A2 • Friday, February 4, 2022 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com
Challenges at 911 dispatch centers revive consolidation talks
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
After more than 20 years of
on-and-off discussions about con-
solidation, Astoria and Seaside are
evaluating whether to combine
emergency dispatch centers.
Sheriff Matt Phillips said the
Clatsop County Sheriff ’s Offi ce
has strongly supported the con-
cept for years and believes a single
countywide 911 dispatch center
would be in the best interests of the
public and emergency responders.
Staffi ng shortages at Astoria’s
dispatch center reached a critical
point last fall, prompting the city
to temporarily move operations to
Seaside.
Astoria plans to resume normal
operations in the coming months,
but the temporary merger has pin-
pointed defi ciencies in technology
and interoperability that have left
many emergency responders on
the North Coast frustrated.
“The temporary merger of
the two 911 centers has demon-
strated the model can work,” Phil-
lips said in an email. “The merger
also highlighted and brought to the
forefront portions of the commu-
nications infrastructure which has
failed, is failing or just didn’t exist
but needs to.
“The radio network needs to be
fully linked and interoperable,” the
sheriff said. “Since the merger, the
cities of Astoria and Seaside have
been working diligently to accom-
plish this. A consolidation would
maintain the interoperability and
network capability that is diffi cult
to achieve when the system is split
in ownership and locations.”
Lydia Ely/The Astorian
Staffi ng has been a challenge at the Astoria emergency dispatch center.
districts.
Meanwhile, Seaside dispatch,
which handles emergency calls for
about half the number of agencies,
has found stability in staffi ng.
Seaside dispatchers started trav-
eling north to help in Astoria, but
last fall the cities agreed to inte-
grate Astoria’s four dispatchers in
Seaside until new hires can be fully
trained. With a new emergency
communications manager hired
in August and three dispatchers in
training, Astoria expects to resume
normal operations in May.
Under the temporary merger,
Seaside went from dispatching for
seven agencies in the southern part
of the county to handling 911 calls
countywide.
The merger, ideally, should have
been a fl ip of the switch. However,
the two dispatch centers are not
completely interoperable, which
revealed many gaps and resulted in
frustration.
In Knappa, for example, dis-
patchers can hear fi refi ghters over
the main channel, but fi refi ghters
can’t hear dispatchers.
To work around the issue,
Knappa Fire Chief Kurt Donald-
son said his fi refi ghters use radios
— and sometimes cellphones — to
communicate with dispatchers.
He described the situation as a
‘Wake-up call’
Staffi ng shortages have plagued
emergency
dispatch
centers
nationwide.
Astoria has not been immune.
Over the past couple of years, the
city’s dispatch center has been
operating with only a handful of
dispatchers, requiring staff to work
a signifi cant amount of overtime
each month.
Astoria dispatch handles emer-
gency calls for 15 agencies,
including the Astoria and Warren-
ton police and fi re departments,
the sheriff ’s offi ce and rural fi re
“wake-up call.”
“I feel terrible for the dispatch-
ers,” Donaldson said. “I mean,
they’re doing great work in a tough
situation, and the managers are
doing the best that they can do in a
tough situation.”
But he said the temporary
merger has demonstrated why a
single countywide 911 dispatch
center is best for the county.
While the talks about consolida-
tion continue, Donaldson said fi re
agencies across the county have
used the situation as an opportu-
nity to meet and come up with a
standard operating procedure to
create more consistency, which he
thinks will benefi t fi re agencies and
dispatchers.
At the other end of the county,
Cannon Beach Fire Chief Marc
Reckmann recounted how a fi re-
fi ghter was in the middle of a med-
ical call asking for more resources
when another call interrupted the
exchange.
Earlier this month, during a
wind storm, he said the fi re dis-
trict lost the ability to communicate
with dispatch over the main chan-
nel for a few hours.
He fears calls will be missed.
“Those are very critical things
that are going to get somebody
killed,” Reckmann said.
PUBLIC SAFETY LOG
SEASIDE POLICE DEPT.
PUBLIC SAFETY LOG
Jan. 21
7:04 a.m., 300 block S. Edge-
wood: Suspicious circumstanc-
es were reported.
