KALAMAZOO TOWNSHIP (WKZO-AM) — Kalamazoo voters will probably get a chance next May to vote for a phone surcharge to cover the cost of an expanded and improved 911 consolidated dispatch system.
It would just be the latest way that local law enforcers and firefighters are working across municipal borders to protect the public. It hasn’t gotten alot of publicity.
There are already mutual aid agreements between fire and police departments, joint anti-drug units, and the multi-agency Metro SWAT team.
On Monday, the Kalamazoo Township Board agreed to renew their contract for the county’s joint hazardous materials unit.
Trustee Don Martin said, for the first time, the agreement includes units from Calhoun County. They respond if a tanker truck crashed or there was a chemical spill or hazardous waste incident on a public street.
Different units provide funding and manpower, which needs special training for the hazmat unit.
Martin said such units are too expensive for one department to support, and every department needs one. Combining their efforts has become a win-win for everyone.
Many units work together, but it isn’t always easy for them to communicate with each other because they use different freqencies connected to separate dispatch centers. They say a consolidated dispatch center would be a big piece of the puzzle.
