Brockport makes the switch to 911

As of March 3, residents of Brockport will be asked to dial 911 when they have an emergency. "911 is designed for police, fire and ambulance calls," Mayor Josephine Matela said. "Our switching to 911 for police calls will afford the police department with the latest technology and updates."

Village residents already pay for the service so Matela said they are simply going to start utilizing it.

Police Chief Dan Varrenti said the decision wasn't made to simply get rid of dispatching, it was made for financial reasons. "This wasn't a decision made to get rid of local dispatching because there is a better service (911), this decision was because of financial matters," he explained. "One of the avenues that offered a cost savings to the village was to go with Monroe County's 911 ... We aren't pioneering this ... in fact we are the last law enforcement agency in Monroe County to go to 911."

The fire department will continue to be dispatched locally, Matela said. "We have local dispatchers and it's in the best interest of the community to continue to utilize their knowledge of the community."

Fire Chief Greg Wing stressed that individuals must call 911, not the 637-1011 phone number. "The 637 number will automatically roll to the 911 center and the computer system will come up with the fire department's address as the point of contact," he explained. "If you have a medical emergency or 911 receives a hang up call from your location, they won't be able to trace where the call came from."

Once the caller has talked with the 911 telecommunicator, the call is sent back to Brockport for dispatching of fire or ambulance personnel, Wing said. "There should be no delay in service."

Switching to 911 won't affect people as greatly as they might imagine, Varrenti said. "There's no disputing that having someone who resides in, or near, the community and who is dedicated solely to dispatching for the community probably has a better vantage in knowing the area and potentially providing a better service ... there's no disputing that," he said. "But if it becomes a fiscal issue, which it did, then having 911 as an option is a very plausible and workable option one."

Residents are urged to call 911 whether they are reporting a fire or a police emergency. "After March 3, if a person calls 637-1011, it will automatically be forwarded to 911 but because it is being forwarded it will not contain the caller's address," Matela explained. "It's very important, in order to obtain an address of where the calls are being made from, to call 911 directly."

Any business or residence that utilizes an alarm system that uses an automatic dialer should make sure the dialer is programmed to dial 585-232-3100. All alarm companies not using an automatic dialer should report alarms to 585-428-6666. These alarms will be answered and dispatched by 911 personnel.

A letter has been circulated to residents and merchants in the Brockport area outlining the upcoming changes in the 911 system.

Varrenti said that dispatching is always discussed in general terms when in fact, it is two separate issues: the first is telecommunications - who answers the phone when you call; and the second is dispatching - who dispatches the emergency personnel in response to the call. "Unilaterally, all calls will be answered by the 911 operator," he said. "Police will be dispatched by 911 and fire and ambulance calls will be dispatched by a local, Brockport dispatcher."

Residents should not notice a difference when calling 911, Varrenti said. "There may be a few more, standard questions asked than before, but the service should remain the same," he said.

Wing asked that Brockport callers to the 911 center be patient with the telecommunicators. "Once you give them your address they will probably ask what the nearest intersection or crossroad is," he said. "They need to verify which department to dispatch."

As an example, Wing said there are three Lincoln Streets in Monroe County so it is crucial the 911 operators know the nearest crossroad so they can dispatch the correct department. "They (the dispatcher) might not be familiar with Brockport so be patient with them," he said.

Young children, and school students, Varrenti said, are taught to call 911. "We serve the college campus, which houses 9,000 students who come here from all over the country. "These students come to SUNY Brockport and they are not, nor should they have to be, taught to call a separate phone number ... they call 911."