County Must Consolidate Emergency Dispatch System

I am glad that Mr. and Mrs. Crail had a happy outcome to their encounter with Spring Hill Fire Department. They are truly a professional group when they arrive and will promptly deal with the situation.

The Crails should also be glad that their call to 911 didn't get dropped in the transfer process, and they expect the fire services and they don't come. With the transfer process in use, this has happened in the past and will happen again. It is not a question of if but of when.

Hernando County currently dispatches all fire and rescue services for the entire county except Spring Hill. The only reason I can see for this separate dispatch is the continued employment of 11 full- and part-time employees. The much-touted study called the separate dispatch system is a critical issue for the safety of Spring Hill residents.

Even if independence is approved by the voters in November, consolidating the Spring Hill dispatch with Hernando County can only be a plus, not only in the elimination of dropped calls between the two, but also in a dollar savings of about $400,000 to the beleaguered taxpayers of Spring Hill.

The board of county commissioners should, as a public safety measure, order the consolidation of the dispatch systems as part of the oversight they have over the Spring Hill Fire Board.

Harry Chamberlain

Spring Hill