Friday, May 9, 2003
BY JANET WILSON
Staff Writer White County's new 911/0ES Coordinator, Jim Swanson, sat in on
his first meeting of the 911 Emergency Services Board last night.
Swanson listened as the board approved a job description for his
position and approved the additional title of Rural Fire Services Coordinator. Swanson
also listened as the board discussed the equipment he would need, such as a cellular
phone, pager, mobile radio and possible a vehicle.
The board spent a lengthy amount of time discussing the recent
malfunction of several early warning storm sirens throughout the county.
'The county gave each incorporated city one siren, but it the cities
responsibility to keep the sirens up to date," said White County Judge Bob Parish.
"It is the county's responsibility to keep the encoder up to date."
Parish said the cities had been instructed to notify the local OES
Coordinator in the event the sirens did not work during the weekly test.
Chairman of the 911 Board, Bill Haynie, who supervised the repairs to
each of the non-operational sirens, said he purchased equipment that allowed the sirens to
be tested on sight as opposed to being activated through the sheriff's department.
Apparently not all of the dispatchers at the sheriff's department are
properly trained on how to activate the sirens," Haynie commented. "That's why I
bought the piece of equipment, so I could tell whether it's a problem with the siren or at
the sheriff's department."
"It's up to the cities to see to it that the siren receives that
signal," Parish responded.
The board also conducted a lengthy discussion that pertained to whether
or not Swanson should or should not be the immediate supervisor of 911 dispatchers.
"I don't think we should put Mr. Swanson over there and say 'here,
you work it out,"' said board member Harry Belew. "We should do that here as a
board."
The board identified nine employees that were categorized as 911 system
employees, but reached no definite conclusion as to Swanson's authority over them.
"I want to know that if there's a problem with a 911 employee over
there that you 're the one to administer the discipline," Belew commented.
"Is Mr. Swanson going to have authority over the county
dispatchers, but not city dispatchers because the city receives no 911 money?" Haynie
asked Searcy Police ChiefJ.R. Thomas, who is also a member of the board. "Because I'm
sure some would have a problem if there was one set of rules for Searcy and one set of
rules for the county."
Thomas responded that Swanson should have authority over all aspects of
the 911 system.
"I'm hoping he is going to train our dispatchers once he goes to
school and gets trained," Thomas said.
"When Mr. Swanson starts his job on the 19th, what authority will
he have over the dispatchers?" Haynie questioned again. "I just want a smooth
transition and if we don't make a decision, it sort of leaves Mr. Swanson hanging out
there."
The board took no action on the matter, but agreed to readdress the
issue at its next meeting.
In other business, the board agreed that beginning June 5, it would
begin holding regular monthly meetings on the first Thursday of each month. |
