KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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The Cass County Emergency Services Board began working on a project in early 2022 to bring new dispatching software into five Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) in the county.
"It's not that we weren't happy with our old system," explained Cass County Sheriff Jeff Weber. "We were somewhat outgrowing it."
Two weeks ago, the new software was unveiled.
All PSAPs are operating under the platform called CentralSquare. The technology routes all calls for service in the county into one system, allowing each call center to cross jurisdictions when necessary.
The goal is to increase efficiency in first respondent dispatching.
"A call may have a component of fire, police and EMS," Weber said. "If you have to take that at every jurisdictional boundary and initiate a new call or transfer, you can imagine how inefficient that could be. This system allows that seamless transfer."
The funding for the system comes from the emergency services board, Weber said.
"We’re operating on half what the original tax was," he said. "We have been pretty efficient. It’s a public trust thing; we did it and public safety is better for it.”
The Cass County Emergency Services Board is comprised of elected members from the individual PSAPs in the county, along with Weber.
The board funds and oversees the county radio system built from money voters approved in 2007.
Once the board paid off the radio system, taxes were rolled back. Funding for the new software won't cost taxpayers more money.
Sheriff Weber says call volume has increased in many agencies in the region.
Those increases are felt by crews working in the call centers.
Jessica Adams has been a dispatcher with Cass County for three years.
“If there is a call and Belton needs our assistance, they can send the call to us and we can see what they're dispatching and we can relay it out over the radio to let our deputies know in real-time," Adams said.
Mid-America Regional Council Regional Ringtime Range data submitted Aug. 1 reported the Cass County Sheriff's Office answered 99.6% of its service calls within 15 seconds, surpassing the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) industry standard of 90% of calls answered within 15 seconds.
The same report found the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department fell short of NENA standards, answering 41.93% of service calls within 15 seconds.
A survey conducted by Mark43, a competing public safety technology company, found 75% of first responders are aware of 911 dispatcher shortages in their community.
Over half of those in the survey cited mental and emotional problems, irregular hours and a need for updated technology as the main problems in attracting and keeping employees.
Adams told KSHB 41 stress comes with the job and it can increase when systems aren't working properly.
“Our biggest thing is finding out where people are at if the call drops," she said. "We can send everyone. Having technology and better technology that works well with us is beneficial to that stress load."
Cass County has not experienced the lower retention rates seen in other departments.
The agency worked closely with its communications team to find what software would benefit them the most.
The sheriff's department says it's doing its best to help dispatchers with stress levels and mental health.
Sheriff Weber says operators have navigated kinks in the system and the program is working as planned.
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