A creaky-looking leather chair. A large easel with a map of Harford County. A worn, wooden desk, on which rests a rotary phone, a tube radio, and a reel-to-reel recorder. Yesterday, this was the county’s emergency operations and dispatch center in downtown Bel Air.
Today, the center occupies a low-slung building in Hickory, a decades-old converted civil defense center with a leaky roof, storage closets converted into offices, and stuffed with computer and radio equipment.
Tomorrow, the county’s emergency operations department hopes it will occupy a new, rebuilt $41 million center at the same Hickory location, which will offer more space for the 911 dispatch center, hazardous materials team, and radio operations.
“The architects all told us the same thing, it would be cheaper to build a new building than to renovate portions of this building that were more than 50 years old,” said Rick Ayers, deputy manager with the county’s Division of Emergency Operations. “Their recommendations were all pretty much the same, we needed to triple our space to meet current needs and for the next 25 years.”
Though officially called the Harford County Emergency Operations Center, the building houses both the emergency command center, used occasionally in the event of natural or man-made disasters, and the much busier 911 dispatch center. Last year, handled 276,593 911 calls, up from 35,623 in 1993, according to dispatch center shift manager Mike Sherman.
But Ayers said the building, the oldest part of which was first used as a dispatch center in the 1960s, is showing its age. Ayers said cracks have been found in the building’s foundation, and parts of its foundation walls have even shifted. Black mold from water leaks has been found throughout the building, he said, even in the emergency command room itself.
“We had water pouring in during Hurricane Irene,” he said. “We couldn’t stop it.”
The county’s answer has been a massive two-phase project to tear down and replace virtually all of the existing structures at the site, including the hazmat team space which dates to the early 1980s, and the “radio shop.” The project began with feasibility studies in 2004 and 2007, Ayers said, with designs now submitted and approved.
Ayers said construction would occur in two phases, to avoid a loss of dispatch and emergency management capability. The first phase would move the hazmat team to space at the Forest Hill Airpark rented but recently vacated by Sheriff’s Office units which moved to the new southern precinct. Workers would then tear down the hazmat building, and build a new 911 dispatch center and emergency command center at that location. The second would remove the existing emergency operations center building and construct a new hazmat building and radio operations center.
A total of $6 million was appropriated in the county’s 2009 budget to support the project, and an additional $20 million is sought under County Executive David Craig’s 2013 budget. Plans call for an additional $5.6 million to be appropriated in 2014, and $10.1 million in 2015.
The total of $41 million for construction has caused some critics to question the use of county funds which they say are sorely needed elsewhere. But Ayers countered that delays in construction could cause the project to cost even more—for example, the current plans were drawn up under a stormwater management waiver, which circumvents new, more restrictive regulations. If that waiver expires, he said, plans may need to be redrawn at additional cost, and the revised project may cost even more.
“If we don’t move forward now…we really face almost $1 million in additional design and construction costs for each year we delay,” Ayers said. “We’re ready to go.”
While plans for a new center inch forward, three shifts of dispatchers continue their work inside a large, darkened room at the front of the existing building. The room is kept dark, the dispatchers said, to help ease the strain of looking at computer monitors around the clock. But the effect gives the two-tiered room a command-and-control feel, as dispatchers take calls from around the county and send fire, EMS, and Sheriff’s Office units to the rescue. (Aberdeen, Bel Air, and Havre de Grace town police are dispatched by each of those municipalities.)
The dispatch center is broken down into “pods”; the largest is the 911 group, which includes 11 computer banks spanning the entire length of the room. Below them, a fire group and police group flank a seven-monitor workstation, occupied by the shift’s manager. On a quiet Tuesday night, only a handful of 911 dispatchers are on duty, but Sherman said any of the fire or EMS group can be pulled into working 911 calls during busy times.
Police and fire “pod” dispatchers monitor communications for those services, responding to requests for information and providing responders with details of the location and caller they’re heading toward. Above them, the 911 dispatchers sit in front of banks of monitors which display the location of each incoming call, any previous incidents connected to that address, and the status of all active calls for service around the county, among an avalanche of other information.
