By Carolyn Reid
The September 19 Pendleton County Fiscal Court caucus was an unusual two-hour-plus meeting that focused on the questions that were presented earlier in the month. In the September 5 caucus, Judge/Executive presented a list of comments and questions as a list of services Kentucky State Police dispatch provides. As he made his way through the presentation, Pendleton County’s Head Dispatcher Angie Wright explained the questions he was reviewing were items the state police did not do, leading Fields to ask KSP to attend a meeting with Wright, part of the court, and himself to iron out details. These questions were then reviewed at the September 19 caucus.
Jimmy Kitchens, 911Business Administrator at Kentucky State Police Headquarters in Frankfort, and Joey Mattingly, Telecommunications Systems Administrator at KSP Headquarters, were present at the September 19 caucus to answer the questions presented, as was John Green, head dispatcher of KSP Post 6, the post that covers the Pendleton County area.
Throughout the meeting, Kitchens insisted the move would be a decision of the fiscal court and that KSP was offering a service. In an attempt to clarify the misunderstandings from the previous meeting, the questions that were the root of the misunderstanding were placed on the screen, and he answered them one-by-one.
A recurring question he addressed involved the responders knowing the dispatchers, and vice versa. First responders and dispatchers have commented they know each other and they know each other’s voices as well as knowing each other personally. Concerns ranging from not knowing each other’s faces to not knowing how to read each other’s voices in the case of a situation that required that knowledge were brought up--concerns such as knowing by a voice whether or not the situation is not as safe as the person is saying.
All of this, Kitchens insisted, could be learned by the KSP dispatchers just as the county dispatchers have learned. He suggested the Pendleton County dispatchers had a similar learning curve when new people came on in the county.
Kitchens did say they would work to have face-to-face meetings with first responders and all “for the cohesiveness of the group.”
Other questions centered on equipment and compatibility. Kitchens and Mattingly both praised their equipment capabilities along with their software upgrades. Dispatchers had expressed concerns that the responders could be in danger due to the fact KSP dispatchers would not know the area as well. Kitchens responded they have some more advancements Pendleton County does not have, and they have the same actives, I-am-respondings, and all PC does have. They explained they did change the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) from Caliber, what PC currently uses, to a CAD that is internet-based. The CAD allows first responders to access the CAD from any internet-based device. Contrary to information received from a dispatcher who was at Grant County when they consolidated with KSP, the first responders do not have to submit an open records request for runs they make. (That was the procedure when Grant and KSP first consolidated.) For $170 a person, the representatives said, the first responder can get live CADs and can research their own calls, no matter what agency they represent--fire, law enforcement, ambulance; further, the information can be emailed to any first responder who needs it.
Open records requests apply only to the general public, and they will be vetted accordingly, Kitchens said.
Kitchens also assured the audience the data from PC’s Caliber could be transferred to the KSP CAD system.
John Lucas, Assistant Fire Chief, told the representatives PC dispatch could give first responders directions by using landmarks to help guide them. “I’ve worked in this county for years,” he said, “and I have been all over the area, but I still don’t know more than 30 percent of it.
Dispatch can tell me to go to the red barn and turn right. Will KSP know the area so well they can do that?"
Kitchens responded as long as they had a valid address, KSP can tell the responders where they are going.
Lucas continued by asking if KSP would know that a certain house has a back door leading into the woods and that person, who is often involved in calls, goes out that back door to run. He asked if KSP could help in that situation.
Kitchens replied if they have that info, it would be communicated. Info like that can be integrated into the system.
Mattingly explained, too, that they are using Google Maps plus, and they have the ability to update as needed. The updates will appear in the system within 30 days.
Lucas asked if they could access the walking trails in the county, and that was met with the same response: they can be integrated into the system.
He continued. "Last night, Internet went down. I rely on dispatch to tell me what road to take, where to turn."
Mattingly replied the local people who have the knowledge Lucas was speaking of will go away. He stated they could provide a lot with technology. He later reminded Lucas and others that they will lose those who are local at some point, most likely, and those people would have to be onboarded, but those who work at KSP will have to be taught by anyone who comes from PC, and PC will have to learn from them regarding other areas.
An audience member asked how many times KSP has been called in but the locals arrive before they do because dispatch and the responders already know where to go whereas KSP is unaware of where they are going.
Mattingly replied that was not a problem anywhere in the 19 counties where they had consolidated.
