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Metropolitan Emergency Communications Center
9-1-1 Dispatch from Gahanna, Ohio
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History
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The Metropolitan Emergency Communications Center had its beginnings in the Mifflin Township Fire Department. Serving Gahanna and unincorporated portions of northeastern Columbus, Ohio, the department in 2001 decided to begin its own dispatching operation. Until that point, the Franklin County Sheriff had been dispatching the department. Starting with firefighters in the dispatch seat, Mifflin fire found a temporary home with the Whitehall, Ohio, fire department sharing their new radio room. Soon, full time dispatcher personnel were hired and the operation was underway. For over a year, this co-dispatching partnership worked well for both departments.
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With the successful authoring of a FEMA grant totaling $760,000.00 the Mifflin Township Fire Department made ready to launch the next phase in service to our community- the Metropolitan Emergency Communications Center. This center was started with the cooperation of three fire departments - Mifflin, Plain Township Fire in New Albany, Ohio, and Jefferson Township Fire in Blacklick, Ohio. Our three departments were comfortable together - supplying manpower and apparatus for a number of years through a mutual aid agreement. Now, it was time to improve the dispatching of these three department and take steps by sharing the center to reduce overall future costs for each department.
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Installing the systems for the new MECC
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A location was chosen within the Mifflin Township Hall, and in just six months of intense project management, the MECC was set to go on the air.
Since that beginning, other departments in our area with whom we mutually respond have chosen to consolidate their dispatching with the MECC. Violet Township, serving Pickerington and an area of Fairfield County, joined forces. Truro Township, serving Reynoldsburg, has joined as well. At this writing, the city of Whitehall and other departments are considering the process.
The goal is superior technology with costs shared across several departments, seasoned dispatchers with a firm understanding of the Firefighting and EMS business, and a genuine concern on the part of all to best serve our citizens and neighbors. With this cooperation, our departments can meet and exceed federal standards for serving our community where costs would be prohibitive individually.
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