KCEC Command Center Schism Endangers Public Safety

Last night the Town Council voted to accept a NM DFA grant for enhanced E911 and dispatch technology. Although a final decision for the location of the equipment was put off until March 12, the council indicated that it preferred moving the equipment for emergency 911 and dispatch to the KCEC Command Center. As well the council voted to terminate the 911-dispatch Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) with other entities in one year or until a new JPA could be worked out.

Currently, the state allows one PSAP or Public Safety Access Point per county, or in some cases two. Red River and the Town of Taos each have a PSAP, licensed by the state for E911 services. Currently, the town operates the PSAP, originally assigned to Taos County and acts as fiscal agent. In turn the E911 technicians, who answer emergency phone also “dispatch” emergency responders. So if you phone 911 for an ambulance or law enforcement, then the technician who answers the emergency calls the appropriate emergency responder—fire department, sheriff, cop, state police, or ambulance.

For years the town and county have borne most of the cost, about $288,000 each for emergency calls and dispatch. Questa, Taos Ski Valley, and Taos Pueblo also contribute to the cost of public safety. Currently the town owns the 911-dispatch center on Civic Plaza Drive, a 5000 square foot reinforced concrete structure, needing negligible renovations. Contrary to public statements by town councilors, the building contains little or no asbestos with the possible exception of a few tiles, covered by carpet, presenting no threat to employees.

More than a decade ago KCEC CEO Luis Reyes began lobbying for support to build a “Command Center” that would combine emergency operations and sought collaboration from the town, county, forest service/BLM, state police, etc. Reyes argued that economies of scale and collaboration would save money and provide central organizing services during an emergency. In the blowback after 9/11, Homeland Security became a kind of buzzword for capital support among congressmen and politicians seeking to capitalize on American fears. In turn, KCEC got a loan from RUS to build the Command Center.

Due to a lack of firm figures and the inability of individual local, state, and federal entities to imagine how they could change their own cultures and collaborate, none of the responsible or potential entities signed on the dotted line to join the KCEC CC.

So, despite years of lobbying, none of the entities joined the KCEC effort, including the town until the Cordova administration. Though the town acted as “fiscal agent” for a legislative grant for design, the Coop made all the decisions. A decision to act as fiscal agent for nonprofits, community centers, or neighborhood fire departments et al is a function of local government—very often a show of support for the project but the fiscal agent does little more than sign off on the paper work for administrative purposes.

The PSAP contract obligates the town, as representative of the community at large, to continue operating the E911 system. Due to anticipated expenses at the Command Center, figures that still haven’t been made clear to current signatories of the JPA, none of the town’s partners are joining the effort to move to the CC. Indeed, Taos County, which offered a more modest and fiscally conservative approach to E911-Dispatch operation and location, is being stonewalled by the town.

Commissioners and staff are scrambling to provide an independent “dispatch” operation.

So, the Reyes-KCEC CC dream of combining facilities and operations is causing a split or schism that will cost the community in time and money. Given the increase in cost for leasing the CC plus a separate county dispatch center, the cost for 911—dispatch operations in the community at large and employee training—the key to improving operations–the current cost to taxpayers of emergency services could skyrocket.

Simultaneously, while paying more, there could be more “lag time” between call and response. In other words, after E911 technicians receive an emergency call, they will then call a second “dispatch” county center, which will contact the appropriate emergency responder—fire, police, or ambulance.

Despite tension the town and county have collaborated for years on E911—dispatch servicces, jail and fire services. Everyone buys electricity from the Coop. There’s an old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Regardless of his “idealistic” intentions—collaboration and economies of scale–CEO Reyes and the KCEC board of trustees are “breaking” up the town-county collaboration on E911—dispatch, severing relationships due to projected and real financial hardship for taxpayers at the Command Center.

E911—Dispatch services could be expanded and improved at the current facility for less than $100,000. Extra money should be focused on hiring additional employees–raises and training—not on a white elephant that only a small cadre of town officials and KCEC Trustees are pushing. Throwing good money after bad at a system that isn’t broken makes no sense and will create less, not more public safety.