“The technology is such that if you’re calling from I-95, I can see where you’re going,” Sherman said.
But, he added, the technology can’t do it all. The dispatchers are trained to remain calm while working through a series of prompts, confirming the caller’s location and garnering details about their emergency. Sherman said the Harford County dispatch center is one of only two dispatch centers worldwide certified in fire, police and medical protocols by the company Medical Priority. The detailed prompts allow even dispatchers without fire or EMS training to quickly provide first aid or safety information while responders are en route.
Sherman offered the following tips for callers of 911 to follow:
–Know your address and a cross street—not just for your home, but for your workplace as well. “They [the dispatcher] may have it on their screen, but we’re going to ask.”
–Don’t use police or fire jargon. Speak simply and plainly.
–Let the dispatcher lead. Sherman said there’s an order to the questions asked, as a dispatcher moves through various steps.
–Stay calm.
–Follow all directions.
Remaining calm and professional is key for dispatchers, Sherman said, especially when many callers are anything but. He played three sample 911 calls for members of the class: one was a simple request for assistance for a rider that had fallen off a horse, but the other two were much more dramatic. In one, a husband called to report his wife, who he said was nine months pregnant, had been badly burned in a home grease fire. In the other, wrenching call, a woman called in hysterics, and was unintelligible until the dispatcher began to slowly get details of her situation—she had found a loved one unresponsive and, as it turned out, deceased.
Such calls happen hundreds of thousands of time each year. Sherman mentioned the drastic increase in emergency calls since he began as a dispatcher with the Bel Air Police Department 32 years ago, moving to countywide dispatching 10 years later. “Business is good,” one member of the Citizens Police Academy commented.
“Business is too good,” Sherman said. “And every full moon, it gets even better.”
Next Week: A trip to the Sheriff’s Office’s new southern precinct, including emergency vehicle operation, an explanation of the complaint process and the use of force, and details about the crisis negotiation team and a demonstration.
just don’t leave a bag a chips on the desk………
lol
I wonder how many people will actually get that…
Were those yours…sorry!
I only eat imported potato chips….can you imagine what the bag would have looked like after finished? LOL
It’s funny, the more the Craig administration tries to defend this debacle the more questions arise.
“The architects all told us the same thing, it would be cheaper to build a new building than to renovate portions of this building that were more than 50 years old,”
How about we renovate the portions of the building which aren’t fifty years old?
Which architects?
Where is the report?
When was it presented at an open public meeting?
“We had water pouring in during Hurricane Irene,” he said. “We couldn’t stop it.”
Where? For how long? How much? WHat does pouring mean? The picture sure doesn’t look recently flooded. Why not fix the roof? Ok, so water gets in during a hurricane. Does it happen all the time? Why hasn’t it been fixed?
“Ayers said cracks have been found in the building’s foundation, and parts of its foundation walls have even shifted. Black mold from water leaks has been found throughout the building, he said, even in the emergency command room itself.”
Why aren’t there pictures of the black mold? Maybe removing the carpet would help…
Where are the cracks in the foundation? Is that in the old part? Why not just tear the old part down? Where have the walls shifted? Is that in the old part? Why not just tear that down?
“Their recommendations were all pretty much the same, we needed to triple our space to meet current needs and for the next 25 years.”
What were the differences in the recommendations? Pretty much the same is not the same. Do we really need to prepare for the next 25 years now? On what projections was the “needs for the next 25 years” based?
Did you hit your head this morning or something? This post is even more idiotic than most of what you post on here.
You do realize this was just Mr. Cahall’s report of what they covered this week in the citizen’s academy, not a press release by David Craig, the County Council, or the HCSO, don’t you?
You don’t have the foggiest idea of the conditions in that building are or what the day to day operations of emergency services in the county require. Based on most of what you’ve posted on here, I don’t think you have much of a clue on government finances or how to work well with others either.
I can say this with certainty. All you’ve managed to do over the past few months is alienate virtually every ally the teachers may have had in this county because of what you and other teachers have said on here and the games the HCEA played earlier in the year over the bonus money. Spin however you like, but that is a fact and one I’m not happy about given that my wife is teacher which means she’s getting screwed because of it.
