County opens its new dispatch center

FAYETTEVILLE — County and emergency services officials said Tuesday morning’s activation of the new dispatch center for Washington County and Central Emergency Medical Services went “seamlessly” and “even better than we expected.”

The new dispatch center, which was activated at 9 a.m. for CEMS and at 10 a.m. for the sheriff’s office, uses the new emergency communications system voters approved in March 2020.

“We had our first 911 call right after we went live,” Steve Harrison, CEMS chief, said of the launch of the new center, which is at the sheriff’s office.

The new emergency communications system links the county’s law enforcement, rural fire and ambulance services with Fayetteville and Springdale police and fire services and with entities regionally and across the state on the Arkansas Wireless Information Network.

“With the new dispatch center for CEMS and the sheriff’s office, no matter what someone out in the county calls in for, the call-takers will be right there in the same room,” Harrison said. “There will be less of a need to transfer calls and a better response to any emergency situation out there.”

John Luther, emergency services director for Washington County, said the opening marked the achievement of two separate but interconnected goals local law enforcement and emergency services officials have been working toward for seven years.

“Today is the day we go live as a county on the Arkansas Wireless Information Network and we also begin using our next-generation 911 system,” Luther said. “It’s the most up-to-date 911 software and equipment there is.”

Luther said the county formed a committee of emergency service providers to develop a plan for the new communications system and the proposal was put to a vote in March 2020.

Voters approved a temporary 0.25% sales tax to pay for the new system. The county collected money from the sales tax for one year starting July 1, 2020. County Treasurer Bobby Hill said the county received about $12.7 million from the tax and as of Tuesday, about $2.6 million remained in the fund. County Judge Patrick Deakins said any money remaining after all costs of buying and installing the equipment needed for the new system will be dedicated to maintenance and additional equipment needs.

The inauguration of the new dispatch center and the Arkansas radio system was important for the county and its residents, Deakins said.

“Our first responders are infinitely safer with this new system and that allows them to provide the public much better service,” he said.

Sheriff Jay Cantrell said the new system — installed by Motorola with help from AT&T, Smith Two-Way Radio and others — guarantees emergency radio coverage to 95% of the county. The old system, which had been used for about 18 years, may have covered 70% of the county, he said.