911 dispatch computer system in need of upgrade

Friday, May 23, 2014

A properly functioning 911 system may soon be costing Putnam County a pretty penny.

Dispatch director Dave Costin approached the Putnam County Commissioners and Putnam County Council recently to discuss the current status of the computer-aided dispatch system.

Software provider Tiburon, the fourth owner of the software system in six years, contacted Costin last year to say the current version the county is using will be decommissioned as of Sept. 1, 2014.

This means the county could continue to use the current system, but would have no technical support from Tiburon.

In the time since, Costin has examined a number of options, not only getting several quotes on a new system, but also assembling a committee of emergency leaders from the county, including EMA Director and Chief Deputy Tom Helmer, Operation Life Executive Director Kraig Kinney, Greencastle Police Chief Tom Sutherlin and Greencastle Fire Chief Bill Newgent.

The least expensive of the options comes from Tiburon, listed in the neighborhood of $600,000.

However, the most appealing option is from InterAct. While the system would come with the large price tag of $941,000, it likely provides the county with a more-advanced system going forward and one that will interface better with other systems throughout the state.

At this point, InterAct serves the State of Indiana as well as 45 counties. By using the same system, Putnam County would be able to share police and fire information much more easily with the state and across county lines.

"The day is going to come when this data has to be available and interchangeable," Costin said.

To some degree, the day has already come. Kinney related to both boards how the latest version of Operation Life's software will not even interface with the old dispatch system because the latter is too old.

The Operation Life director also said the committee members had gone through the various options offered by InterAct, choosing only those they felt were absolutely necessary.

"I don't feel it is gold-plated by any means," Kinney told the commissioners on Monday.

He gave a similar message to the council on Tuesday.

"I know it is high overall," Kinney said, "but we feel it would be a positive and a good, long-term investment for the county."

While upgrade costs had not been previously known, this month was not the first that county leaders had heard of the need for an upgrade. Costin alerted them of the upcoming need in 2013, even making it part of the discussions during budget hearings with the council last year.

With extensive research done, the time to act is approaching fast. Even with the Sept. 1 deadline, Costin knows it will take several months to transition from old to new system.

"I've got no choice," Costin said.

In researching a new system, Costin has also looked into how it might be paid for. He presented a proposal for financing from Old National Bank. While other banks may be explored, the proposal gives the county an idea of what a financing plan might look like.

Further discussions of a new system will take place in June, with Costin hoping a decision can be reached during July.

Comments
View 1 comment
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • This is not an investment. This is perpetual debt. While you pay off the principle you continue to have to fund the annual licensing fees, support/maintenance costs, and whatever else creeps up after the fact. By the time you get it paid off (if your lucky), the new system will be at it's end of life. Then let the process come to life once again (5x current cost). $1,000,000 is a ton of money in a county that can barely afford to keep fuel in it's taxpayer funded fleet of $60,000 SUVs... Please let common sense prevail.

    -- Posted by jorge on Sat, May 24, 2014, at 2:35 AM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: