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SCHENECTADY COUNTY
Officials seeking dispatch progress
Resolutions called for to help advance plans
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter

    Schenectady County is seeking resolutions from the towns and the city by April 1 that would bind them to the creation of a central dispatch system within a year.
    The resolutions would allow the mayor and supervisors to enter into agreements with the county to consolidate four dispatch centers into a single system and to charge municipalities for its operation.
    Rotterdam, Glenville, Schenectady and Niskayuna each operate their own dispatch centers, serving their own fire, police and emergency medical services. The state police barracks in Princetown used to dispatch for Duanesburg and Princetown. When the center was closed down, Princetown and Rotterdam contracted with Rotterdam for services.
    County Attorney Chris Gardner said centralized dispatch would save Niskayuna, Rotterdam, Glenville and Schenectady 7 percent over two years. The savings are based on 2009 costs carried forward.
    “That represents a 1 percent or 2 percent reduction in the tax levies for the towns and a 1 percent reduction for the city,” Gardner said.
    In addition, centralized dispatch would provide “seamless mutual aid,” said county Legislator Anthony Jasenski, D-Rotterdam, chairman of the county Legislature’s Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee. “There would be one place to dispatch and communicate and take care of business,” he said.
    The current dispatch systems cannot easily communicate with one another and often cannot communicate with different agencies within their own jurisdictions.
    The county plans to use a $1 million state grant to purchase equipment for the new center. It is still scouting sites to locate the facility.
    Not everyone sees the ben- efits of centralized dispatch. Glenville Supervisor Chris Koetzle said he does not see any savings in the plan and believes Glenville should retain its dispatch center, which is in the Municipal Center. “Will it save money? No. Will it enhance services? Maybe. I don’t see the wisdom of consolidating without savings in personnel,” he said.
    Whether the Glenville Town Board adopts the resolution is to be seen, he said. “We are open, but I have been clear to the county manager and the county Legislature that this does not make sense to me that you run the operation and we pay the bill,” he said. ..............>>>>...............>>>>...............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01303&AppName=1

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EDITORIALS
Go for central dispatch in Sch’dy County

    Centralized dispatch in Schenectady County seemed like a good idea years ago when public safety officials in the county first started promoting it, and still does. Municipal leaders would be foolish to play politics with this issue and mess up an opportunity to save taxpayers money while making emergency services safer and more efficient. In a small county like Schenectady, with so many different public safety entities, central dispatch is a no-brainer.
    Under the county plan the savings would come mostly from attrition, with the number of dispatch personnel going from the current 55 to 46. (There is now some overcapacity in the towns because at least two dispatchers must be on each shift, and the volume of calls doesn’t always require it.) That means savings would be fairly small at first — about 7 percent — and increase in the future.
    Other savings would come from freeing up space, which could then be used for other things. And in supervisory time. Although dispatchers are civilians, they are overseen by police supervisors, who have responsiblity for their hiring, firing, scheduling and training, as well as the overall operating and equipping of the dispatch centers. Central dispatch would remove this burden from police supervisors in Rotterdam, Niskayuna, Glenville and the city and allow them to focus on law enforcement and the supervision of police officers. .............>>>>..............>>>>..................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r03001&AppName=1

yeah,,,,it's like that dumba$$ commercial for national grid to save 3%......for who? me? you?.....we wouldn't garner anything.....the only thing it will save is the guarantee on the national grid union workers
to get their 3% pay hike,,,,,no decrease in rates for us.....why? IT'S A FIXED CONTRACT WITH THE STATE........we get to be cold and in the dark while guaranteeing them their raise......MORONS

GET OFF MY BACK.........

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Managed properly, central dispatching can be cost-effective

    February 28 Viewpoint , “County’s proposal to share services has flaws”: As a retired fire captain with over 30 years of service as an emergency responder and dispatcher, I find Supervisor Christopher Koetzle’s opinion somewhat disturbing.
    When 911 first came into being, countywide dispatch was proposed, but blocked by separate police departments. Everyone wanted to control their own destiny, but soon found that they had to hire more people to provide for emergency medical dispatching, along with fire and police calls. This created several separate dispatch points that require constant minimum staffing and constant overtime. Scotia soon found it could not afford to play that game and consolidated with Glenville.
    That consolidation has been far from perfect, but the village has had no recourse but to pay the bill — the same problem Koetzle fears now. But I would hope that with proper staffing and supervision, these issues would improve. I agree that if the county is to assume the operations, it should be totally paid for and controlled by county taxes; however, when all are moved under one roof, staffing can be adjusted, saving money while not affecting safety.
    The small dispatch centers also affect efficiency and response times to emergencies across town lines. Mutual aid between agencies can be delayed as different centers have to phone each other. These delays have affected safety for our first responders, as well as the general public, in the past. With every dispatcher sitting in the same room, police, medical or fire emergencies affecting more than one municipality will be more quickly responded to.
    Also, separate dispatch centers can be overwhelmed when a local emergency develops. With a larger center, other dispatchers would be able to slide over and help with a fire or police emergency that is affecting a local community generating many 911 calls or many radio messages. As technology changes, more information will be sent by computer directly to police cars, ambulances and fire vehicles — information that will make everyone safer. How will small dispatch centers afford this?
    I only hope, as a Scotia resident, that my mayor and trustees support county dispatch and allot my tax money to a system that will improve safety for all residents. Fix the flaws and get this done.

