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Show Mayors Approve Petition On 8 11 By ROSELYN KIRK FARMINGTON - Mayors of Davis County cities voted in favor of a move by Davis County Sheriff William J. Lawrence to petition Mountain Moun-tain Bell Telephone Company for a county-wide 911 emergency emer-gency number. They will ask for approval from their city councils before deciding whether to vote to authorize the Council of Governments (COG) to issue a letter of intent in-tent to Mountain Bell. SHERIFF Lawrence said he has met with Mountain Bell officials who have agreed to consider the implementation implementa-tion of a county-wide emergency emer-gency number provided the county favors the proposal. According to Sheriff Lawrence, after Mountain Bell receives the letter of intent, in-tent, the telephone company will consider placing the county's request on a priority list. If things run smoothly. Sheriff Lawrence hopes the emergency number will be available by the time the construction on the addition to sheriff's office and jail is complete and the communications com-munications system opens in that building. IF APPROVED, the letter of intent would specify that the county agrees to pick up monthly costs of $12,180 for a total of five years, in addition lo a one-time $1,500 installation installa-tion cost. Sheriff Lawrence said this charge is small compared to the cost of installing ins-talling the system which Mountain Bell estimates at $2110,000. According to Sheriff Lawrence, when the 911 system sys-tem was installed in Salt Lake City and county it cost from $1': to $2 million, but the system will be less expensive in Davis County due to the fact a cooperative communication com-munication system has already been set up. MAYORS suggested the possibility of pro-rating the cost among the cities, but Sheriff Lawrence said yearly cost might be found in the sheriff's office budget. According to Sheriff Lawrence, the possibility of creating an emergency communication com-munication system has been considered for two years since the Emergency Medical Services Ser-vices Council was set up about two years ago. At the present time, four dispatch centers serve county residents with only cities from Centerville south having the 911 number through the Bountiful city dispatch center. IN THE three other dispatch dis-patch centers, Davis County, Layton and Clearfield, residents must look up police or fire numbers and dial those numbers to get emergency-service. emergency-service. According to Sheriff Lawrence, if the county-wide emergency number were available it would tie all four communication systems together with a hotline. All cities would have free access to a communications network, allowing them contact con-tact with ambulances and paramedics. The system will also have call transfer capability, party hold capability and an emergency ring-back. IF THE system becomes available, the present 911 system in the south end of the county would be revamped and ihe county would install a completely electronic system county-wide. In an earlier meeting North Sail Lake City councilman, Bill Jackson, had told North Salt Lake Council that city officials talked with other South Davis County mayors who said they opposed- a county-wide svstem. Instead, he said the cities in the south wanted to stick with the 911 number which goes through the Bountiful Dispatch system. sys-tem. NO MENTION of this position posi-tion surfaced at the COG meeting. |
