FALMOUTH, Ky. — Pendleton County will soon route all 911 calls from its own distribution center to the Kentucky State Police’s dispatch center.
The Pendleton County Fiscal Court voted on the transition on Tuesday. It will go into effect at some point in the next 60 to 90 days, according to a county spokesperson.
"It’s always been a profession to be proud of, but it’s changed with the times," said Matthew Sorrell, a Pendleton County dispatcher for 22 years.
The switch will save upwards of $250,000, a county spokesperson said. In the process, 16 dispatchers will lose their job.
"This was a complete money issue. There’s no way around it," dispatcher Ron Maddox said.
For residents, the level or method of service when they call 911 will not change, the county said. However, dispatchers said they’re sentimental about the loss of the local voice on the other end of the phone.
"You don’t have that personalization," Maddox said. "You don’t have that intimacy that you really need and want."
Dispatch supervisor Angie Wright said knowing she’s helping the grandparent of someone she knows get emergency medical attention makes the work even more fulfilling. Local knowledge of the area comes in handy, too.
“We can literally get any of our responders anywhere in the county without having to look at the map,” she said.
GPS systems will be essential for the new call operators, which will be based out of the Kentucky State Police Post 6 in Dry Ridge. That’s where 911 dispatch for neighboring Grant County has been housed since 2005, when it made the same transition Pendleton County is going through now.
Chuck Dills, Grant County Judge Executive, said there "were some concerns" when the transition took place and he was sheriff.
"At the end of the day, the ones responding are your local first responders," Dills said.
Those first responders will be getting their calls from a little longer distance.
"But on behalf of myself and my coworkers, thank you for allowing us to serve you," said Sorrell with Pendleton County dispatch. "We'll see you down the road and we'll see you in our communities. We're still going to live here. And Godspeed."
A county spokesperson said the state would consider hiring those 911 dispatchers if they apply. The current dispatchers said they have not yet been given an official last day and are still weighing their options.
