June 20--The 9-1-1 Technical Advisory Committee took care of business in quick fashion Wednesday at the emergency management agency.
The committee is comprised of a number of emergency response officials from agencies all around the county. It is chaired by Jason Roblin, Huron County emergency management agency director.
Roblin informed the group the 9-1-1 fund contains $560,725. "But $408,000 of that will be gone soon for the new system," he said.
"That will leave us about $152,000 left," Roblin said. "With receipts we should have about $160,000 or $170,000 by the next time we meet (September).
"Our goal is to let it (fund) grow again," he added. "Beef it up to $200,000 or $300,000."
Roblin broke down the number of 9-1-1 calls from October through May.
"For Norwalk and Willard, their call volumes have gone up -- considerably," he said. "Probably three times more.
"And there are not a lot of calls being transferred back to the sheriff's office, maybe 5 percent," Roblin said.
Huron County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Ted Patrick said the sheriff's office recently received a pair of 9-1-1 calls from out-of-county, including Morrow County.
"That's a hiccup within the system," Roblin said.
"One needed a squad," Patrick said.
Roblin said it happens from time to time. When a person is talking on their laptop and they are away from home, the system might conclude the call is coming from that person's home address or area, rather than where they are at on the road.
Roblin said they are also working on a situation on Ohio 60 in Ashland County just south of the Huron County line where the 9-1-1 address was registering north of New London.
The committee approved spending $248 per month on a network redundancy set-up at the Frontier office.
"That contract is for five years," Roblin said.
Finally, fire officials voiced concern over two fires Friday at two locations on North West Street in Norwalk because, originally, Bellevue firefighters were dispatched to Northwest Street in Bellevue.
Roblin said that occurred because the customer's cable phone provider had the North West Street, Norwalk, residence entered into the 9-1-1 database incorrectly as Bellevue.
Norwalk Fire Capt. John Soisson said those two fires still are under investigation.
One of the fires was set on a porch at 68 1/2 N. West St. while the other was down the street at the portable restroom at the entrance of the Firelands Rails to Trails.
Copyright 2013 - Norwalk Reflector, Ohio
