Emergency Operations Center In Dothan-Houston County Paid For In 5 Years

Rickey Stokes

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Posted by: RStokes
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Date: Jun 13 2021 10:54 PM

DOTHAN-HOUSTON COUNTY:    It was about five years ago under the leadership of Former Dothan Mayor Mike Schmitz and Houston County Commission Chairman Mark Culver the City of Dothan-Houston County Emergency Operations Center was constructed.

In the discussion of financing the construction, Mayor Schmitz and Chairman Culver wanted to get the building financed by the City of Dothan-Houston County Communications District.

Through the hard work of Tonya Shelley, Financial Administrator for Dothan Police and the Communications District, and under the leadership of Schmitz and Culver, the $ 5 million dollars was financed on the standing of the Communications District.

This financing was, as I remember, for 30 years.

Through conservative management, change in fee structure when the State of Alabama 911 Board was created, the 911 Board recently paid the $ 5 million dollar debt off in just five years. And the Communications District has several million dollars in the bank.

The building houses the Administrative Offices for the Communications District, Houston County Sheriff 911, Dothan 911 and Dothan-Houston County Emergency Management Office. Because of screwed up laws on 911, Emergency Management has to pay the Communications District about $ 108,000.00 a year rent to be located in the building.

CHANGES OVER THE YEARS  

The Board initially consisted of all members of the Dothan Commission, Dothan Mayor, and two Houston County Commissioners. Then there was an Advisory Committee who made recommendations to the Board which were normally rubberstamped.

Mayor Schmitz and Chairman Culver went to the local legislative delegation and got legislation passed changing the board to the Advisory Committee. The Sheriff, Dothan Fire Chief, Dothan Police Chief, President of the Fire Chief Association or their representatives are mandatory appointments to the Board. Then Dothan Commissioner and Houston County Commissioners have appointments to the Board.

A number of years ago a full time 911 Director was appointed. That person is currently Pam Lowe, a former Houston County Sheriff Dispatcher. Lowe is only two people in the building and the equipment owned by 911. The 911 Director makes sure the building is operational. But the 911 Director has zero management authority over the Sheriff 911, Dothan Police 911 or Emergency Management Agency. The 911 Director has zero authority to issue mandates to any of the employees or occupants of the facility other than the two staff members who work for the City of Dothan-Houston County Communications District Board.

There is a wall divide between the Dothan Police 911 and Houston County Sheriff 911. That wall needs to come down. That wall does not make the Emergency Operations Center a true "Joint Communications Center". The wall causes delays in emergency operations.

TEAR DOWN THAT WALL

The removal of the wall would go to making the facility a joint communications center. Currently both Dothan and Houston County have to gear up to answer 911 calls.

Well, a 911 call should be taken the same no matter whether in the City of Dothan or outside the corporate city limits of Dothan.

Currently there are call takers. They take the information and as they are talking the information is entered into the computer. The entity responsible for sending emergency units dispatches the call from the computer. So the one dispatching is not the one taking the call.

Rather than both entities gearing to take the calls, and often times the volume of calls is great, the place to begin on a joint center is with the one set of call takers.

Someone on the board needs to kick start the ball towards that goal.

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