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This equipment will also allow the dispatch center to adapt to "whatever comes new with cell phones," said Assistant Director Stacie Smith.
This will make Saline County's dispatch center the first in Missouri with this capability, said Director Pam Teague.
"If we don't do it now, we'll do it later and pay a lot more," said commission member Jesse Coslet.
The total cost for the equipment will be $26,100.48. This represents a savings of $13,955 from the company's listed price. The discount was offered because the dispatch center will be participating in pretesting for PlantCML.
PlantCML is the same company with which the commission has contracted to provide Reverse 9-1-1 service, which allows telecommunications specialists to make mass telephone calls and send mass text messages to inform residents or emergency responders about a catastrophe.
Telecommunications specialists have completed 40 hours of basic training, said Teague, and have received certification in emergency medical dispatch, CPR and use of automatic external defibrillators. They have also completed a course on taking domestic violence calls.
The commission received three bids for a pair of beds with reinforced frames to be installed in the dispatch center, but tabled the matter until the next meeting, when Teague plans to have a recommendation.
Commission members heard from Scott Wittels of Quality Chemical Company Midwest Inc. Wittels spoke about a few products he felt would be important in the dispatch center, including a spray and hand sanitizer that he said would even kill HIV.
Dispatch center personnel were present at the meeting, and introduced themselves to commission members.
Bills were paid in the amount of $315,353.49, being $785 to Willson-Toellner and Associates, $144.20 to Quill, $126.11 to AT&T for office telephone service, $145.50 to AT&T for cellular telephone service, $11,198.24 to Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan, $1,136.90 to Century Tel, $322.78 to Visa, $11,346.04 to employees in wages, $14,090.28 to Keller Fire & Safety, $267,812 to Commenco, $40 to Saline County Ambulance, $28 to the Post Office, $4.29 to LaCrosse Lumber, $1,760.04 to clothingwarehouse.com for uniforms, $120 to the National Emergency Number Association, $52.50 to Missouri State Agency for Surplus Property, $10,780 to Antennas, Lines, & Towers Inc., $37.39 to Elmer Hare Ford, $3,722 to Charlie's Appliances and $125 to Attorney at Law Donald Stouffer.
Dates for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the dispatch center were finalized.
Emergency responders can tour the facility Tuesday, Dec. 15. On Wednesday, Dec. 16, the public may tour, and on Thursday, Dec. 17, employees and their family members will be welcomed for a tour. The ribbon-cutting is scheduled for Dec. 15.
Besides Teague and Coslet, commission members John Fletcher, Corbin Allred, Cathie Jeffries and John Rieves were also present. Jack Lenz and Meredith Schroeder were absent.
The board's next meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, at the dispatch center.
Contact Geoff Rands at marshallreporter@socket.net
Comments
Kudos to Saline County! I have been an advocate of this technology since text messaging came about. It is about time technology caught up with; 1) the need for hearing / speech impaired citizens need to be able to communicate with 9-1-1, 2) the need for witnesses to be able to capture / send suspect or incident related images directly to 9-1-1, 3) the need for victims of violent crimes who still possess a cell phone to be able to summon help (such as the kidnap victim tied up in the back seat or the abused spouse hiding in a closet). I can go on and on but all that needs said is "Kudos to Saline County for taking the lead and setting a standard for all others to follow". Eventually this will be available everywhere and people will wonder how we lived without it.
there is an open house wensday 1 - 8 which would fit in to your 9 - 5, you could ask those people all your questions there.
Attending a meeting would be fabulous. Now, lets make meetings convenient to the working people. Too bad that things run the 9-5 here. So when the building is finally occupied, where are the meetings going to be held? How will they be able to fit anyone in the room for a meeting? Will the public have to sit outside and watch through the windows? Lets just hope that this whole fiasco was worth every dollar that was spent. If not, then maybe it can be handled like in medieval times when royalty was ousted.
I'm simply stating i doubt any of you have the fortitude to stand up in person and question these people. Of course everyone has an opinion when know one can see their face, I simple ask why you all don't attend the meetings for something you seem soo passionate about.
