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Municipalities gather to celebrate new dispatch center in county
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BERNALILLO — The Public Safety Emergency Communications Center of Sandoval County has been in service for nearly a month now, but the municipal leaders within the county it serves showed up to celebrate its ribbon cutting July 24.
"This is the first (public safety access point) in 20 years," County Manager Wayne Johnson said.
In the 20 years prior to its opening, the local municipalities, including Rio Rancho, all relied on the same dispatch center. Now, Rio Rancho is responsible for urban dispatch in the city and the new PSAP is responsible for rural dispatch in Corrales, Bernalillo, Santa Ana and Cochiti as well as other, more difficult-to-reach parts of the county. This change is due to the county and the city parting ways on the joint powers agreement for the original dispatch center. Sandoval County replaced Rio Rancho as the fiscal agent.
"It was a collaboration where members provided dues, capital funds and equipment to support effective and efficient dispatch services to its members and other communities in Sandoval County," Johnson said.
He stressed that there are many components to the new center.
"I've often heard the PSAP referred to as the Sandoval County dispatch. Nothing is further from the truth. Yes, there are county employees operating in a county building, but just like the independently elected sheriff, treasurer, assessor, or clerk, operation and finances are directed by its two governing boards. This is an organization run by its members and responsive to all of the agencies who received dispatch services. Sandoval County is one of those members," he said.
Johnson admitted that the opening was not without some challenges, explaining that Rio Rancho dispatch was a great help in handling calls during a delay getting services online July 1.
Corrales Fire Chief Anthony Martinez, who is also chair of the center's board, has been involved with the Sandoval County Dispatch Center since 2003, when he became chief. He spoke of another exponentially increasing problem.
"Technology is changing rapidly, and our whole vision of everyone on the board was we want the best center possible, but how do we solve the issue of the increase in calls?" he said.
He explained when a person calls 911, if an agency isn't available, the dispatcher is supposed to send the second agency or third agency.
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"This is a constant discussion, but the common thing here was, when are we going to need or the county going to need a second piece out because of the increase of calls? Today is the day, right? So, we have done it," he said.
Martinez said he is always looking for ways to improve dispatch.
"Our limitation, I'll just be honest, is money," he said.
He said the county was able to pool funding the center from many sources, which went toward the "newest, greatest" things, according to Martinez.
"Whether it's a one-year experience dispatcher or it's a 10-year experience dispatcher, it's consistent, and that's what we need. We need the consistency so they can validate the call, process the call, and dispatch the closest, the most appropriate resource to that incident. And so I'm really excited about that. I haven't seen some of the the equipment, but it's state-of-the-art," he said.
People celebrating the center's opening also heard from Sandoval County Commission Chair Mike Meek, who said it was a really important day for Sandoval County and its partners.
"This center's first responders are here to help the more than 160,000 residents and hundreds of people who come through our cities and towns every day. As you know, public safety is our highest priority," he said.
"In Sandoval County, you experience through all of our law enforcement agencies, our fire and EMS rescue departments, our detention center, and now with this collaborative effort, the public safety emergency communication center housed here on the county's campus," Meek said.
He added that while the dispatch center sends out help to those in need, the county supports the center's business by managing the funds, the record keeping and administrative tasks.
"It works. It's a role that we do well with many nonprofit organizations in the county, and we thank you for sharing our vision and making this a reality," he said.
An integral person in the process of making the opening possible is former county fire chief and current Deputy County Manager Eric Masterson. He thanked the many people that contributed.
"It's really the result of that determination, coordination and a commitment to those who serve it, really. As they say, it took a village," he said.
Masterson said they will continue to move forward and overcome obstacles as they come.
"Winston Churchill said this during World War II: 'Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is a courage to continue that counts,'" he said.
He added that the center "is more than a building."
"It's a promise to our uniforms out there and to the people that we serve, the citizens and visitors of Sandoval County," he said.
According to the new center's assistant director, Yvonne Fox, employees work on two shifts of 12 hours each. Of the 14 total staff at the center, three and a supervisor will be online at a time.
She admitted she didn't think she would do the job during a speech at the celebration. However, now she loves the work, though it can be a lot. She also complimented her team, which she said learned in an unconventional environment over several months.
"... but they were all dedicated, resilient and loyal into making sure that we were going to be successful and endeavor, and so that's what's happened," she said.
Lastly, she encouraged the several emergency services members listening to give feed back as the center continues to service the rural areas.