    JOHN CARPENTER
    Scotia

Today I read the Spocklight, and in it one of the legislators has a huge opinion piece that basically states that people will die if they don't spend the millions they want to spend to bring it under Savage control. Read it, he says it is "life or death."

Just like anything else we need to send our great, great grandchildren into eternal debt over- life or death.

you know - i still have a phone that has that giant bright red sticker with the local police number stuck to it.

i miss those days

Quoted from littlesal

you know - i still have a phone that has that giant bright red sticker with the local police number stuck to it.

i miss those days

Here ya go:



Let's see, Rotterdam was EL-57331 (Elgin)
South Schenectady was FR-4 ... (Franklin)
Downtown Schenectady was DU (Duglin) I think .. tho, it could have been F U.

Even further back, remember picking up the phone and saying "Operator ... Operator 1346" or whatever.

Wow.  Dating myself here.

mine is in the standard tan color!!!!

Mine is tan too, and has a double long spliced cord so it would reach into the backyard when my father used to pull weeds and do yard work, he would bring it out there. It reminds me of a funny story about technology. Fifteen years ago I got a cell phone, and I think my Dad was intrigued with it being a "phone person." He went out and bought a cordless phone for the house, and one day I looked in his car and saw the handset on his console in his car. I asked him what he was doing with it, and he said he took it with him in case anyone called! I had to explain the difference between a cell phone and a cordless home phone with the range and all. Poor guy was driving around town with that thing wondering why when he got home there were messages on the answering machine and how he missed the calls!

Bottom line is that technology is so ever changing, no matter what the government does today to try to adapt (or regulate), they will be many years behind. Some day people will look at the texting and cell phone laws and some old timer will have to explain what that was to some young whippersnapper. They will be as outdated as the blue laws and the laws regulating buggy whips and stage coaches. Of course if the Socialists get their way, innovation and free enterprise will be strictly clamped down upon and the growth of scientific innovation will become regulated to the slower pace statists enjoy.

Quoted from GrahamBonnet

Mine is tan too, and has a double long spliced cord so it would reach into the backyard when my father used to pull weeds and do yard work, he would bring it out there. It reminds me of a funny story about technology. Fifteen years ago I got a cell phone, and I think my Dad was intrigued with it being a "phone person." He went out and bought a cordless phone for the house, and one day I looked in his car and saw the handset on his console in his car. I asked him what he was doing with it, and he said he took it with him in case anyone called! I had to explain the difference between a cell phone and a cordless home phone with the range and all. Poor guy was driving around town with that thing wondering why when he got home there were messages on the answering machine and how he missed the calls!

Bottom line is that technology is so ever changing, no matter what the government does today to try to adapt (or regulate), they will be many years behind. Some day people will look at the texting and cell phone laws and some old timer will have to explain what that was to some young whippersnapper. They will be as outdated as the blue laws and the laws regulating buggy whips and stage coaches. Of course if the Socialists get their way, innovation and free enterprise will be strictly clamped down upon and the growth of scientific innovation will become regulated to the slower pace statists enjoy.

so true.......

So what about the "Scorched earth" campaign against Koetzle in Glenville, the one man in the county with the balls to make a stand against the power grab?

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Why should towns give county free rein to set dispatch rates?

