Copyright 2000 Guy Gannett Communications, Inc. Central Maine Morning Sentinel (Waterville, ME) June 7, 2000 Wednesday SECTION: LOCAL; Pg. b1 LENGTH: 434 words HEADLINE: Communications center shuts out terroristsBYLINE: DARLA L. PICKETT Staff Writer BODY:
SKOWHEGAN - Security at Somerset County's new communications center on Norridgewock Avenue should be tight enough to deter terrorists. Utility cables run underground, a security fence surrounds the radio tower, the dispatch room is isolated, exterior cameras monitor outside activity, steel bars are on the windows, entrances open only to buzzers and a generator will run the entire building in case of an emergency. Dale W. Sweet, the county's director of communications and emergency management, said the precautions at the $ 354,000, 3,800-square-foot building are indeed safeguards against the modern-day plague of terrorism. 'The buzzword these days is weapons of mass destruction,' Sweet said. 'You have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. It won't be easy for anyone to disrupt our communications.' With the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Canadian border to the north, each only two hours away, it is not unrealistic to be prepared, Sweet said. The present communications center in the Somerset County courthouse is vulnerable to attack and places dispatchers in danger, the director said: 'We don't want to take a chance on these people getting hurt.' The new communications stronghold is a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), one of dozens mandated by the state to handle the new Enhanced 911 emergency system. The communications center, expected to serve at least 28 towns, is scheduled to be occupied in July, Sweet said. E911 capability, however, is not expected to be installed until later in the year. PSAPs to the south will be connected first. The center is self-contained, with a dispatch center, offices for Dispatch Supervisor Deana Warren and Sweet, kitchen facilities, a room for training and emergency work, two locker rooms and showers. The dispatch room, segregated from the rest of the center, will have four dispatch consoles with dedicated telephone and computer lines, and room to expand to an additional four, Sweet said. Radiant heat in the floor, central heating and central air-conditioning round out the picture. The Sheriff's Department, including detectives and deputies, will not be located at the dispatch center, Sweet said. 'County dispatch already handles 6,000 calls a month,' Sweet said. 'Between that and field calls from the sheriff and his deputies, and walk-ins, we really need to be by ourselves for this to work.' Sweet said the new dispatch center will last for years to come: 'This building was planned for the future.' To reach Darla Pickett Phone: 474-9531 E-mail: [email protected] LOAD-DATE: June 7, 2000