Pocono News Section

New Wyoming County 9-1-1 center

New Wyoming County 9-1-1 center - Friday, June 6, 2008 at 5:29PM EST

Friday, Jun 6, 2008 @ 05:29pm EST

When disaster strikes, emergency management agencies, Red Cross, and 9-1-1 centers take the lead.

Workers there quickly map out a plan to save lives and repair what's lost.

In Wyoming County , those services are now coming together under one roof.

These agencies were scattered around Wyoming County until now.

A four point one million dollar facility opened Friday, and we got a look inside.

This is what it looks like inside Wyoming County 's new emergency operations center.

Chairs and offices are empty now, but soon, it will be the center of public safety.

Wyoming county Emergency Management Director Gene Dziak says, "Now we can protect the citizens of Wyoming county and make public safety a priority which it's always been. We can just enhance it now."

With a snip of a ribbon, and a presentation, the operations center opened Friday.

It will house Wyoming County 's emergency management agency, 9-1-1 center, and Red Cross.

County leaders say the building was badly needed.

Wyoming County EMA and Red Cross were using a human services building, next to the Walmart in Eaton Township .

Right now Wyoming County 9-1-1 is using the lighthouse Baptist church here on here on route 29 in Tunkhannock Township .

The scattered emergency service was a hassle.

Wyoming County 911 coordinator Debi Raimondi says, “EMA was totally on the other side of town. So every time we had a weather call, every time we had a conference call, one of us would have to get in our vehicles and meet in the other office. This way, we're down the hallway."

But now three important agencies are under the same roof.

The Red Cross calls it a great move.

Lea Ann Phinney of the American Red Cross says, "Because we're going to know immediately, almost immediately what the needs are. The translation is going to be better as well."

And the new center should translate into quicker, more efficient response time.

9-1-1 calls in Wyoming County are still being taken at the Baptist church we showed you,

The 9-1-1 coordinator says those calls will be taken at the new center by the end of July.