Atlantic County officials are once again in discussion with local fire and EMS representatives to develop a plan for a countywide emergency dispatch service.
“Central dispatch is successful in counties across the state. There is no reason it shouldn’t be successful in Atlantic County,” stated County Executive Dennis Levinson.
Many counties in New Jersey have countywide or county-operated dispatch services. They include Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren.
According to Levinson, centralized dispatch reduces duplication and provides substantial savings without sacrificing safety and efficiency.
“It’s simply the right thing to do,” he stated. “This idea was considered several years ago but opponents exerted their pressure tactics and it was killed.”
“As proud as we are to provide the finest run county in the state with tax reductions and low debt, we could do even better if not for the fact that home rule is entrenched throughout New Jersey,” Levinson continued.
“We’ve already shown how the Central Municipal Court of Atlantic County is saving participating towns an average of 45-50% of what they were paying prior to joining. Unfortunately, only nine of our 23 municipalities are currently members.”
“Countywide tax assessment and central dispatch can also provide significant savings,” he stated. “But towns must choose to finally give up the archaic concept of home rule by which elected officials can promise appointments to positions which only serves to bloat payrolls and add to expenses.”
Levinson confirmed that fire and EMS personnel recently expressed interest in revisiting the idea of a countywide emergency dispatch service. The county responded by conducting a feasibility study.
“We are now ready to initiate further discussion and identify next steps,” he said.
At this time, the plan would include fire service and EMS, although a central dispatch service would be most effective if police were also included.
“We would certainly welcome participation by all first responders, but since I do not govern by decree, I cannot force them,” added Levinson. “This is yet another opportunity for towns to save money.”
Photo credit: Atlantic City Communications Bureau
