Posted at: 08/04/2009 10:08 PM
Updated at: 08/05/2009 7:50 AM
By: Eyewitness News 4

Dispatch centers cause confusion for firefighters

County and city firefighters are crossing paths daily because of call center mixups

The Bernalillo County and Albuquerque Fire Departments are running into a big problem: They are running into each other.

The Albuquerque dispatch center and the county dispatch center are in two separate locations and use two separate emergency callout systems, but they don't have a way of communicating with each other.

So when emergency calls cross jurisdictional lines, units from both departments are dispatched. Officials say it happens on a daily basis.

"I have two units, they have two units all going to the same location," said BCFD's chief, John Garcia. "The potential for accidents with our own units or with the citizens, it's just one-hundred percent more of an issue."

Garcia says sending multiple crews to what should be a one-crew call out could result in delays in response time for others in need. He is proposing that the city and county get rid of jurisdictional lines when it comes to responding to emergency calls and create fire response zones for both fire departments.

Albuquerque fire chief Robert Ortega thinks the problem can be solved by putting both city and county dispatchers under one roof and creating a single emergency callout system.

"What we're proposing through this committee is that we join forces, we work together in a single dispatch process, process information, establish the closest unit and make sure we can respond to the call within the time frames required," he said.

Albuquerque city councilor Ken Sanchez said the most critical issue is responding to a call.

"Seconds can mean a matter of life or death when somebody calls 911," he said.

Garcia says creating a new, single emergency callout system for both departments would cost millions. Both sides will meet in October to discuss the proposals.