Butler County will soon be utilizing a new, four-county police and fire dispatch protocol system.
County Emergency Services Director Steve Bicehouse said Butler, Lawrence, Mercer and Venango counties will be using this as part of a shared computer-aided dispatch project.
Residents will notice the change if they call 911, according to Bicehouse. They may be asked more, of different, questions as to the reason why they are calling.
The goal is to ask better questions to those calling 911 so that the best information can then be relayed to emergency responders.
“This will change the amount of questions dispatchers ask and the information that’s gathered from those questions,” Bicehouse told the Butler County commissioners during a meeting on Wednesday. “It will better try to determine truly what’s happening and what resources are needed.”
The four-county group is already using the same medical dispatch system.
“It will improve our ability to maintain a quality standard,” Bicehouse said. “And improve the information that we give to the emergency responders, that they then use to make informed decisions before they ever arrive on scene.”
This project is entirely funded by the state and is a requirement to implement. No county money is being spent.