The Kentucky State Police presented a plan for E911 services to the Paducah City Commission and the McCracken County Fiscal Court last night. Major John Bradley says the consolidated dispatch service is the largest proposed in the state and would cost $1.2 million in startup costs.
“And, like I said, it’s an economy of scale. It’s cheaper to consolidate resources because you’re sharing resources then,” Bradley said. “Obviously, some of that cost is past along to you in the $698,000 annually that we anticipate it will take to break even on the project.”
Consolidating Paducah-McCracken County’s E911 service at KSP Post 1 would double the post’s call volume and require the construction of a new building there, which could take up to 2 years.
The city and county will cover local costs related to radio infrastructure, in-car radio, and expenses related to telecommunications from Paducah to the Post 1 dispatch center.
“You’re going to have to be ready for next gen 911, as well that’s, you know, text to 911, possibly video streaming,” Bradley said. “The phone companies are not ready to do that yet but there are FCC mandates that say they’re going to have to be ready by July 2016.”
KSP can contract desired services not included in the basic proposal. Some services, such as emergency siren activations and communications with the Centrus Energy Corp. plant, formerly USEC, will have to be done locally.
An annual service agreement with KSP would cost Paducah-McCracken $700-thousand annually, with a total annual cost estimated at $1.3 million. The area’s current dispatch center has a $1.6 million dollar budget and 18 dispatchers. Bradley says there is no guarantee current city/county dispatchers would be hired at the new center.
