BRODHEAD - A widely circulated but false rumor that the Brodhead 911 dispatch center is being shut down brought out dozens of concerned police officers, dispatchers and citizens to an emotional joint meeting of the city public safety and personnel committees Wednesday, Nov. 6.
"Our dispatchers are worth their weight in gold," Kathy West, Brodhead police officer, told the committees during the public comment period.
In all, 15 people got up to speak in favor of the Brodhead 911 dispatch center, with many more nodding in agreement and one dispatcher wiping tears from her eyes. The police department submitted a statement against shutting down the dispatch center, and Ward 1 Alder Brian Schimian handed out a seven-page, double-sided study he did on local vs. remote dispatch services, arguing for a locally controlled service.
The Brodhead 911 center is staffed and open 24 hours a day. It is housed at the city's police station and staffed with four full-time dispatchers and four part-time workers who handle emergency calls for police and the Brodhead Fire Department and EMS.
Staff at the dispatch center also handle administrative duties such as police report filing, and the center functions as an after-hours call center for city utilities.
The logistics of getting rid of the center "is just ridiculous," West said.
If the center is eliminated, 911 calls in the area would be directed to the Green County dispatch center 15 miles away in Monroe. Police and other emergency responders at the meeting said this would cause serious communication issues and slow down response time. Local dispatchers who know the community are invaluable, they agreed.
The dispatch center also provides Brodhead Elderly Emergency Monitoring Service (BEEMS), an emergency alert system that currently serves about 80 clients. Without the service, residents would have to go through a private alert system. Several at the meeting spoke out about how BEEMS has rescued them or helped out an elderly parent.
"I would've died. It's saved my life," said Jessie Gilbertson, a rural Brodhead resident, describing an emergency medical situation she had four days before Christmas last year. If her call had been routed through Green County, "I would have not made it."
Patricia Braun, a Brodhead resident, described BEEMS as "just like having a friend" looking out. "If anything happens, it is the police department that is always there," she said.
In the end, the committees made no decision on whether to open an investigation into possible defunding or structural changes to the dispatch center. A decision on how to move forward was pushed off to next month's public safety committee meeting. This will be at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4.
A rumor sparked the need for Wednesday's invitation for public comment. Circulated anonymously via email and Facebook, rumor spread that the dispatch center would be gutted as early as next year.
Anne Marie Elmer, member of the personnel committee, assured the assembled crowd that city officials had not yet even discussed the possibility of closing the center. The city's 2014 draft budget includes $274,311 for center staffing.
"I hope that puts some rumors, or minds, at ease," she said.
Cal Wickline, another member of the personnel committee, admitted the rumor may have started with a citizen who approached him with a request to find out "what can be done about the cost of dispatch to Brodhead." He told the man he'd look into it and called the Green County sheriff to get an idea of how the county could provide the service to Brodhead.
"I mentioned it to no one else," he said. He helped start the dispatch center years ago, he added. "This thing got blown out of proportion."
Tim Stocks, a public safety committee member, said he'd be in favor of evaluating the dispatch center for changes. Looking into the cost-effectiveness of the center "doesn't hurt anybody," he said. He also responded to police officers who said other agencies rely on the Brodhead dispatch center: "If we're that good, let's sell (our services)."
"Our dispatchers are worth their weight in gold," Kathy West, Brodhead police officer, told the committees during the public comment period.
In all, 15 people got up to speak in favor of the Brodhead 911 dispatch center, with many more nodding in agreement and one dispatcher wiping tears from her eyes. The police department submitted a statement against shutting down the dispatch center, and Ward 1 Alder Brian Schimian handed out a seven-page, double-sided study he did on local vs. remote dispatch services, arguing for a locally controlled service.
The Brodhead 911 center is staffed and open 24 hours a day. It is housed at the city's police station and staffed with four full-time dispatchers and four part-time workers who handle emergency calls for police and the Brodhead Fire Department and EMS.
Staff at the dispatch center also handle administrative duties such as police report filing, and the center functions as an after-hours call center for city utilities.
The logistics of getting rid of the center "is just ridiculous," West said.
If the center is eliminated, 911 calls in the area would be directed to the Green County dispatch center 15 miles away in Monroe. Police and other emergency responders at the meeting said this would cause serious communication issues and slow down response time. Local dispatchers who know the community are invaluable, they agreed.
The dispatch center also provides Brodhead Elderly Emergency Monitoring Service (BEEMS), an emergency alert system that currently serves about 80 clients. Without the service, residents would have to go through a private alert system. Several at the meeting spoke out about how BEEMS has rescued them or helped out an elderly parent.
"I would've died. It's saved my life," said Jessie Gilbertson, a rural Brodhead resident, describing an emergency medical situation she had four days before Christmas last year. If her call had been routed through Green County, "I would have not made it."
Patricia Braun, a Brodhead resident, described BEEMS as "just like having a friend" looking out. "If anything happens, it is the police department that is always there," she said.
In the end, the committees made no decision on whether to open an investigation into possible defunding or structural changes to the dispatch center. A decision on how to move forward was pushed off to next month's public safety committee meeting. This will be at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4.
A rumor sparked the need for Wednesday's invitation for public comment. Circulated anonymously via email and Facebook, rumor spread that the dispatch center would be gutted as early as next year.
Anne Marie Elmer, member of the personnel committee, assured the assembled crowd that city officials had not yet even discussed the possibility of closing the center. The city's 2014 draft budget includes $274,311 for center staffing.
"I hope that puts some rumors, or minds, at ease," she said.
Cal Wickline, another member of the personnel committee, admitted the rumor may have started with a citizen who approached him with a request to find out "what can be done about the cost of dispatch to Brodhead." He told the man he'd look into it and called the Green County sheriff to get an idea of how the county could provide the service to Brodhead.
"I mentioned it to no one else," he said. He helped start the dispatch center years ago, he added. "This thing got blown out of proportion."
Tim Stocks, a public safety committee member, said he'd be in favor of evaluating the dispatch center for changes. Looking into the cost-effectiveness of the center "doesn't hurt anybody," he said. He also responded to police officers who said other agencies rely on the Brodhead dispatch center: "If we're that good, let's sell (our services)."