Community: The City of Dearborn
Population: 10,000+
The City of Dearborn recently completed an innovative intergovernmental project which culminated in the creation of a state-of-the-art Unified Dispatch Center which incorporated five other communities within Wayne County (Westland, Wayne, Garden City, Inkster, and Melvindale).
As technology evolved, Dearborn looked to consolidate dispatch as a way to maximize public safety resources, while improving safety for our first responders and citizens. The timing for this project was crucial for many communities as new costs were on the horizon for infrastructure related to the enhanced 911 system. Utilizing grant funding, Dearborn was able to build out a state-of-the-art dispatch center large enough to incorporate multiple dispatch centers into a single facility.
Through this consolidation, each community benefits from: having more dispatchers available to assist with emergencies, improved technology, the ability to share crucial information which impacts multiple jurisdictions, and significantly reduced operating costs.
Replicability:
With advancements in technology, and through the establishment of a task force of representatives from multiple city departments, the City of Dearborn was able develop a plan to dispatch for a much larger regional area by leveraging technology and economies of scale. After consulting with experts and conducting our own research, the City of Dearborn developed a cost per call model which can be applied to any community. While our project currently includes six communities, it can continue to expand utilizing the same model. The model can be applied to any PSAP throughout Michigan seeking to replicate cost savings and improved efficiencies.
Creativity and Originality:
Prior to this project, Western Wayne County hosted more than 12 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). By utilizing improvements in dispatch technology, the City of Dearborn was able to consolidate a number of redundant PSAPs into one Dearborn Unified Dispatch Center. By seeking "outside the box" solutions, the City of Dearborn was able to provide a better dispatch service to its residents and first responders while saving costs through economies of scale and through reduction of redundancies between PSAPs.
Community Impact:
The impact on Dearborn and the other five communities involved has been significant. First responders and citizens are now safer as we have more dispatchers and call-takers available in one center to handle large-scale emergencies. The project also allows public safety to rapidly share information which may have impacts on multiple jurisdictions. We have also had significant cooperation with our private sector partners who have begun to participate in providing various video feeds and information which is beneficial to the safety of our citizens. Finally, each community has reduced costs which allow for money to be spent on other important services.