Lucas turned to pricing, asking what would happen when the contract was up in two years. He accused the representatives of being "sales guys," and he asked who would pay for necessary upgrades.
Another audience member mentioned Northern Pendleton Fire Department has spots where they cannot communicate with dispatch by their radios, and they have to use phones. He also mentioned they had to buy new radios to communicate with Campbell County who is digital. When he asked who would pay for upgrades and maintenance, the representatives responded the county would have to do so.
Monaca Gales, a dispatcher, asked if the school cameras are accessible, and she and Magistrate Darrin Gregg asked if the school buses would still have access to dispatch in case of road issues or other problems they encounter. Both times, KSP said those services can be imported.
Regarding schedules, dispatch would also know the schedules of the first responders as long as they are provided to dispatch. They also confirmed they could handle the ALS situation with PC Ambulance when Northern Pendleton BLS ambulance is called to respond to an emergency requiring greater care. Accommodations for our air ambulance system could also be implemented, they said, as can Red Cross. Animal control can be added to their dispatch, as well.
Their dispatch center allows for four individuals working at a time with four consoles ready, meaning KSP will not have to add a console for Pendleton County. Others are discussing the prospect of consolidating, as well, the representatives said, and if they do, the next one to join will be responsible for paying for a new console to cover the dispatcher placed in that position, responding to Gregg's question regarding that cost.
Lucas and others questioned KSP's ability to efficiently service the area, citing problems with getting backup and finding the places they are sent. An audience member reported they get to a scene before KSP gets there, and he mentioned the fatality on U.S. 27 the week before and said KSP could not "handle what is going on."
While Fields encouraged the audience to stop asking questions so the representatives could continue addressing the questions from the caucus before, Lucas stated he was a taxpayer and he could ask questions. The representatives continued with the presentation at hand, clarifying dispatch would have the schedules of first responders as they are provided, that EMS could be called if they are not answering, and that the dispatchers would stay on the phone to assist those who needed help assisting a patient until help arrives. Those dispatchers are then critiqued by a physician, Kitchens said.
Jody Dunhoft, Director of the ambulance district, asked if they understood the situation with Northern Pendleton Ambulance regarding the need for mutual aid for ALS situations, and they once again assured that could be accommodated, as could the air ambulance information such as numbers. They also assured Red Cross could still be called in as needed.
A member of the audience said KSP is sometimes called in, and with three of them standing around, they are told no one is available. "If we need help, will you be willing to do that?"
Other reassurances KSP gave:
Animal Control will be dispatched, and they will access a current file for animal owners in case livestock escapes and a farmer has to be notified.
They will meet with fire in order to learn the boundaries among the districts in the county, especially since the county has a new department coming.
Jailer Tony Gillespie would be informed of overnight transports not involving his department.
Search and Rescue can be dispatched without an officer's consent as long as dispatch comes to a consensus they are needed.
Trooper calls will not be prioritized. They can be told to stand by in case of a call load that requires immediate attention.
Disasters will be handled in an "all hands on deck" fashion, meaning dispatchers could be required to stay at headquarters in times of overwhelming need.
Regional dispatch increases the likelihood of grants being awarded over small dispatch centers.
Magistrate Josh Plummer asked how many backup calls KSP gets a month from the county, and Wright answered around 40. He then asked about their turnover rate, and KSP Head Dispatcher Green responded the turnover has been minimal since his return in 2021.
When radios are down, they will be dispatched via cell phone. While KSP reassured the county they can work with the current communications, Northern Pendleton explained they had to purchase radios in order to communicate with Campbell County when they are in mutual aid situations.
Maintenance and upgrades are the responsibility of the county.
Lucas asked what counties were trying to get their dispatch back from the situation, and the representatives responded Floyd County was due to problems with that post's management.
He asked the court if they had explored going to the CAD system KSP was using, and Fields responded the salaries were the largest cost. Those salaries would be cut in half, at least, due to the amount KSP agreed to take. KSP also said the agreement has a 30-day clause that allows the county to get out if they wish. At that point, an audience member said, "Unless we don't have a building because it is a fire department."
Before KSP and fiscal court ended the discussion, Gary Lucas asked, "How many meetings have you held for information?" Fields said all meetings they had were open, and Lucas disagreed.
PC Fiscal Court will meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday, October 3, to vote regarding the fate of local dispatch. The public is encouraged to attend.