Regional 9‑1‑1 center adds staff, will dispatch for Tombstone marshal and pilot AI fire alerts

Tammy Jo Wilkins, director of CECOM (the regional 9‑1‑1 communications center for most of Cochise County), told KWCD listeners the center recently hired its eighteenth employee and is preparing to assume full‑time dispatching for the Tombstone Marshal's Office starting July 1.

"We just hired our eighteenth person," Wilkins said. She described a training program and said the center is staffed with internal trainers and uses a recent transition to Cochise County Human Resources to accelerate hiring: "From the date of application to the date of the offer letter, it's about 2 months instead of the 6, 7 months that it was."

Wilkins outlined CECOM's services and tools: a dedicated non‑emergency number, (520) 803‑3550, and priority dispatch protocols that allow dispatchers to provide pre‑arrival instructions, including CPR. She recounted a recent call where a dispatcher provided CPR instruction over the phone for more than 30 minutes until first responders arrived.

Wilkins also described a no‑cost pilot of Pano AI cameras in Cochise County that detect small plumes and provide latitude/longitude alerts. "It gives me an alert when there's a teeny tiny plume... AI has the capability of deciphering if it's actually a fire or if it's a dust devil," she said. Wilkins said the alerts will let dispatchers send responders for smoke checks and potentially reduce fire spread by detecting incidents earlier.

Why it matters: Expanding 9‑1‑1 staffing and technology can shorten response times for medical, fire and law enforcement calls. The Tombstone dispatch transition affects coverage for one municipality, and Pano AI is presented as a preventive tool to catch fires in early stages.

Supporting details: Wilkins said CECOM dispatches for 17 fire departments and nine law enforcement agencies across Cochise County, excluding Benson and Douglas. She said the center is budgeted for 20 positions and currently has six internal trainers.