12:13 p.m., The Cove: Caller re-
quests a welfare check on an
individual.
12:24 p.m., Dutch Brothers: An-
imal complaint.
2:22 p.m., Stop & Go: Caller re-
ports theft of gas.
3:18 p.m., Ninth and N. Down-
ing: Dogs at large; owner is
contacted and warned.
7:08 p.m., 12th and N. Wah-
anna: A person is arrested for
driving while under the infl u-
ence of intoxicants.
9:03 p.m., 900 block Avenue S:
Caller reports someone throw-
ing eggs at his car. Police are
unable to locate likely sub-
jects.
9:03 p.m., 1300 block Broad-
way: Caller reports their car
was egged.
9:14 p.m., 2100 block Fern-
wood: Caller reports egg
throwing.
Jan. 22
2:03 a.m., Stop & Go: Caller
reports their phone and their
bank card was stolen.
12:13 p.m., 2100 block N. Wah-
anna: Caller says a tree compa-
ny is taking down trees where
eagles have nested. Police
advise no active cutting was
occurring and would be in con-
tact with ODFW the following
day.
2:51 p.m., Gearhart: A dog
found wandering in Gearhart
is taken to the Seaside police
kennel.
5:37 p.m., The Prom: A mother
who reported her child miss-
ing reports the child has been
found.
Jan. 23
3:44 a.m., The Cove: Police re-
sponding to a verbal argument
tell the involved parties to keep
the noise down.
9:24 a.m., 2300 block S. Roos-
evelt: Caller requests a guest
be trespassed after they threat-
ened her.
1:29 p.m., Eleventh and Ne-
canicum: A caller reports a
man chased him after he
tried making a video of the
transient camp. Police make
contact with the subject who
said what happened was only
verbal.
4:00 p.m., N. Downing: A taxi
driver requests a welfare
check for a fare he knows has
been sick for a week. Police
contact the person who said
they didn’t need assistance.
5:11 p.m., 1100 N. Roosevelt:
Caller reports a woman “nod-
ding off ” in front of the CMH
urgent care; police contact the
woman who is not “nodding
off ” but was upset about a fam-
ily matter.
6:10 p.m., 3100 block Sunset
Boulevard: A front desk person
at the Lanai hotel reported a
man and a woman screaming
at each other. Police contact
the subject at their accommo-
dation; they say there was an
argument and it was verbal
only. No further action was
taken.
Jan. 24
4:27 a.m., Public Parking Ga-
rage: A person is arrested on a
warrant.
7:54 a.m., Third and Necani-
cum: Dog found running at
large; police catch dog and
take it to headquarters; the
owner is contacted and pur-
chases a dog license when
they come to get their dog.
1:44 p.m., 1700 block Thomp-
son Falls Drive: Caller reports
her neighbor has trespassed
on to her property and poured
concrete in a ditch.
1:10 p.m., Vicinity of Dominos
on S. Roosevelt: A person is ar-
rested on a warrant.
5:01 p.m., Police headquarters:
A found dog is turned in to the
police.
Jan. 26
9:53 a.m., 1800 block N. Frank-
lin: A burglary in the past is re-
ported.
10:53 a.m., 900 block S. Holla-
day: Firefi ghters respond to the
location for reported smoke/
gas/chemical odor.
12:04 p.m., Necancum: A dog
wandering at large is reported
and then captured.
4:05 p.m., 800 block Necani-
cum: A woman reports her son
is “pushing her around.” A case
was taken.
7:13 p.m., 800 block Necani-
cum: A disturbance is reported.
Jan. 27
3:48 p.m., Roosevelt between
the Chevron station and Sea-
side Surf: A disturbance is re-
ported.
10:01 p.m., U.S. Highway 101
near KFC: Caller requests wel-
fare check on a subject in the
roadway; the person said they
had a disagreement with a
motorist. The subject moved
along.
SEASIDE FIRE & RESCUE
PUBLIC SAFETY
LOG
1:46 p.m., Pacifi c Ridge Ele-
mentary School, Spruce Drive:
A dog bite is reported.
