June 10, 2009 THE VILLADOM TIMES III • Page 9
Ho-Ho-Kus
Chief responds to survey on police dispatch
by Jennifer Crusco Bergen County recently asked its municipalities to consider having the county handle 911 emergency calls and dispatch functions for police, fire, and emergency medical operations. L. Robert Kimball & Associates, Inc., the county’s consultant in this matter, recently asked each municipality to conduct a 911 and dispatch survey, which Police Chief Gregory Kallenberg recently completed for Ho-Ho-Kus. According to Kimball’s letter to the borough, “The intent of the study is to identify opportunities to improve the delivery of public safety communications and 911 services to the citizens of the county, to enhance the safety of first responders in the many law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services departments and to provide these services in the most cost effective manner possible. “Currently, there are 62 primary and secondary public safety answering points (PSAPs) and public safety dispatch points (PSDPs) operating in the county that answer 911 calls directly or have 911 calls transferred to them. Several towns within the county are currently served by shared 911/dispatch center operations and have benefitted from greater efficiency and fewer transfers of 911 calls from PSAP to PSAP. The Kimball study will identify if, and where, additional opportunities for the sharing of 911 and dispatch services make sense for future development.” The letter further states that the county is offering a voluntary, not a compulsory, opportunity to benefit from potential cost efficiencies and a high level of public safety services. A new county communications dispatch and 911 center is currently under construction at the Law & Public Safety Institute in Mahwah. “No assumptions concerning the participation of other agencies were made by the county in the planning of the new facility,” the letter states. “However, since the construction of a PSAP occurs once in a generation, it was logical to size the dispatch center to be large enough to accommodate future growth and allow for the possibility of some degree of participation of other agencies at some point in time.” Last week, Chief Kallenberg said the borough currently works with Mahwah on its 911 emergency service. The cost of that service is approximately 65 cents per borough resident, or $2,659 a year. Even though 911 calls are received in Mahwah, Kallenberg said the Ho-Ho-Kus Police
Department responds quickly. “The call is received and there is immediate dispatch, even if it goes through Mahwah,” the chief confirmed. Dispatch for police, fire, and ambulance services are handled by a handful of fulltime and part-time dispatchers. “Our dispatchers know people so well they don’t always need an address. They know the name and the location,” Kallenberg said, commenting on the calls that are received at Ho-Ho-Kus Police Headquarters. He said the survey asked for detailed information about the borough’s dispatch operation and the equipment the department uses.
The 61st Annual YAC Dinner and Fundraiser will take place on Saturday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m. This year’s fundraiser will be a pig roast catered by Ho-Ho-Kus chef/ caterer Frank Demarco. The event will be held in a private home in Ho-Ho-Kus. Fundraiser prizes include a fall weekend in Vermont, a summer week in Block Island, and rounds of golf at some of Bergen County’s finest golf courses. Live entertainment will be provided by Moxie, a local band. The Contemporary Club of Ho-Ho-Kus will be offering a cash prize. Tickets are on
YAC Dinner & Fundraiser set
sale now at $100 each. Call (201) 445-4142. Ticket holders need not be present at the event to win. Local beneficiaries will include the Community Emergency Reserve Fund, the Youth Activities Council, the Ho-Ho-Kus Chamber of Commerce, The Ho-Ho-Kus Recreation Association, the Ho-Ho-Kus Volunteer Fire Department, the Ho-HoKus Volunteer Ambulance Corps Scholarship Fund, the Contemporary Club of Ho-Ho-Kus, and the Senior Citizens of HoHo-Kus.
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