TOLEDO, Ohio — It's been four months since Lucas County's eight regional 911 call centers were consolidated into one central hub at the 911 Regional Council of Governments in Central Toledo.
So far, Sylvania's director of public safety says the new system is experiencing some growing pains. However, both city leaders and county 911 officials say they're working together to improve operations.
"When you bring in that many agencies together, you just have to change some of those procedures and everybody has to adapt to each other," Sylvania Director of Public Safety Kevin Aller said.
Sylvania is just one of the 21 Lucas County municipalities that joined the consolidated 911 call center late last year.
In 2019, the county committee that oversees 911 operations voted to consolidate Lucas County's call centers into one, larger operation. The move came after a study found that it could not only cut operational costs from $15.38 million a year to $10.17 million a year, but also improve service by reducing the number of misdirected calls.
But Aller said Sylvania officials are concerned about delayed response time for calls and a high demand for service when large events are happening elsewhere in the county. During these high-demand times, Aller said agencies often have communication issues that may delay response time.
When asked for comment, Lucas County 911 Regional Council of Governments Deputy Director Brian Twining offered a written response:
"This is a new process for all parties and the collaboration with all agencies is greatly appreciated. While the RCOG meets or exceeds state standards, as with any organization, our goal is to provide the best possible service to citizens of Lucas County."
Sylvania's director of public safety said the city will continue monitoring for other issues so they can continue improving the process. He expects within the year or two all of Lucas County's local agencies will be fully adjusted to the new consolidated system.