Mark Johnston, Daily Herald file photo

Have you ever had an emergency, called 911 on your cell phone in Orem and got the Provo emergency dispatch center?

That could all be resolved with a proposal by the two cities to combine forces and have one dispatch center to serve both.

While the serious discussion, and first phase of the idea, began about seven months ago, the city council did not hear about it until Tuesday’s work session, according to Provo Chief Administrative Officer Wayne Parker. Parker added that it was still rushed because the rumor had gotten out to Orem employees.

With an initial dispatch consolidation feasibility study showing cost savings and service efficiencies, both Provo and Orem City Councils will consider entering into “phase two” at their respective city council meetings.

According to Parker, the city is hoping the two councils will sign a resolution to continue forward with the process. If they agree, a contract between the two cities could be signed by October. The goal is to have the two teams combined by Jan. 1, 2023.

Ian Maule, Daily Herald file photo

Provo Fire Chief Jim Miguel, who is in charge of the emergency dispatch center, believes three current problems would be solved if the consolidation happened.

Those problems include cell phones hitting the wrong towers, the two cities using different call channels and, when there are extraordinary incidents, the cities support each other.

“We have been encouraged by Utah state officials to do this,” Miguel told the council. “It’s taking what we do and doing it better.”

As neighboring cities, Provo and Orem officials have conceptualized possible dispatch consolidation in the past. The idea was revisited with encouragement from the Utah State Legislature and Utah Communications Authority for dispatch consolidation consideration.

“A consolidated dispatch center has the potential to reduce overhead and costs while increasing service levels. With phase one showing promise, the study team is recommending phase two include broader participation to involve employees and elected officials at the local, regional and state levels,” Parker said.

Dispatch consolidation continues to occur throughout the state. All cities in Weber County have consolidated into a single inter-local entity while Salt Lake County has two public safety dispatch centers — Salt Lake City/Sandy and the Salt Lake Valley Emergency Center. Comparatively, Utah County currently has four safety answer points — Provo, Orem, Springville and Central 911 based in Spanish Fork. The Provo-Orem consolidation would reduce it to three.

“For the last several months, administrative and public safety officials from Provo and Orem have been evaluating the feasibility of consolidating the Provo and Orem emergency dispatch centers,” said Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi. “After looking at the pros and cons of such a project and exploring governance, financial and human resources issues, the working group has concluded that there is a high likelihood that such a project could be successful and beneficial for the residents of both cities.”

Parker said phase one suggested benefits outlined by the State legislature of reduced overhead and cost of service.

“The preliminary findings suggest that a consolidated Provo-Orem dispatch center would increase levels of service, enhance training and advancement opportunities for employees, reduce overhead and improve efficiency, reduce physical space needs for both cities and create opportunities for even more cooperation and collaboration between the two cities,” said Parker. “We are encouraged the consolidation would potentially make better use of state and local tax dollars.”

However excited Parker and the administration are about the possibilities, as well as some council members feeling it appropriate to move forward with the research, Councilmembers Rachel Whipple and Shannon Ellsworth were concerned that the body not being brought into the discussion earlier.

While Orem’s council has not had formal discussion on the possibilities, they are aware of the discussion as Orem’s dispatch employees have been informed of the potential move. They currently have 22 dispatchers while Provo has 26.

“We support moving into the next phase of this study. In addition to the financial benefits and service-level increases, we see a potential consolidation having the ability to improve the work/life balance for our dispatchers,” said Steven Downs, Orem Deputy City Manager. “It will build a single team to allow for better coverage when dispatchers are seeking much-needed time off. Having a larger and more united team will reduce mandatory overtime shifts and other practices that are currently impacting our dispatchers.”

Miguel noted that, as long as they meet the needs of the employees, he doesn’t see any down sides to this consolidation.

“While phase one of the study looked at improvements with function, efficiency and effectiveness, phase two, if approved by both councils, will dive deeper into the details with a goal of determining whether to move forward. If we continue to see significant advantages to both cities and to our residents, a proposed agreement will be presented to both cities,” Parker said.

Several key concepts and principles outlined by the working group include:

• Starting with a short-term contract of service with a three-year goal of establishing an inter-local agreement.
• Having Provo City assimilate Orem city dispatch employees with favorable benefit transfer, including compensation, benefits, seniority and employment conditions.
• Improving resident service levels.

Parker told the Provo council that Orem does not want to be at the mercy of Provo. “There is some trepidation, but the vast majority see it as the next logical step. We want to let the Orem employees know we will care for them.”

Parker said they anticipate there will be between six and eight jobs lost through attrition over time. However, Provo’s new dispatch center was built to hold at least 48 dispatchers working different shifts.

The budgets would be split 50/50, based on population in both cities and the average number of calls from both cities. The capital improvement budget for dispatch would also split 50/50 by population.

The next steps would include working with:

• Testing assumptions and recommendations with stakeholders
• Employees
• Utah Communications Authority
• State Tax Commission
• Working on specifics to resolve finance and HR issues

One of the largest hurdles surrounds human resources. Provo does not take out social security on dispatchers paychecks while Orem does. It should be clear within the next few weeks which direction the two cities will be headed in. In the meantime, both Provo and Orem will continue to help each other out if needs be.

“The trust level is very high between the two cities,” Parker noted.