Concerns raised over Scott County 911 calls

BENTON, Mo. -- There will be some changes in the way Scott County and its ambulance districts document emergency calls.

On Thursday, commissioners met with representatives of the NBC Fire Protection District and North Scott County Ambulance District during their regular session. The meeting was in response to concerns brought up by Shawna Smith, who works with both agencies.

"She was concerned about documenting times," Commissioner Dennis Ziegenhorn said. "She has to fill out reports to send in, and there are discrepancies in times from when the call is received and dispatched."

Presiding Commissioner Jamie Burger said that when the E-911 call center receives calls, the call is immediately dispatched to whatever service is needed, but logs indicate there is sometimes a delay between the time the call is received and the dispatching takes place.

"So now, we will begin being more descriptive on the pages, making notes on the bottom if there is a delay, such as that the dispatcher was still talking to the caller," he said. Those notes will explain the reasons behind a longer than ordinary delay between the time the call is received and emergency crews are dispatched.

Larry Chasteen, director of North Scott County Ambulance, called the situation a dilemma, especially when it comes to liability if sued. He offered a fix, however.

"The best solution for us would be if the county's 911 centers were in one spot," he said. "It would fix a whole lot of problems, as far as delays."

Last year, the Miner center was shut down and combined with Scott County. However, Chaffee and Scott City still have their own call centers.

"We're all for" combining the centers for one in Benton, Burger said. "Without any reservations. It just makes sense."

There are no current plans to combine the centers.