatch center. Nearly $400,000 is on salaries and benefits for the personnel, Giammarco said.

The switch would cost about $180,000, so savings will be minimal in the beginning. Because the existing building wasn't up to code, the district would save money in the long run. It avoided having to build a new facility, he said.

"This won't be a difficult transition," said Bill Kicklighter, the director of information services for the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. "We won't have to add any systems or personnel ... We will just need to make a few reprogramming changes to the system."

Those changes will benefit those who rely on 911 services, he said. The days of a Spring Hill resident having to wait for a line transfer in the middle of an emergency call will soon be over.

"When you dial 911 today, the last thing you want to hear is an operator say, 'Let me transfer you to another agency,'" Kicklighter said. "It's a couple seconds at the most, but under those circumstances, seconds really count."

The sheriff's office's dispatch center receives emergency calls for rest of the county's agencies, including Brooksville police and fire.

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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