FARMINGTON -- A telecommunications consulting firm is evaluating the costs, operations and quality of service at the 26 emergency-911 dispatch centers in Maine in advance of a possible consolidation of services.

After the state's contentious consolidations of jails and school systems, E-911 dispatch centers could be next on the list.

In September, consultant L. Robert Kimball Associates and the Emergency Services Communications Bureau, a division of the Public Utilities Commission, developed a survey that was sent out to the 26 "public safety answering points," or PSAPs.

Last month, the consultant held focus group meetings with organizations with an interest in the outcome of the study, including state fire chiefs and police associations and emergency management officials.

The report is due back to the Public Utilities Commission in January and will be submitted to the Joint Standing Committee on Utilities and Energy no later than Feb. 1. It will include a recommendation on the optimum configuration of public safety answering points in the state.

The bill authorizing the study, L.D. 555, "An Act to Promote Public Safety Answering Point Efficiency," was sponsored by Rep. Kenneth C. Fletcher, R-Winslow.

This week, Fletcher said the study will not be used to target any centers for elimination. If the Legislature moves forward with its next consolidation challenge, it is critical to have an objective assessment of the current system to see what works and what does not, he said.

Fletcher said one motivation behind his bill was complaints from law enforcement in Kennebec County earlier this year about lapses in communications in the Central Maine Regional Communication Center's operation based in Augusta.

Franklin County concerns

Franklin County's PSAP has one of the lowest call volumes in the state, a fact that local officials say could make the dispatch center in Farmington vulnerable in a reconfiguration.

This past week, a letter written by assistant dispatch supervisor Meghan Gaboury went out urging area leaders and emergency personnel to write letters in support of keeping the 911 center where it is.

It is similar to one she was authorized by Sheriff Dennis Pike to send to Kimball Associates.

"Is eliminating or reducing the amount of local (PSAPs) the best solution?" Gaboury wrote. "What should be recognized is the local impact it will have on the citizens we serve. Can (they) depend on receiving the current level of excellent service they now receive?"

"Is it really more efficient and effective to eliminate a service that has been providing the service for decades? Can the state or any other agency provide what we can more cheaply?"

She said there are concerns about emergency calls being dropped due to a lost connection or interruption in the transfer process.

"The possibility of a life being lost is a risk that is just too big," she wrote.

Gaboury said she has heard back from more than a dozen town officials, legislators, and emergency responders.

"If we sat silent and did not say anything, it would show that we didn't care," said Franklin County's Emergency Management Agency Director Tim Hardy. "Once we lose it, we will never get it back."

Hardy said that while Franklin County's population and call volume may be low, the types of emergency calls dispatchers are trained to handle are different than those in more urban settings.

"Our geography is challenging, especially during emergencies and backcountry rescues," he said.

"We want to keep it local. Our dispatchers know the area. If the system was changed, it would affect the average citizen," he said.

'A life-or-death issue'

There are 26, 24-hour PSAPs in Maine. Those in Augusta, Orono, Houlton and Gray are run by the state; the rest are operated by counties or municipalities.

In 2007, the Legislature reduced the number from 49 to 26 to save money and improve efficiency.

"When the Legislature made the decision a few years ago to consolidate PSAPs, it was done on the premise it would control costs, be more efficient and produce a better product," Fletcher said this week.

"In Kennebec County, it was the opposite. Costs went up and there were issues with the service," he said. "The whole premise when we went from 49 to 26 was that we would improve service and save money. That did not take place.

"County-run facilities have been run pretty well," he said. "I put the bill in because it is very important to look at projected costs for the future.

"We need to know what we missed so we don't do the same thing again and make the situation worse," he said. "Getting larger does not necessarily mean you are more efficient."

Franklin County Chief Deputy Ray Meldrum this week predicted that a PSAP consolidation would end up costing local taxpayers more money.

The county would still need to maintain a communications center to receive the transferred 911 calls from the regional PSAP and to handle medical and non-emergency calls.

"It would triple the cost to the taxpayers and could mean slower service," he said.

"Two minutes can be a life or death issue," said Pike, the sheriff.

The study will be a comprehensive look at the current services and will include options for an upgraded "next generation" 911 system that could receive and share data from many sources. That will include new technologies such as in-vehicle communications and automatic crash notification systems, according to the state's Web site.

Betty Jespersen -- 778-6991

bjespersen@centralmaine.com