So, what you are is saying is that because I am a teacher, I can’t voice my concerns as a citizen. I do know what goes on in the EOC. I did at one time have the misunderstanding that it was only for Emergencies. However, I was corrected. I do understand govt. finances. I also know that the picture that was posted looks better than many schools in this county. My point is that if money is so tight that we must underfund our children’s education then maybe we should make do with what we have.
Well Ryan Crybaby Burbey: Perhaps you should stop whining for raises and have that money put into the buildings that you say need updating so badly. Make a choice, schools already take a huge portion the majority of the budget, fix the buildings or get a raise, you already get the moon, stop asking for the planets as well
I don’t recall crying or whining for raises. Similarly, schools get far less than what is required or what virtually every other county in MD allocates. Harford County is 17th and sinking. Schools only got 10% of the capital budget. Just counting the students, their fair share should have been at least 15%…
No, that’s not what I said at all. What I said is that you don’t have any idea what the conditions are like inside that building and what it’s like to work in a 911 dispatch center.
You can voice whatever concerns you want as a citizen. Because you’ve also so vocally identified yourself as a teacher and have stated in the past that you ran/will run for HCEA president anything you say also reflects on HCPS teachers as a whole whether you like it or not. Unfortunately that means all the grandstanding, name calling, and accusations you’ve tossed around on here reflect poorly on your coworkers and most of them don’t deserve to be lumped in with you, but that’s the way it works sometimes. You’re your own worst enemy.
George, I obviously disagree. I have not engaged in name calling. Likewise, I have very carefully noted when I am speaking on behalf of teachers. Folks may not like my view point but it is informed, as are any accusations I might toss. What I have presented in based on facts. I ask that folks simply review the real numbers, real situation and reflect.
George, you hit it on the head. Burbey is an embarassment to educators and, I am guessing, wants to lead the HCEA. With that type of leadership, educators in Harford County are heading for a lot of trouble.
Could you please explain to me how I am an embarrassment to teachers or for that manner anyone else?
Spoken like someone with no with idea how facilities are maintained and recapitalized.
The building is 50 years old…..how long do you think sixties era structures last? If a new center will 41 million in the next several years versus 3 of 4 million a year for the next 20 years to maintain what is a better use of funds?
This is completely ignoring the fact that they are cramming electronic systems that require 21st century power and cooling infrastructure into a 60s era building.
Are there structures built before the sixties that are still standing? Of course there are. Why are they still standing? Because people maintain them. As an engineer you should know every single day we are waging a war against entropy. If you decide to lose the battle, that is your choice. About the only engineers I know today that have a license to create something that lasts only a short time are software engineers. But planned obsolescence is everywhere, and the primary motivating force is simply profit.
My question is how well has the facility been maintained over the last 50 years? Even the best designed buildings will fail if not properly maintained. Facility maintenance is typically one of the first line items to be reduced or get the axe when it comes time to negotiate a yearly budget.
I would like to know on what planet 50 years is a short time, what people have to accept is the requirements for a facility like that to do business are different in 2012 then they were in 1960. Equipment requires more power and cooling, more space is required for more employees needed by a county that has quite a few more people in it today then it did even 10 years ago.
Maintaining an old facility is very expensive, particularly if the building systems have been neglected. When it will cost just as much if not more money to keep an old facility going over the next 5 to 10 years, why not just build a new one?
I agree with you completely about how maintenance gets short shrift in all budgets. Aberdeen Proving Ground is home to some of the most dilapidated buildings I have ever seen. We even have a building on post that has caved in its roof and all we have is tape around it warning people to stay out. Because there’s not enough money for a bulldozer to raise it. And that was my point. I understand needs typically outgrow buildings, but was it necessary to build a completely new building? I mean if the schools can get by with temporary structures to house children outside their dated buildings couldn’t the County have spent it’s money better?