Jan. 22
3:30 p.m., 1700 block Thomp-
son Falls Drive: Caller reports
her neighbor is outside on his
property yelling at her hus-
band and possibly having a
nervous breakdown.
9:08 p.m., First and N. Colum-
bia: EMS call; Medix is assisted.
3:52 p.m., 1000 block Beach
Drive: Caller reports her friend
is behaving strangely and
thinks there might be some-
one in their home. They re-
quest a welfare check and a
callback.
4:41 p.m.,1800 Spruce Drive:
Caller says her son has been
staying with a friend and she
wants him home.
Jan. 25
2:36 a.m., 200 block First Ave-
nue: Police respond to a report-
ed physical disturbance.
9:37 a.m., 100 block S. Prom:
Needles are reported.
8:10 a.m., 1100 block Broad-
way: Fire alarm.
Jan. 24
7:02 p.m., 700 block Avenue Q:
A bonfi re, possibly out of con-
trol, is reported. Firefi ghters on
scene.
9:54 p.m., 1400 block S. Frank-
lin: EMS call.
10:03 p.m., 2100 block Lewis
and Clark Road: EMS call.
Jan. 26
12:51 p.m., Beach in front of
Aquarium: EMS call.
Jan. 27
8:30 a.m.,1100 block S. Wah-
anna: An odor of gas/smoke/
chemical is reported. Firefi ght-
ers on scene.
‘We lose sleep on this at
night’
Discussions about consolidation
have occurred at various times over
more than 20 years, while Asto-
ria and Seaside have continued to
invest in separate equipment and
infrastructure.
Astoria dispatch made major
upgrades as part of a response to a
2015 study by the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security. The study
also recommended consolidation.
Other studies over the years that
analyzed emergency dispatch in the
county also encouraged consolida-
tion. A single countywide 911 dis-
patch center could maximize staff -
ing and resources, improve call
times and enhance coordination,
the studies suggested.
One study in 2008 was initi-
ated after the mayors of Astoria,
Seaside, Warrenton, Gearhart and
Cannon Beach sent a letter to the
county Board of Commissioners
to investigate consolidation. The
mayors said the time had come to
move to a “single, more eff ective
and cost-effi cient system.”
Leaders at the Astoria Police
Department say the temporary
merger over the past few months
has given the county practical
experience in what the move might
look like.
“The criticality of this system
is not lost on us by any stretch,”
Astoria Police Chief Geoff Spal-
ding said. “We lose sleep on this
at night. This is such an important
system — that it works appropri-
ately and accurately.”
Spalding said the cities were
prepared for some glitches at the
start of the temporary merger.
“This was never designed to be
a permanent solution,” he said. “It
doesn’t make sense to have every-
body work out of Seaside. It’s just
not a big enough facility.
“We’re doing the best we can
with all the resources we have,”
Spalding added. “We feel the frus-
tration. We feel the pain. We feel
that also because we’re also users
of the system. At the end of the day,
we want it to be better, we want our
subscribers to be happy, but I think
we’re doing a pretty good job man-
aging a very, very complex techno-
logical system.”
While Astoria is supportive
of moving toward consolidation,
Spalding said dispatch staff are the
most signifi cant consideration in
the process.
“It has to be a very thoughtful
process because the main thing we
want to make sure of is that we take
care of our people both in Seaside
and in Astoria,” he said.
Dispatchers live in diff erent
parts of the county, Spalding said.
Where would a single countywide
911 dispatch center be located?
Who will be in charge? Those are
questions dispatchers are rightfully
concerned about during the talks,
he said.
Seaside City Manager Mark
Winstanley thinks another major
question is whether consolidation
will save taxpayer money. While he
said the dialogue between the cities
and county has been positive, he is
not sold on the idea.
“The question that’s been posed,
if nothing else, is could we coordi-
nate the upgrades that will need to
be made to the two centers, so that
basically if you work in one, you
can work in the other,” Winstanley
said.
“These are things we’ve had
a lot of conversation about. They
also lend themselves to consolidat-
ing the two dispatch centers,” he
said. “I think it’s good conversa-
tion to have.”