Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Consultants recommend staffing, dispatch and facility changes in Burke County public safety plan
Summary
A consultant team presented a cross‑functional public safety strategic review that recommends staffing increases for patrol and EMS, CAD and console upgrades for 911, new investigative capacity and K‑9 teams for the sheriff, and centralized recruitment support for volunteer fire departments.
Consultants working with the county presented a cross‑functional strategic review of Burke County public safety operations, recommending personnel, facility and technology changes across 911, EMS, the sheriff's office and volunteer fire services.
Why it matters: Public safety functions—emergency dispatch, emergency medical services, law enforcement and fire protection—account for significant recurring expenditures and have direct consequences for response times and life‑safety outcomes. The consultants said a combination of staffing, facility siting and technology fixes can improve performance.
911 (communications): The consultants recommended improving call‑processing times through better use of the county's existing computer‑aided dispatch (CAD) features, upgrading dispatch console ergonomics and continuing to build staffing and training. Consultant teams also recommended establishing a backup dispatch center (the county's community college was cited as a potential partner) and formalizing cross‑functional focus groups to strengthen relationships among dispatch, EMS, fire and law enforcement.
EMS: Reviewers led by Chief Scott Burnett found that call volume is growing and base locations are clustered in the…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
