Photo courtesy tylertech.com/solutions/courts-public-safety/public-safety The Northern Tier consortium – of which Warren County is a part – has signed on to an agreement for the computer-aided dispatch system with Tyler Technologies , Inc.

Warren County’s emergency dispatch system is about to come into the 21st century.

And the technology is top of the line.

The Northern Tier consortium – of which Warren County is a part – has signed on to an agreement for the computer-aided dispatch system with Tyler Technologies, Inc.

In addition to Warren, other participating counties include Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Forest, Jefferson and McKean.

“‘Were pleased to continue working with Tyler to implement a robust records management system and mobile reporting offering for the Northern Tier,” Mike McAllister, Elk County’s director of emergency services, said in a press release. “We are impressed with the mapping features and solutions offered to comply with our very own complex response plans that are used in the Northern Tier in their CAD solutions. We were equally impressed with the integration with all their public safety solutions, which will seamlessly improve workflows and improve officer and public safety. The data sharing among so many agencies will be greatly improved and we expect many more agencies to join the consortium because of these improvements.”

Warren County has yet to go live with the new system but 911 Supervisor Ken McCorrison was effusive in his comments on what the system will bring to emergency medical response in the county.

“What it means for 911 (is) absolutely amazing,” he said, noting that the county’s current system is 1980s technology that is “clunky” and “cumbersome.”

“The writing is on the wall,” he added. “We continue to pay for it and the maintenance on it yearly.”

Transitioning to the Tyler system, McCorrison said it is the “newest platform they have. It’s 2018 technology paid for by the Commonwealth through our 911 funds (and the) reoccurring costs paid for from 911 funds and not the county.”

But it isn’t just a cost savings.

It will drastically improve the efficiency of 911 operations in the county.

“The processes are much more streamlined,” McCorrison said. “A lot of the things we had to do by hand… are handled behind the scenes by interfaces.”

An example?

McCorrison said that out-of-county paramedics often respond into the county. Currently, the 911 dispatcher in Warren would have to call the other county and initiate a 60-90 second call entry process. This system allows the entities to just share a call number and the other county will immediately be able to access.

“Everything is right in front of them,” he said. ”

The platform will also allow the region to implement an algorithm that details instructions dispatchers give to people who call 911.

“We are implementing those proposals. Looking down the road, the state is going to mandate it.”

The end result is that wherever you are in the nine-county regions you’ll be asked the same questions and given the same instructions if you call 911.

McCorrison said that is “going to increase the level of service people get from the 911 Center.”

Another element of the new technology the county will be rolling out in the coming months is the PulsePoint app.

McCorrison said it will allow users to submit the location of AEDs or indicate if they are CPR trained. They would then verify the information and if a call came in, the dispatcher could set a pre-determined distance and know if there are people that are CPR trained or if there is an AED nearby that may be accessed prior to EMS response arriving.

“This is amazing the technology we’ve been able to get (at a) very significant savings to the county,” he said. “There are a ton of other interfaces we bought with this interface. Instead of implementing like 10 interfaces at once, (we are) implementing one thing at a time.

“This is really amazing stuff. (We are) going to be light years ahead of where we were. Warren County would never have been able to do this project” on its own. “This is a top tier… vendor. (It) would have been a massive cost to the county and the taxpayer.

“By doing it regionally… everybody is sharing a piece of the same pie. We have one bill instead of nine. It’s two servers. Not each county needs a server (and) backroom equipment.”

The process hasn’t been quick.

McCorrison explained that the regional request for proposals “went out almost three years ago” and the system has taken some time to build.

“The first three counties went live December 4,” he said. “We’re scheduled for January 28.”