    Re county Legislator Anthony Jasenski’s March 7 Viewpoint [”Glenville supervisor wrong: Dispatch proposal a money-saver”]: The idea of centralized, countywide dispatch is indeed a smart and necessary one. From being involved in the fire service and EMS for 14 years, I can attest firsthand to the points Mr. Jasenski makes regarding the effects of timely dispatch in a true emergency, and do not necessarily dispute those particular findings in the study that was performed on behalf of the county.
    The problem I have with the county’s model is very simple: It is called taxation without representation. In the county’s model, here is how the bill for services will be decided: The “advisory board” of supervisors and mayor will make recommendation by majority vote. The county will ultimately decide if they will accept or reject the recommendations. Make no mistake, an advisory board is just that, in the position of “advising.” This board will not have a vote at the table and has no recourse if the county chooses to ignore any recommendations.
    The possibility of the county paying lip service to the advisory board’s recommendations is real. The county will set the budget and the county will control spending. Once it decides the annual budget amount, it will then send the apportioned amount to the towns. In the event we do not agree with the bill for services, there is no grievance process. There will be no way for us to negotiate the costs. All we as town officials will be able to do is pay the bill.
    How can any elected official think that losing control of a major portion of your yearly budget is a plus? How can any of us allow a disconnect such as this? It would be fiscal irresponsibility in the extreme.
    I also take issue with Mr. Jasenski’s statements regarding staffing levels. In the PowerPoint presentation we received, which by the way is the only “proof” received by myself as a board member of the benefits of this proposal, it states that the optimal staffi ng levels will be achieved by attrition, and that this will achieve the savings they are projecting.
    Now I see in his March 7 Viewpoint, Mr. Jasenski is saying that the county will achieve these savings by a turnover in dispatchers averaging seven per year. I have no idea what “average” Mr. Jasenski is speaking about. Is that a national average? Is that a statewide average? Is that a countywide average? We currently have 11 dispatchers in Glenville; if we were to lose an “average” of seven per year, it would make the job of dispatching impossible.
    Additionally, I take issue with Mr. Jasenski’s statements that these dispatchers use the position as a stepping stone to another type of position, either police or fire. While this may have been true five years ago, in the current economic climate I cannot think of any municipality that will be hiring either police or fire personnel. As a local example, Saratoga Springs just laid off six fi refighters and six policemen. The city of Schenectady is reducing the number of apparatus available and reducing staffing levels accordingly. To state that the savings will be achieved in this manner is, in my opinion, unfounded.
    I am in favor of countywide dispatch. I believe this will benefit our community in many ways if done properly. However, I have not seen any real proof of this from the county, even though Supervisor Chris Koetzle has asked repeatedly for the financial and public safety data for review by our board.
    I stand behind Supervisor Koetzle 100 percent in his request for clear, concise and accurate documentation of this proposal. It is with this information in hand that we as a board will be able to make the best fiscal decision for the residents of our town.

    GINA M. WIERZBOWSKI
    Glenville
The writer is a town board member.

http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r02401&AppName=1

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Central dispatch will be good for Sch’dy County

    Regarding central dispatch for Schenectady County [Feb. 21 Gazette], as a resident and fire chief I commend the county for working with the towns and city in working to make this a reality.
    I also want to commend the existing PSAPS [Public Safety Answering Points] for doing a great job dispatching the county’s emergency services, but we need to move forward and make this happen for residents of the county.
The county’s presentation for fi re chiefs and boards of fire commissioners explained what needed to be explained. As in anything that is done, there will always questions but in time they will be answered.

MICHAEL FRANCE
Rotterdam
The writer is chief of Rotterdam Fire District No. 6.

http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00909&AppName=1

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GLENVILLE
Supervisor Koetzle questions countywide dispatch proposal
BY MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Michael Goot at 395-3105 or mgoot@dailygazette.net.

    Glenville Supervisor Chris Koetzle says the town would shoulder a higher relative cost if it joined the proposed countywide dispatch.
    Koetzle said the three suburban towns of Glenville, Niskayuna and Rotterdam would be responsible for a total of 54 percent of the costs of this operation compared with 45 percent for Schenectady.
    Based on 2009 statistics, Rotterdam received 6,603 calls for service; Niskayuna had 5,089; and Glenville, 5,478. However, Niskayuna would only be paying a 13 percent share of the total cost, compared with 20 percent each for Rotterdam and Glenville. This translates into a cost per call of $135 compared with $112 for Rotterdam and $97 for Niskayuna, according to Koetzle.
    Koetzle recently sent a letter to county officials saying while he supports the concept of shared services, a fairer formula is needed. He states the costs should be based on the number of calls a municipality generates. He also states that Glenville’s dispatchers provide emergency medical dispatch — not done by Niskayuna — and have a higher and more costly level of training.
    Another concern is that Glenville spent about $200,000 upgrading its dispatch equipment and now Koetzle said other communities will get the same level of service without having to make the investment the town did.
    Finally, he is concerned that the individual towns will have no input on the oversight of the joint dispatch center. “The taxing authority stays with the town but the operational cost and decisions go to the county.”
    Koetzle seeks a fairer formula or proposes that the county be the taxing entity and take over all responsibility. He said Monday he has not heard any response.
    “The whole point of the letter is to continue the conversation that seemed to go a little quiet,” he said.
COUNTY RESPONSE
    County Attorney Chris Gardner had said earlier this month that the methodology for determining each municipality’s contribution has been worked on for the last two years. Essentially, it looks at what they were spending in 2009 and tries to maintain that level.
    “We believe after two years due to the efficiencies of scale, that we’ll be able to provide these services at 8 percent less cost overall,” he said.
    Gardner said consolidation will bring more efficiencies by having everything under one roof, making it easier to respond to such instances as a high-speed chase through multiple jurisdictions or a large fire.
    “It’s a better system. It’s going to be less expensive to operate. It will improve safety immeasurably and it will be cheaper for the taxpayer.”
    Gardner said nobody from the county told Glenville to upgrade its communications equipment, but that was the decision it made on its own. There is a possibility that the equipment could be used in the new system. ..............>>>>.......................>>>>............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01500&AppName=1

Silly, they must pay more since they voted Republican. Also, why doesn't Pravda report the number of calls in the City?