By Ernest Rollins
The Monroe County commissioners on Friday approved an addendum to the Spillman Technologies contract for the Central Emergency Dispatch system to add automated toner functions.
Toner functions allow dispatchers to send individual tones to each fire station the system recommends to respond to an emergency, said Jeff Schemmer, communications director of the Bloomington/Monroe County 911 Dispatch Center. Right now, when a call goes out, all stations hear the radio traffic. The automated functions also eliminate the need for the dispatcher to manually tone each of the fire stations involved, he said.
The cost to install the toner function is $63,290 and will be paid for out of the E-911 fund. There is also an annual maintenance cost of $7,200, starting in 2017. As part of the initial agreement, all local fire departments would be responsible for the maintenance costs, but the City of Bloomington Fire Department has offered to pay all the maintenance fees.
Schemmer said Perry-Clear Creek Fire Department has offered to pay a share of the maintenance costs. A separate contract between the city and Perry-Clear Creek will be worked out regarding paying for maintenance.
Read the original story here.