EVERETT — A decision on whether to merge the two 911 centers in Snohomish County has undertones of a power struggle.
In south county, 911 operations are, for the most part, overseen by elected officials. From Everett north, it’s a mix of elected officials and police and fire chiefs.
That difference has been a sticking point as the 911 centers — SNOPAC in Everett and SNOCOM in Mountlake Terrace — negotiate what happens next. The people involved want to know who will be in charge, who will have representation and how the costs will break down.
That was the crux of a meeting Thursday morning attended by chiefs and mayors from around the county.
In addition to answering 911 calls, SNOPAC and SNOCOM provide emergency dispatching services for police and firefighters. That costs about $20 million of public money a year.
Because of city boundaries, SNOPAC and SNOCOM share an area of jurisdiction between Everett and Lynnwood. Calls to 911 from that area and around its borders often have to be transferred between the two centers. A large volume of calls also can overwhelm a 911 center, which contributes to holds and delays.
Transfers were a problem during the July mass shooting in Mukilteo. A young man who had a gunshot wound was asking for an ambulance: His call got stuck in limbo.
Holds also happened after a recent stabbing in Lynnwood at Alderwood mall. That incident initially was reported as gunfire.
Delays and transfers are “excessive,” Monroe Assistant Fire Chief Steve Guptill said.
“The status quo really is not acceptable,” said Karen Reed, a consultant steering the talks.
However, some elected officials from SNOCOM territory, such as Fire District 1 Commissioner David Chan and Lynnwood Councilman Ian Cotton, suggested the meeting focused too much on the pros of merging and not enough on the cons. Chan said he is not ready to give “a thumbs up or a thumbs down.”
“The biggest elephant in the room is local control and who is in control in the future,” Chan said.
Some in south county want to find other ways to work together instead of merging, such as waiting for technological advances.
Snohomish County Sheriff Ty Trenary said he recently experienced a delay in getting information near Mill Creek city limits. He knew a Mill Creek officer needed help, but without shared dispatch, the sheriff had limited knowledge of what kind of situation he was walking into. “That’s the thing we’ve got to fix,” he said.
A vote on the merger idea is likely in the months ahead. The earliest date being floated for consolidation is in 2018.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @rikkiking.
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