The water was leaking in the kitchen, there was a child’s swimming pool catching it about 4 foot in diameter. The swimming pool had to be emptied about once an hours. The cracks are back by the condemned stair case that still has to be used. The black mold is clearly visible in many places. Yet we come to work day in and day out making sure if you have an emergency we are there. We are 24/7 365. We work weekends and holidays while you spend them with your families. We NEED a new center as well as DESERVE it!
The water was leaking in the kitchen, there was a child’s swimming pool catching it about 4 foot in diameter. The swimming pool had to be emptied about once an hour. The cracks are back by the condemned stair case that still has to be used. The black mold is clearly visible in many places. Yet we come to work day in and day out making sure if you have an emergency we are there. We are 24/7 365. We work weekends and holidays while you spend them with your families. We NEED a new center as well as DESERVE it!
I may not agree with Ryan on most things, but this is one of them that I do. BUT I do have issue with the professionalism of some of the dispatchers. I have called, as a citizen, and gotten both spectrums of the call. The comment that “Business is Good” was a sad attempt at humor. When business is good….PEOPLE ARE HAVING PROBLEMS. I hope he was not being flippant. Was a good article up until that……shame
I thought he was saying the demand for their services was strong. Perhaps, for you, he should have said ‘sadly business is good’. You can’t make everyone happy, even when you try!
A few more questions occurred to me…
Do we really want to use a “a stormwater management waiver, which circumvents new, more restrictive regulations” on a $40,000,000 building replacement when the current “building’s foundation, and parts of its foundation walls have even shifted.” I wonder how that happened? Could it be all the underground springs and ground water in the Forest Hill area? Why would our county government and senior officials in the Craig administration like Mr. Ayres advocate and attempt to circumvent regulations?
If the county and school board are currently commissioning a comprehensive review of facilities, why is this building excluded? Is this such an emergent situation that it must happen now?
I think not.
Cryan,
If there were a large scale catastrophe, wouldn’t you want our county facilities to have the capabilities to handle all of our needs? They do more than just 911 up there in Hickory, though I’m sure you already know that due to the its proximity to Hickory Elementary. Fast forward 25 years. Worst case scenario, Peach Bottom / APG-EA incident at double the population. Yea, you guys need a raise, oh and thanks for your pensions. We are all, so happy to forfeit our long overdue raises, so YOUR Govenor can break the counties backs with YOUR retirements.
The county facilities have the capacity to meet our needs now. The $40,000,000 hole in the budget that has been proposed will expand capacity to meet our projected needs for 25 years. Is it wise to do this now? How do we know where the county will be in 25 yrs? You can’t cry poor and at the same time justify expansion. If it is prudent to freeze most capital projects pending independent review of facilities, why isn’t it prudent to do so with this project?
Whether you like him or not, he is our governor. I don’t agree with the pension shift but it has arisen out of counties underfunding schools and lowering taxes in a recession; thus transferring the burden to the state.
Ryan, you have a number of things exactly backward. First of all, the state has historically funded the lion’s share of school construction, but they are contributing less and less. So far the state has reimbursed Harford County for less than one-quarter of the $300 million of school construction that the county exec has forward funded. (Patterson Mill, BAHS, Edgewood HS, Deerfield ES, Red Pump ES, etc.)
Secondly, you lower taxes in a recession and (if so inclinded) raise them in the “good times.” Raising them in a recession only makes the recession longer and worse.
You don’t raise or lower taxes if you are smart. You keep a constant yield. That way, your services and infrastructure are preserved. You certainly do not lower taxes when real estate values are declining. That creates a revenue imbalance. However, I think that is exactly what Mr. Craig intended.
I’m certainly no expert, but my understanding of the constant yield was that it’s purpose was to ensure a constant level of tax revenue coming to fund the government. If property values decrease the only possible way for that to happen is for property tax rates to increase.
I believe that implied in the constant yield is that the local governing body maintains surplus funds in good times to fill gaps in funding in lean times. Thereby, the functioning of the government is not dependent on fluctuations in the economy. However, our county executive and council lowered taxes for three straight years which combined with a reduction in real estate values has created a funding problem.
@Ryan Burbey –
It’s against taxpayer interests for government to hoard through rainy day funds money that should stay in the hands of taxpayers.
