NCJ Number
70384
Date Published
Unknown
Length
41 pages
Annotation
The emergency communications systems in Charlottesville, Va., are reviewed, and recommendations for improvements are presented.
Abstract
At present, the law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and emergency medical and emergency preparedness services of the city, the surrounding county of Albemarle, and the University of Virginia have separate emergency telephone numbers and radio frequency components. In addition, existing console equipment in the city and county is obsolete due to age and design. The replacement of this equipmnent and the consolidation of all communications command and control capabilities for the public safety services are recommended. Since the university uses the latest available console equipment and operates on the 460 UHF band, this frequency is recommended for future use by the other agencies. Radio 'patch' equipment should be purchased to allow the direct connection of low and high VHF and UHF on the existing console equipment. The university's console should be used as the primary dispatch tool, with the city equipment as back up. The local telephone company reported that a local 911 system for emergency telephone calls is not available presently. Therefore, the interim adoption of 7-digit emergency numbers which would include 911 as the last three digits for each agency is also recommended. The existing centralized jail facility participatory agreements and management structure could serve as a model for developing a similar communications service agency. Attachments include a listing of present emergency telephone numbers and a description of 911 operating requirements.