Ribbon Cutting: Central Susquehanna Regional 9-1-1
Name:
Ribbon Cutting: Central Susquehanna Regional 9-1-1
Date:
November 4, 2019
Registration:
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Event Description:
After several years of planning Union County 9-1-1 and Snyder County 9-1-1 are now fully integrated into Central Susquehanna Regional 9-1-1 System (CSR911). This merge is a result of a joint effort by the Union and Snyder County Commissioners to bring better service to residents while lowering the continuously increasing costs of 9-1-1 delivery. “Looking at PEMA Funding and the soaring costs of 9-1-1, we knew something needed to be changed” Commissioner Showers acknowledged.
In the spring of 2016 Snyder Commissioners Kantz, Derk and Chamberlain Roup, and Union County Commissioners Boop, Mathias, and Showers approved a study to determine the feasibility of a joint Snyder and Union County 9-1-1 Center. “We have had successful partnerships with Snyder County in other areas” stated Commissioner Boop “9-1-1 appeared to be another viable collaboration.” The study, conducted by MCM Consulting Group, revealed the merge was feasible with a $1M savings over the course of 7 years. In early December 2016 each county signed an ordinance to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with one another to create a separate legal entity known as “Central Susquehanna Regional 9-1-1 System”. CSR911 is governed jointly pursuant to the terms of the intergovernmental agreement which was adopted by each county on December 20, 2016.
Former Army Military Police Sergeant and Snyder County Emergency Services Department Head Cheryl Stiefel was hired as Executive Director of the newly formed organization. “Cheryl spent many years on a General Motors Project Team and has a masters and doctorate in business administration. “She is a good fit for where we were and where we wanted to go” Joinder Co-Chair John Mathias recognized.
Shortly after, Chad Aucker with two decades of 9-1-1 and emergency services experience was hired as CSR911 Operations Manager. “Chad was an obvious choice for Operations Manager” Stiefel acknowledged “his vast knowledge of 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 technology are the backbone of our organization.” Throughout 2017 the administrative team was developed, the new entity established, and joint operational procedures determined through a series of first responder committee meetings.
On December 31, 2017 at 2250 Snyder and Union County officially said good-bye through an open radio message. At 2300 “Central” emerged with Snyder and Union County employees became CSR911. Both Snyder and Union County continued to physically work from each location with separate CAD and phone system. January 29, 2018 the Union County location merged to the Snyder County location phone system. Feb. 1, 2018 the combined Fire/EMS and Police standard operating guidelines were placed into service.
Groundbreaking on the new consolidated building located in Snyder County occurred in July of 2018. In conjunction with the field users, programming of the new Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system continued throughout 2018 and into 2019. “A new CAD System, phone system, and building are all large stand alone projects. CSR911 has done them all simultaneously.” Operations Manager Chad Aucker muses “we’ve had our work cut out for us”. By the spring of 2019 CSR911 was ready to physically merge into the new state of the art center. As planned, the Union County side cut over on April 30, 2019 and the Snyder County side on May 14, 2019. “The consolidation did not happen overnight” recognized Commissioner Knepp “9-1-1 is a complicated system. Small steps were taken while planning out all the intricate details.”
The consolidation project was paid for through the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency’s (PEMA) Statewide Interconnectivity grant. By combining the centers, Union and Snyder Counties were able to purchase new equipment, facilities and infrastructure for 9-1-1. “The majority of cost savings are not in the daily operation, but in the continued equipment purchases as items become end of life. The consolidation has afforded us the opportunity to refresh our equipment giving us another 20 years of solid infrastructure” stated Commissioner Mathias. Over the past four years, by participating in regional projects, CSR911 has received over $4.5M of PEMA interstate connectivity awards. Commissioner Kantz adds “sharing core functions among counties 9-1-1 is a win-win. The interconnectivity allows us to back each other up in extreme situations and the State provides us with the funds to do it.”
Consolidation is not the end for CSR911 savings. “We will continue to look for opportunities to leverage funding while maintaining the integrity of the organization” Kantz committed.
In the spring of 2016 Snyder Commissioners Kantz, Derk and Chamberlain Roup, and Union County Commissioners Boop, Mathias, and Showers approved a study to determine the feasibility of a joint Snyder and Union County 9-1-1 Center. “We have had successful partnerships with Snyder County in other areas” stated Commissioner Boop “9-1-1 appeared to be another viable collaboration.” The study, conducted by MCM Consulting Group, revealed the merge was feasible with a $1M savings over the course of 7 years. In early December 2016 each county signed an ordinance to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with one another to create a separate legal entity known as “Central Susquehanna Regional 9-1-1 System”. CSR911 is governed jointly pursuant to the terms of the intergovernmental agreement which was adopted by each county on December 20, 2016.
Former Army Military Police Sergeant and Snyder County Emergency Services Department Head Cheryl Stiefel was hired as Executive Director of the newly formed organization. “Cheryl spent many years on a General Motors Project Team and has a masters and doctorate in business administration. “She is a good fit for where we were and where we wanted to go” Joinder Co-Chair John Mathias recognized.
Shortly after, Chad Aucker with two decades of 9-1-1 and emergency services experience was hired as CSR911 Operations Manager. “Chad was an obvious choice for Operations Manager” Stiefel acknowledged “his vast knowledge of 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 technology are the backbone of our organization.” Throughout 2017 the administrative team was developed, the new entity established, and joint operational procedures determined through a series of first responder committee meetings.
On December 31, 2017 at 2250 Snyder and Union County officially said good-bye through an open radio message. At 2300 “Central” emerged with Snyder and Union County employees became CSR911. Both Snyder and Union County continued to physically work from each location with separate CAD and phone system. January 29, 2018 the Union County location merged to the Snyder County location phone system. Feb. 1, 2018 the combined Fire/EMS and Police standard operating guidelines were placed into service.
Groundbreaking on the new consolidated building located in Snyder County occurred in July of 2018. In conjunction with the field users, programming of the new Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system continued throughout 2018 and into 2019. “A new CAD System, phone system, and building are all large stand alone projects. CSR911 has done them all simultaneously.” Operations Manager Chad Aucker muses “we’ve had our work cut out for us”. By the spring of 2019 CSR911 was ready to physically merge into the new state of the art center. As planned, the Union County side cut over on April 30, 2019 and the Snyder County side on May 14, 2019. “The consolidation did not happen overnight” recognized Commissioner Knepp “9-1-1 is a complicated system. Small steps were taken while planning out all the intricate details.”
The consolidation project was paid for through the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency’s (PEMA) Statewide Interconnectivity grant. By combining the centers, Union and Snyder Counties were able to purchase new equipment, facilities and infrastructure for 9-1-1. “The majority of cost savings are not in the daily operation, but in the continued equipment purchases as items become end of life. The consolidation has afforded us the opportunity to refresh our equipment giving us another 20 years of solid infrastructure” stated Commissioner Mathias. Over the past four years, by participating in regional projects, CSR911 has received over $4.5M of PEMA interstate connectivity awards. Commissioner Kantz adds “sharing core functions among counties 9-1-1 is a win-win. The interconnectivity allows us to back each other up in extreme situations and the State provides us with the funds to do it.”
Consolidation is not the end for CSR911 savings. “We will continue to look for opportunities to leverage funding while maintaining the integrity of the organization” Kantz committed.
