Gogebic County Enhanced 911 Committee to Meet Monday

IRONWOOD, MI - Saturday, August 22, 2009 - The Gogebic County Enhanced 911 Committee will hold it's regular monthly meeting on Monday August 24, 2009, at 1:30 PM, in the Ironwood Public Safety Department Conference Room on McLeod Avenue.

A major issue that has been the topic of discussion for the Committee is whether to stay with Negaunee 911 Dispatch or to begin using Iron County, Michigan's 911 Dispatch until a dispatch center can be established in Gogebic County.

Currently, Gogebic County is served by the Michigan State Police Negaunee Dispatch Center. Initially, when Enhanced 911 service was established in Gogebic County, minor glitches occurred with Negaunee Dispatch. This is to be expected anytime there is such a massive change of service. The problems were quickly ironed out, and Negaunee Dispatch has served the County well.

The ultimate decision will be financial in nature. Few will disagree that Negaunee has done a good job serving Gogebic County.  Iron County claims it can provide an equal level of service and a considerable savings. Skeptics who have examined both facilities find it hard to believe, considering the quality of equipment and the number of trained dispatchers available at any given time. Negaunee has made a considerable investment in state-of-the-art, next-generation dispatching equipment. They also have enough full-time dispatchers to handle major emergency situations.

At the last Enhanced 911 meeting, the Committee decided to have an independent consultant evaluate available services to determine the best direction for the Committee to take.