Wayne working to complete 911 emergency system

By TOM KANE

HONESDALE, PA — Under the bowels of the annex behind the Wayne County Court House in the Communications Center or “ComCenter,” a group of workers are completing the 911 emergency system, which was begun five years ago.

	TRR photo by Tom Kane Director Marty Hedgelon exams a screen with dispatcher Rachel Bell at the Honesdale ComCenter. (Click for larger image)

“We’ll have the entire system completely done by December of next year,” said Wayne County Communication Director Marty Hedgelon.

At that time every county dwelling and building will be automatically identified by computers, displaying a full range of information when a person makes an emergency call to the ComCenter.

“Eventually, when someone calls, the console will show exactly where the building is, what road it is on, what road it’s near, what the owner’s name is, the telephone number, and what fire and ambulance district it’s in.”

ComCenter staff and Woodland Design of Beach Lake, consultants, are currently identifying every road, eliminating duplicate names, assigning a name to every driveway that is 200 feet long and has three dwellings along it, and assigning house numbers every 52.8 feet.

“There will be no more RR’s or RD’s when this is finished,” Hedgelon said.

Part of the payment for the system comes from a surcharge of $1.50 on every residential and business phone bill.

“We’re working in very close association with the phone companies and the post offices,” Hedgelon said.

The data collected and codified by the ComCenter will become part of a Geographical Information System (GIS), a computer-assisted design (CAD) computer system that identifies all of a community’s material resources.