Government should live within its budgets, keep government small and efficient and keep taxes in line with sensible budgetary needs.
You make a good point Patrick. Why should government sit on huge coffers of rainy day funds while starving its employees? Governments should be sensible about cutting taxes, making sure that necessary operations can withstand the cuts in lean times. That was the error in Harford County.
@Ryan Burbey –
We disagree.
I think the taxpayer’s money should be left in their pockets and if there is rainy day money it should be returned to the taxpayer through tax reductions.
You really are a piece of work, aren’t you!
And when the expenses that are incurred by a sudden emergency situation develop are you willing to increase your taxes accordingly or would you simply like to keep your tax money and let the government borrow while they work out the emergency on their own? Tax refunds just because you have not had an emergency or a rainy day sound good to people who don’t want to contribute to the overall benefit of the community they live in. The same thing happened on the National level when your Bush era tax cuts gave you back your money from the surplus… just before we engaged in an elective war, New Orleans consumed $60 billion in aid, and the financial world collapsed from its own arrogance and stupidity and required massive bailouts lest the economy come crashing down around your heads. Rainy days happen. Luck favors the prepared.
Burbey, you show your ignorance when people have to correct you. As you have been told, you have things backward again. This state is not wanting to put pension expenses to the counties because the counties have underfunded education. They are doing it to reduce their payments. You show your political bias when you talk about O’Malley. “I don’t agree with the pension shift, but after all he is our Governor.” You are a liberal and if you don’t stop writing stupid blogs, no one will belong to the HCEA.
Well, someone will belong…Likewise, the state has stopped funding school construction because the counties have not funded schools equitably. I am a liberal and proud of it. If Harford County had not eliminated half of its impact fee this would be less of a problem.
Ryan is correct. Everyone wants growth, but no one is interested in paying for sustainment. New things are pretty and bright and happy. Maintaining what you have is boring and dull. Even at APG there is always money for new construction. Costs associated with maintaining infrastructure have been cut because no one believes it’s important to keep current structures maintained… until the budget picture improves. And the budget picture never improves.
Burbey you’re right O’Malley is our governor, a very bad governor.
When are going going to stop making stuff up?
I get very upset every time that Burbey writes something wrong, which is most of the time. As a former educator, I feel bad when I see someone distorting and getting incorrect information and using it to mis-educate others. Yes, teachers deserve raises, so do a lot of other people. But to use political arguments that are incorrect is a horrible act on his part. If this is the future leadership of the HCEA, it will close down because it will not sustain the membership it needs to represent educators in Harford County.
Could you please inform me of anything that I have written which is “wrong”?
Burbey you have failed at every turning in your huge distortions. It scares me to death to think that you are turned loose on the kids who might have become our future leaders. Your reference to constant yield, once again, indicates your complete and total ignorance of the subject. Stop embarrassing yourself.
I have not distorted anything. As I have said many times before. My profession and my work have nothing to do with my activism. I teach literature not activism.
And Burbey thinks denial is a river in Egypt.
He asked for points and you responded with generalities. You’ve done better before in this forum. Is he so beneath your contempt that you can’t respond to his question about your facts or opinion?
Could you please inform me as to anything that I have “made-up”?
“I don’t recall crying or whining for raises” Maybe you should review your pissing n moaning from back when the Co Exec tried to include the schools in the bonus payout… You and the fool leading your union cried for more and wanted to screw the poor workers out of their bonus, including the facilities and janitorial staff. Lucky it wasnt me, I would have taken your bonues and spread them to the rest who were grateful to get something extra to spend for Christmas etc. Go away, you only make the rest of the school system look foolish.
No, none of us cried for more or attempted to screw anyone out of anything. We “cried” for negotiations of the money and asserted that the school board, county executive and county council should follow the law. That is exactly what happened.
Burbey, how many times have you had your information corrected by other responders. You do it all of the time. Where are you from- Mars?
Once to my recollection. I did not know 911 was in the emergency operations center. I was corrected and I accepted it.
I don’t think Ryan makes anything up. He remains focused on the same topics. David Craig is evil, and we need to spend, spend, spend, spend on our schools.