Greenville County committee opens discussion on consolidated 911 dispatch to reduce call transfers

Greenville County’s Public Safety and Human Services Committee opened a public discussion on creating a consolidated 911 dispatch center intended to reduce call transfers and improve coordinated emergency response across the county.

The committee discussion focused on how multiple public safety answering points, or PSAPs, can delay emergency response when calls are transferred between agencies. Joshua Holzheimer, of the City of Greer Fire Department and representing the Greenville County Fire Chiefs Association, described how seven PSAPs in the county handle 911 calls and said that medical calls must often be transferred to an EMS communication center, creating delays.

“The consolidated dispatch center would streamline the 911 call answering and dispatch processing,” Holzheimer said, arguing it could “improve response time, reduce redundancy, and provide better coordinated”…