Southwest Allegheny News

The North Fayette Township Police Department is excited to join forces with the Allegheny County Emergency Services 911 Communication Center beginning on August 3, 2022, at 8:00 AM. This will allow quicker service to the residents of North Fayette Township, as we will no longer be a ring-down center, which first required 911 to transfer calls to this department, which can cause delayed response times.

Most residents of North Fayette Township are used to dialing 911 to report a crime or speak to an on-duty officer instead of calling our station, but for those that may have called our 412-787-8900 number, we ask you PLEASE dial 911 first for those services! We will maintain a phone line at the department, providing unattended prompts for special services and access to leave messages for officers. This phone number will continue to be (412) 787-8900.

This change will provide the North Fayette Community residents quicker response times, since Fire, EMS, and Police services will ALL be coordinated by Allegheny County Emergency Services and sent to respond to incidents from a single service.

If you come to the station to speak to an officer, some changes will occur. If you come during business hours, a member of the police department will be at the front desk. They will be handling "walk-ins" along with administrative duties. If someone is not present, a doorbell will be in place for your service. A member of the department will be right with you. If you come to the station after hours, no one will be at the front desk, but an officer may be in the station. You can ring the doorbell or use the red "EMERGENCY" phone in the lobby that directly connects to Allegheny County Emergency Services. Just pick up the phone and advise the dispatcher of the request and an officer will respond accordingly.

We understand that change is difficult, and it will be a learning curve for all of us. We will continue to place you as a resident first, as our priority is to provide the best service to the community. And as always, we welcome your comments!

One last thing, if your business or residence is alarmed, please notify the alarm company that they will need to contact (412) 473-3370 for police dispatch. All alarm companies in our system were notified, but to assure proper police response, please update your account.

What does switching to Allegheny County Emergency Services do for the residents -vs- having your own dispatch center? Here are a few advantages:

• No longer being a ring-down center. The North Fayette Police Dispatch Center is considered a "ring-down" center. When a complainant calls 911, an emergency dispatcher receives the pertinent information and deciphers the jurisdiction and appropriate resources to dispatch, thus making additional calls by phone, if the call for service is within North Fayette Township. Conversely, if a complainant calls North Fayette Police Dispatch for a Fire or EMS call, our Public Safety Dispatchers must call Allegheny County 911 to dispatch those resources. Both situations are indicative of the valuable time that is wasted summoning emergency services. There is very little room for error and seconds can determine the successful or negative outcome of a particular call.
• Allegheny County Emergency Services (ACES) is an elite center that dispatches the majority of police, fire, and emergency medical services in Allegheny County. This list includes the four fire departments that cover North Fayette Township, as well as our EMS service. ACES provides multiple dispatchers at any given time, should there be a critical incident. The North Fayette Police Dispatch Center only staffs one PSD on duty at a time to handle numerous calls.
• Technology and Resources - ACES offers "top-of-the-line" and the most recent technology and resources for our department to use. One technological advancement is Enhanced Location Information (ELI).
• Having multiple agencies on one channel - This allows for quicker response from bordering municipalities to assist, as the request is immediate (heard on the radio) and does not require a phone call to have other agencies dispatched.
• Cost - ACES is a free service that is offered to the communities in Allegheny County. The costs are covered by a surcharge affixed to each telephone line located in Allegheny County. Staffing and maintaining the North Fayette Police Dispatch Center comes with a great cost to township residents.

Click this link to view a YouTube video describing Allegheny County's new 911 center.

Original source can be found here.