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55 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, May 5, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 21, 2002 State selects SORC as lone 911 center for Jackson County By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune The Oregon Office of Emergency Management has recommended Southern Oregon Regional Communications answer all 911 calls in Jackson County. The state agency issued its recommendation in a consolidation plan Friday afternoon and will present it to the 2003 Legislature. "We believe this is a good choice and we hope the Legislature takes quick action so we can move forward," said Millie Tirapelle, supervisor of the regional communication center, also known as SORC. Last year the Legislature passed a bill requiring counties to have one center answer all 911 calls. The law required all 911 centers to submit consolidation plans by Sept. 1. In Jackson County, the single answering center would get about $800,000 annually in state 911 funds. Two agencies that answer 911 calls in Jackson County — SORC and Medford’s Central Communications (CCOM) — couldn’t agree on a consolidation plan, so they both made proposals. Ashland, which also operates a 911-answering center, is leaning toward having CCOM answer its 911 calls and dispatch its emergency services starting next year. The Ashland City Council tabled a decision at a Tuesday meeting because Police Chief Scott Fleuter was unable to attend. A top sticking point in consolidation plans between CCOM and SORC was how a single answering center would be governed. CCOM favored a plan that would give large agencies, such as the city of Medford, greater say in operations than small agencies. SORC operates under the authority of an intergovernmental council that gives all member agencies an equal vote. Medford’s CCOM dispatches for the city’s police and fire departments, Central Point police and fire and rescue crews at the Medford airport. SORC dispatches for 28 agencies that include the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, county fire districts, six small city police departments and Mercy Flights ambulance service. The state recommendation notes that it favors SORC because so many rural and urban agencies chose to get service from an agency that gave them an equal vote in governing the agency. "The issue of all members having an equal vote in decisions of the 911 primary (answering center) has been one of the main reasons for the success of Oregon’s 911 program statewide," the recommendation said. If the recommendation is implemented, SORC would become the sole 911 answering point in July 2004. The recommendation only applies to 911 answering duties, not to other dispatch functions. The recommendation said agencies are still discussing consolidation and could come up with a plan of their own for the Legislature to consider. Such a plan could tackle other dispatch functions and communication center facilities, it said. No one from Medford’s CCOM was available for comment. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Auto Insurance Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Advertisement s