911 Response Time Reduction Studied

A task force formed to improve 911 response in Ventura County is studying a phone company proposal that officials say would streamline emergency dispatch systems and cut ambulance response times by as much as four minutes.

Supervisor Frank Schillo, a proponent of centralizing emergency dispatch, said Wednesday that GTE California Inc. has proposed a special phone system that would speed up communication among public safety agencies.

“There is only really one benefit and that is saving lives,” Schillo said. “It will get the equipment to the site faster.”

Under the proposal, a dispatcher could pick up a 911 call and collect information while typing on a computer. The phone system would then allow the dispatcher to forward the information to other agencies such as the fire department and ambulance company by pressing a button.

“That will be faster than the person picking up the phone and typing something,” Schillo said.

Schillo said dispatchers now must often notify the fire department and the ambulance company, wasting precious time.

Schillo said GTE’s proposal would cost about $10,000, about $25,000 less than the estimated cost of linking the county’s five separate emergency dispatch systems--a proposal discussed in November.