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Thursday, September 26, 2019

NorCo 911 Responds to Bath Concerns

A week ago today, Northampton County Council member Matt Dietz raised three concerns brought to his attention by Bath firefighters about the 911 Center. First, they were missing callouts. Second, they said 911 was giving bad directions for some emergencies because a bridge is out in their response are. Third, they argued that the closest fire company or EMS should be dispatched to an emergency, regardless whether it is in the municipality. Dietz raised these issues at a Council meeting because, ironically, Bath was having trouble getting an answer from 911. He wanted to alert his fellow Council members and wondered whether this could be a symptom of a more widespread problem related to the recent consolidation of Bethlehem City and the County.

Below is 911's response to Dietz concerns, which the County was kind enough to forward to me.

You know, a little knowledge can be dangerous. I found that out after publishing my story. What ensued were 52 comments, many from people far more knowledgeable about EMS than I. They include Peter Melan, Ben Miller, Bath Mayor Fiorella R. Mirabito and East Allen Fire Chief Jon Kopishke. One of the things I learned is that proximity to an emergency is only one of several factors considered in determining how to respond. I learned it is the fire chief in the affected municipality who decides on a response plan, which is entered into 911's computer aided dispatch (CAD). Finally, it appears that the dropped calls experienced by Bath are a localized issue unrelated to the consolidation. Had the problem been more widespread, I would have learned that pretty quickly in the responses.

Having said that, the county's 911 center is due for some changes since the first EMS call was made in 1968. Governing explores some of these changes, and I will address them in a separate story, proving again that I know nothing.

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13 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2019 at 6:56 AM

    Looks like a typical cover up. Ask county wide about how the 911 center is run by goofy from disney character ( THEY DO LOOK ALIKE) Todd weaver and enough said. If he was not such a half decent bs'R HOW WOULD HE HAVE GOTTEN THIS FAR? He is not qualified nor educated to run an organization as big as Nor Co. Perhaps maybe the parking lot attendant at the Blue Valley Farm show maybe? The problem is simple- Weaver- uneducated and unqualified!

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2019 at 8:04 AM

    6:56 AM - Your belittling and condescending remarks, with name calling diminishes your argument. Your post says more about you, than what you are trying to communicate.

    I do agree, that Mr. Weaver's account was poorly written. Grammar, punctuation and sentence structure was poorly exercised. Someone should have proofread Mr. Weaver's explanation. If this is an example of Mr. Weaver's abilities, than the County is poorly served.

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2019 at 8:22 AM

    From 8:04 AM - I should have proofread my own remarks. Should have written, "...then the County is poorly served."

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2019 at 8:50 AM

    Oh great the clash of the punKuation police! Bernie save us now!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2019 at 9:09 AM

    Your deriding scoff adds nothing to the conversation.

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  6. Bernie O'HareSeptember 26, 2019 at 10:05 AM

    Yeah, let’s focus on the actual issues.

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  7. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2019 at 10:17 AM

    It is inherent for UHF equipment to perform less effectively than VHF in non-urban areas. The lower in frequency, the better it carries over an open space. That's one of the reasons that the VHF dispatching channels are still being used simultaneously. Other departments experience the same inadequacies when using UHF pagers.

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  8. LVCISeptember 26, 2019 at 11:32 AM

    UHF (digital) RF devices definitely do have more reflective properties. It was one of the greatest problems NYC fire fighters cited for not being able to connect with their responders inside the World trade Center on 9-11.

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  9. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2019 at 12:38 PM

    Informative. Learned something today. Thanks.

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  10. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2019 at 1:16 PM

    Mayor Fi and Manager Brad wrong again even if Mr. Weaver can't write. But those two win Mayor and Manager of the Year from the Chamber. Yikes. I give Mayor Fi 90 minutes to rant, starting now.

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  11. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2019 at 4:40 PM

    You'd be a little funny, too, if you grew up drinking Bath water.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2019 at 7:43 PM

    Cover-up by McClure. On of many. Dertinger has a mancrush on Weaver.

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousSeptember 27, 2019 at 1:49 AM

    For a clean deal, come to Bath.

    ReplyDelete

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