Lewis County 911 service operational
By SCOTT WARTMAN - Staff Writer
VANCEBURG -- Residents of Lewis County expressed relief Tuesday after the county's 911 service went into effect Monday.
The county joined Fleming, Bracken and Mason counties in offering 911 service, but unlike Bracken and Mason counties, Lewis County's service is the basic rather than enhanced service.
Basic 911 service does not offer the ability to trace calls to their origination like E-911, said Lewis County Emergency Services Director Carl Chaney.
Some residents of Lewis County said they welcome the new service because it saves them having to look up police or ambulance numbers in a phone book.
Vanceburg resident Patty Armstrong said the lack of 911 service has been a concern since she started treatment for breast cancer. Knowing she can dial three numbers for help is a great relief, she said.
"It makes you feel more secure," Armstrong said.
For 911, three phone lines were added to the current dispatch center in the Lewis County Detention Center -- one each for Vanceburg, Tollesboro and Garrison. The one area that doesn't have a direct phone line to dispatch is the Firebrick area of the county. Because most of the numbers begin with 932 in that area, Chaney said the current dispatch center couldn't automatically route those calls to the three phone lines. Instead, 911 calls from Firebrick will be routed to the dispatch center in Greenup County and relayed to Vanceburg, Chaney said.
The county's delay in getting 911 service lies in a lack of money in the budget and technical problems, Chaney said. The previous dispatch center was not compatible with 911 equipment, Chaney said.
While there are many who may not have known the numbers of the police and fire departments by memory, most people were able to get help when they needed it, Chaney said.
"I hadn't heard of anybody say you would have got here sooner if we knew the number," Chaney said.
The new system will help with better coordination between fire departments, ambulance services and law enforcement, said Lewis County Sheriff William Lewis. Prior to Monday, each department needed to be contacted separately. The 911 system will notify all authorities simultaneously of an emergency situation, Lewis said. Overall, Lewis said he doesn't think the basic 911 service will change emergency response in the county.
"Response time will be approximately the same," Lewis said. "It will just be easier for the public to remember."
The overall cost to the county will be about $6,000 or $7,000 a year, paid out of the general fund to Verizon to provide the service, said Robert Blaine, financial officer for the county. There will be no additional cost to the taxpayer, Blaine said.
The 911 service also means the county's six dispatchers will get 911 certification from the Kentucky Department of Justice. For basic 911 operators, a week-long training is required.
"They will improve their listening and verbal skills and learn more radio-telephone techniques," Chaney said.
The county hopes to upgrade to an enhanced 911 service, but Chaney said that is at least two years into the future. For an enhanced 911, a new dispatch center would need to be built to accommodate the equipment and an additional tax would need to be passed, Chaney said.
For now, residents like Myrtle Williamson of Tollesboro said they are satisfied with the current 911 service.
"I feel safe," Williamson said.
 
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