GRAND ISLAND, NY (WKBW) — Efforts are underway to save Grand Island's 911 dispatch center, which has served the community for nearly four decades.
The center is at risk of "dissolving" if town leaders opt to move dispatch operations off the island.
I was able to get inside the dispatch center and spoke with the lead dispatcher and town supervisor.
“If we were to leave the island, there would be no one here," explained John Reyolds, communications supervisor, Grand Island Fire Company. "There'd be no staff here, no one here to help anyone.”
WATCH: 'That's not broken, don't fix it': Grand Island Town Board considering dissolving dispatch center
Recent social media posts by fire leaders warn the community that the town board is considering dissolving this dispatch center and moving it to Erie County's centralized system.
Fire officials said this could delay response times.
“We are the only center that just dispatches one department," Reynolds said. "Everyone else in the county has 10 or so departments. It's one department, one agency."
Reynolds leads the dispatch center, and his photo appears on social media posts. He would not go on camera, but allowed me to interview him about how important this center is to his community in saving lives.
“We answer a wide variety of medical calls, medical alarms, people just needing help with fire alarms, CO detectors, accidents on the highways," Reynolds said. "Now it's summertime, it's boating season, so we have a couple of marine calls a week."
Dozens of people made their voices heard about this issue on the fire company's Facebook page. A post is asking Grand Island residents to tell town board members: "Keep Grand Island fire dispatch."
Among the 50 comments was one from James, who said, "With the size of the department and area of coverage, it’s imperative to keep the dispatch here at home." Anthony said, "Local dispatch saves lives. It's not just about answering a call; it's about knowing the streets and landmarks."
I wanted to get answers from the town and met with the Grand Island Town Supervisor, Peter Marston, who told me that as board members prepare a new budget, they're trying to cut costs. But he disagrees with chopping the dispatch center.
"That's one of those things that I kind of feel, that's not broken, don't fix it,” Marston explained. “Nobody wants to talk about, you know, an extended response time, the cost of fatality, or something like that. We just don't. That's not a discussion."
“As a leader, would you vote no against it?” I asked.
“I probably would, yes,” replied Marston.
Grand Island is unique because, of course, it is somewhat isolated; to get onto the island, you must cross the bridges.
"You get isolated by an event or traffic or, you know, accident or something like that. You know, seconds matter over here,” described Marston. “We're one school district, we're one fire department for one town, we're one zip code, so we just kind of do-good taking care of our own.”
For now, the fire department continues to call on residents to contact their town board members, urging them not to close their dispatch center.
7 News received two statements on this issue: one from Grand Island Town Councilman Dan Kilmer promoting the change, and Peter Coppola with the Grand Island Fire Company in opposition. You can read both statements below:
Grand Island 911 Dispatch: Why Consolidation Makes Sense
By Councilman Dan Kilmer
"Mike Dallessandro’s recent letter pushing to retain Grand Island’s 911 dispatch ignores the fiscal and operational benefits of consolidating with Erie County’s dispatch center. The proposed shift stems from a review triggered by the Grand Island Volunteer Fire Company’s (GIVFC) request to form a Fire District, which, as part of their proposal, would hike property taxes by 78% for fire service, from $1.67M to $2.98M annually, using their 2024 proposal. For a median home assessed at $404,000, this means fire taxes would jump from $315 to $521 for a median GI home, a change that would result in GIVFC no longer being one of the lowest cost fire services - far from it.
The GIVFC justified the tax increase, in their proposal,based on their need for safety equipment they are lacking, but a line-by-line budget review revealed $845,000 was allocated for the GI 911 dispatch, double the current 911 call center budget – a significant contributor to the proposed tax increase. This prompted the Town Board to unanimously approve a review of dispatch options, especially given the low call volumes, on average below ten calls/24 hours, technological advancements like GPS-integrated first responder applications and Erie County’s AI-enhanced systems, and even more significantly the recently completed transition to having all 911 calls consolidated and dispatched through Erie County 911, Erie County must then transfer the call to Grand Island, a significant impactful change – this change alone justifies the need for a review.
Dallessandro argues that local dispatchers’ knowledge of Grand Island’s streets is critical, but this doesn’t hold up. Ten of the fifteen dispatchers live off-island, and residency isn’t required. Modern GPS tools ensure the first responders locate calls quickly and accurately – a great improvement over relying on a person in dispatch. Moreover, Erie County’s mandate to route all 911 calls through their dispatch for school safety and rapid sheriff response further weakens the case for a local Grand Island center.
Why did this debate heat up this past week – the reason is Erie County quoted GIVFC that they could takeover Dispatching Grand Island calls for less than $100,000. A cost that is almost $300,000 below current cost and over $700,000 below the proposed Fire district cost that was proposed last year. The Town Board has suggested that they would not reduce the Fire Services budget and instead the Fire Company could repurpose those funds for their much-needed safety equipment – a significant benefit.
Consolidation offers the opportunity to repurpose current funds toward purchase of needed safety equipment, modern technology, and enhanced safety, and actually makes creation of a Fire District significantly more financially feasible, all benefits Dallessandro omitted in his letter.
It’s time we all acted in the best interest of Grand Island residence. What is the safest and what is the most cost-effective? This is the debate not a fight between politicians and the fire hall we all want what’s best?"
SAVE OUR GRAND ISLAND FIRE DISPATCH
"Tonight, and the last Wednesday of every month, the Grand Island Fire emergency dispatch committee convenes at fire headquarters. This committee includes the fire chief and his representatives, GIFC administrative officials, IT staff and the head of the dispatch center. I am honored to be part of this group. Emergency services dispatching is a complex and vital operation, and the formation of this dedicated committee underscores its significance within the Fire Company.
One of the main objectives of the committee is to review emergency calls from the previous month. Some calls are analyzed to identify any issues that may have arisen. The chief’s representatives provide recommendations for policy adjustments aimed at enhancing communication effectiveness. The process creates a connection between the people responding to emergency calls and our dispatching operation.
This link is considered significant. The synergy can’t continue if GIFC is lumped in and integrated with the broader responsibilities managed by the County dispatch center in downtown Buffalo. Our dispatch service is dedicated to Grand Island only. Logically, moving our dispatching off the Island will not be beneficial for our residents or our firefighters. The individuals pushing for the change simply do not understand the complexity of operating the most unique and efficient volunteer fire organization in the region."
Peter Coppola
