New emergency services coordinator outlines radio upgrade, emergency medical dispatch and secure ambulance pharmacy

Darren Hurley, the county’s newly introduced emergency services coordinator, told the board he would focus on communication interoperability and medical dispatch improvements in his first months on the job.

“I'm honored to be serving you as your new coordinator of emergency services,” Hurley said, and described several priority projects. He said the county is working on a radio system project that will allow sheriff, fire and EMS units to communicate and that it is part of the state police radio system to improve interoperability.

Hurley also described efforts to implement an Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) program—referred to in the meeting as the EMV program—so 911 dispatchers can provide pre-arrival instructions and scripted guidance to callers. He said initial training meetings were scheduled in October and the team aimed to implement the system by February 2025.

On ambulance medication management, Hurley proposed a county-managed, archived pharmacy room to securely store narcotics and provide an auditable trail for drugs carried on ambulances. He said the pharmacy room would be managed locally with appropriate controls because narcotics require careful handling and documentation.

Hurley said these projects were priorities and that staff would continue aggressive work toward applicable deadlines and training milestones. Board members thanked him for the update; no formal board action on these initiatives was recorded in the transcript.