NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson/Reno County 911 Dispatch Center is holding an open house this weekend.
"On Oct. 28, we're going to celebrate our anniversary of us becoming a consolidated center, bringing EMS, Fire, law enforcement all into one agency," said Dispatch Supervisor Sabrina Henry. There was only one number that they had to call to get somebody for the county, instead of multiple separate numbers."
That number actually wasn't 911, at first.
"Reno County didn't get 911 until 1985," Henry said. "Even after the consolidation, there was two years where they had to call a seven digit number. Prior to the consolidation, EMS was taken care of by the hospital operator to page them out for Reno County EMS, Hutchinson Fire had their own dispatchers. Law enforcement for Hutchinson PD and Reno County also had their own dispatchers. Then, the volunteers for EMS and Fire, they were contacted by phone, so they had to be around a phone."
The plan is from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, there will be tours at 210 West First in Hutchinson.
"Come in through the main doors," Henry said. "We'll have somebody that will let them into the basement area. We're going to have some refreshments, stuff to drink. We've got some stats, I think, that the administration has put up so people can see that. We've got some older equipment from back in the day. Then, we're going to take them through the dispatch center, so that they can kind of tour the dispatch center and see some of those programs that we're actually using."
Henry said there are usually three to four dispatchers on a regular shift. It takes about eight months for a new dispatcher to be trained to the point where they can take calls fully on their own.
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