Commissioners Forum: LWV & DLN
Question 1 08/26/2007
What would you as commissioner do to improve communication between county and local emergency services and the public in Chester County, keeping in mind the public's need for information about emergency events?
"Dead spots" in the County's Department of Emergency Services' (DES) communications infrastructure must be eliminated to insure that our dedicated emergency workers are able to receive vital information. Additionally, when DES is forced, in the near future, to move our emergency radio bands to make way for Nextel bands, the Commissioners must insure that our system is not weakened and that Nextel lives up to its responsibility to pay entirely for the cost of re-banding. And, my teammate, Kathi Cozzone, and I will move forward, without delay, on the Public Safety Training Facility project that has been considered for an inexcusable thirty years. It includes a much needed Emergency Operations Back-up Center.
DES has the capability of interrupting radio and television programming to disseminate emergency information, and has employed reverse 911 calls in approximately 100 small scale emergencies. New technologies to communicate with the public during emergencies need the full support of the Commissioners. Kathi Cozzone's extensive background in corporate management will be helpful in keeping our system within budgetary constraints without compromising its need to be state-of-the-art.
County government needs to involve the public. The Basic Operations Plan and a summary should be on the County website. Group tours, now available, of the high-tech, bunker-like emergency operations center located on Westtown Road, reminiscent of an action movie set, should be encouraged. The experience might inspire volunteers to join first responder organizations which perpetually need recruits.
As an eight-year member of West Chester Borough Council, I immediately initiated reviews of the Borough Emergency Plan after 9/11 and Katrina, and in response to many reports concerning a possible Bird-Flu epidemic. As County Commissioners, Kathi Cozzone and I will be proactive in working with DES, not just on a regular basis, but whenever the need arises.
Comments (2)
The writer, Carl Sharer, is correct that more words should be allowed for our responses, and the Daily Local has agreed to up the words allowed from 300 to 425; however, he has confused the 911 call system with the emergency radio system, which are two different things, referred to as such by Kathi and me.
Posted by Bill Scott | September 7, 2007 11:57 PM
Posted on September 7, 2007 23:57
8/31/2007
Daily Local News
Meaningful answers are needed
I want to commend you for trying to enlighten voters in Chester County about the upcoming Commissioners election. A democracy can only survive with an informed electorate. Unfortunately it is harder and harder to be informed and many citizens are not. Many people I talk to identify themselves with one party and don't ever consider voting outside that party.
News outlets have less and less news and seem interested in human interest stories, tragedies, or the famous. Your reporting in the past about the situation in Coatesville, I think, is your duty. Recently, you formed an advisory committee to help broaden your reporting in Chester County and I hope you do more investigative stories.
The responses to your question about emergency services did not, however, live up to your goal of informing voters. One party’s answers were platitudes about how we deserve the best and don't worry they will give us the best. The other criticized the status quo without much more information. The paper would better serve us with questions and then redirected questions, holding the candidates to the fire to give a meaningful answer. For example, I knew there had been problems with the 911 system in the past. I thought these were solved. It sounds like this is not the case and that there are looming problems with the current frequency used. The paper would better serve the readers by pursuing these issues with the candidates and then independently reporting on the facts relating to this issue.
I try to stay informed and will read the responses over the upcoming weeks. I hope you will take these suggestions and use them to increase the information and value for the voters. Don't be afraid to report detailed stories. The more information voters have, the stronger our democracy will be.
Carl Sharer
Malvern
Posted by Carl Sharer | September 7, 2007 11:04 PM
Posted on September 7, 2007 23:04