Whats the difference if anyone goes to the meetings or posts comments here. The board will do what they want when they want to. This county gave them the power to do so, shame on whoever decided that. Also shame on the fact that you have a director who isn't even from this area, an assistant director who has no experience in doing so and you're letting these people make decisions with your money. Who interviewed the board, director, assistant director? Who really knows what qualifications they have other than spending money?
You all understand that the board meetings are open to the public right? If you have so much imput you should go to them and save your fingers the stress of typing.
My cell phone has the capability to send and get texts and pictures at a cost of 30.00 dollars a month and the phone is free with my plan. I don't understand what the difference is can someone please explain
LOL this is funny. Now when kids get mad at their parents for taking away their wii, the kids can take pics of their empty entertainment center and send it to 911.....
That is if parents still actually punish their kids anymore
Taxedpayer,
Your name says it all. As long as the tax payers keep forking over their paychecks to over spending boards, they will keep taking it.
DAgates,
Come on, you worked Saline County once, do you really believe we need 3-4 dispatchers plus a supervisor on each shift at 911. You know better, they don't have that many sitting at Lee's Summit at one time.
I also like the super hand cleaner the board bought, being the dispatchers will be out in the public and exposed to HIV so much??? This board acts like a bunch of kids in a candy store.
Glad to see after all that emergency training the dispatchers will also be provided with some over priced hand sanitizer that "even kills HIV". They may be able to provide emergency services out there before too long!
I'll have to agree with DAgates and Taxedpayer on this one!!!
Why not be the first for once, instead of remaining in the backseat like in the past???!!!
Cathie Jeffries is from Slater
Keep up the good work...don't listen to a few naysayers. I am so happy that we aren't doing this halfass for once.
The voters of Saline County were sold a bunch of empty promises. First we elected a board that is from the emergency community NOT the management community. Second, every board member except Cindy Schroeder is from Marshall and she is from rural Marshall. Third, I spoke to the head of the office and she told me two different answers to a problem I had. When I challenged her about her response she just blew me off and got mad. Then when they had a chance to purchase some less expensive property what did they do they picked the most expensive property. The city of Marshall should have sold that property to a hotel developer to build a complementary property to the Martin Civic Center.
And WOW what a view from Odell Street the back side of the building. Just beautiful, just beautiful.
One other thing they don't have time to come out to the voters and give a presentation. They are too busy.
Yeah, Gumby. We can be first. This is Saline County yer talkin' about and as a Saline Countian I kinda take it amiss when you make it sound like we're not up to leading the way.
This in my opinion has been the biggest hoax on the tax payers of Saline County Ever! We are the only 911 in the state to have this equipment as it states. If this equipment was really needed, do you think Saline County would have been the first to buy it..come on!
Just look at the amounts being spent by this out of control board. Not just this month, but from conception of this paradise of a building. Now all of the dispatchers need to wear uniforms. Why no one will see them. It's not like they will be out in public with a radio in their hand??? Waste, waste and waste some more! I hope someday this foolish board runs out of toys to buy?
Our country is broke, unemployment is at an all time high, people are taxed to death and all this board can do is waste fist fulls of tax payer money. I hope that several people run for the next board that has some common sense!
I am finding it difficult to put much trust in how effective the 911 system will be. Once reported about improper road signs or ones that have been knocked over, how long will it take them to be fixed or corrected? If these signs won't be important why did they spend loads of taxpayer dollars to purchase them? If they are important why don't they get corrected or repaired once reported?
Saline County is spending a fantastic amount of money on the 911 plan and people with cell phones may be over confident about getting help. There are many, many places in the county where it is not possible to get a cell phone connection with some (perhaps all) carriers and others where connection is unreliable. I haven't seen or heard discussion of this important issue.
As a former Mid-Mo user, I know the older, pre-911 phones worked in more places in the county. We have "upgraded" technology, but the best way to get attention in some parts of the county is to rely on smoke signals. Will someone in authority please address this issue?