IRON COUNTY CENTRAL DISPATCH E911–  Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)                DIRECTOR – Ashley Schmidt

 A 911 call center is known as a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).  A primary PSAP is where the phone rings when you call 911.  These 911 PSAP centers are the front doors of emergency services.  IRON COUNTY CENTRAL DISPATCH (ICCD) is the 911 PSAP communication center and your front door to all Iron County Police Fire EMS and all emergency response services.   ICCD dispatchers are an essential and crucial part of every law enforcement and emergency services team.  We are responsible for responding to radio/telephone inquiries from public safety personnel and the general public concerning complaints, emergency situations, and criminal activity.  We act in partnership with the public and all emergency responders simultaneously getting and providing information, deploying appropriate services and equipment for every critical incident.  IRON COUNTY CENTRAL DISPATCH (ICCD)  is the ONLY 24/7 365 agency in Iron County that can get you the help you need as quickly as possible.  

STAFF    

IRON COUNTY CENTRAL DISPATCH (ICCD) employs 8 full time and 4 part time Iron County residents who provide coverage 24/7 365 days a year.  ICCD dispatchers are well trained and experienced, with 12-24 years of dispatch service or significant law enforcement, fire or other first responder backgrounds.   Iron County dispatchers are dedicated to public safety and the well-being of our communities.   We are neighbors and fellow taxpayers committed to providing quality emergency dispatch services and assistance whenever and wherever you need it most!    You can depend on our local knowledge, local resources and experience when technology doesn’t quite reach your place in the woods, on the trails or at the lake!

IRON COUNTY CENTRAL DISPATCH Director is an appointed department head responsible for all 911 PSAP communication center policy, procedures and day to day operations as set forth by the charter agreement in conjunction with the 911 Advisory Board and County Board to ensure state and federal compliance with regard to technology, equipment, training and expenditures.  The Director manages 10-12 employees required to work around the clock, weekends and holidays and is responsible for ensuring the actions and decisions made by these employees are within local, state and federal standard operating procedures, policy guidelines and recommended practices.   The Director represents Iron County and is actively involved with the UP 911 Authority working in conjunction with multiple upper Michigan counties to ensure equipment and technology standards are up to date and maintained through a connected upper peninsula CAD network .

CJ AGENCY SUPPORT & RECORDKEEPING SERVICES

In addition to 911 call-taking, dispatching and related recordkeeping duties, IRON COUNTY CENTRAL DISPATCH (ICCD) personnel provide local police and courts with a variety of support staff and criminal justice administration records management services.  ICCD is the only agency in Iron County staffed 24/7 365 with fully trained certified operators monitoring the emergency broadcast and criminal justice information system.  This system in Michigan is called Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN) and the source for matters of local, state and national security, public safety bulletins and emergency alerts including matters of homeland security, terrorist threats, be on the lookouts (BOL’s), officer safety cautions, stolen/abandoned vehicles, missing persons, emergency management and area weather warnings.    ICCD provides all criminal justice information and related records management services to every city and county law enforcement and court agencies in Iron County.  These records must meet strict FBI and state data quality and timeliness criteria for audit compliance.

In 2022 ICCD personnel spent over 3000 hours entering, packing and maintaining criminal justice agency LEIN records.   These hours are separate from day to day LEIN activity directly related to the delivery of 911 emergency dispatch services.   The ICCD/Lead terminal agency coordinator (TAC) dedicates a minimum of 40 hours per month or 480+ hours per year performing administrative tasks that include monthly validation reports, records entry and data compliance, criminal justice information security compliance, policy and procedure updates as well as annual and bi-annual user training and records.   The TAC serves as a countywide liaison to administrators and department heads for courts and local law enforcement and is primarily responsible for audit preparation and participation under the authority of the Director.  The TAC’s ability to manage these LEIN duties while dispatching is primarily due to nearly 24 years of dispatch and LEIN experience that would otherwise require additional staffing.      IRON COUNTY CENTRAL DISAPATCH personnel provide invaluable and very cost effective records management support to the courts, law enforcement and administrators of criminal justice throughout Iron County.   

DISPATCH– E 911 HISTORY

On December 15, 2000 Iron County 911 finally became a reality after years of planning by local administrators and the voters of Iron County.    Over the last 23 years, voters have chosen to support paying to keep 911 emergency dispatch services within Iron County.   The only emergency dispatcher services provided in Iron County are from your IRON COUNTY CENTRAL DISPATCH team.

In 2008 a change in the State of Michigan’s funding mechanism and growing cell phone use and technology prompted Iron County administrators to reorganize and consolidate the two separate groups of dispatchers to create IRON COUNTY CENTRAL DISPATCH Charter.   IRON COUNTY CENTRAL DISPATCH (ICCD) became a primary PSAP communications center, operating as its own department and managed by a Director who reports to a 911 Advisory Board  made up of representatives from state, county and city law enforcement , local Fire and EMS, local public representative,  2 county commissioners from the county board (not 911 committee) and the county treasurer for financial oversight.    IRON COUNTY CENTRAL DISPATCH services have been funded primarily through County, State and Federal 911 surcharges and/or county millage(s) since inception in 2009.

Consolidation resulted in significant savings for the general fund pursuant to the 2008 and 2009 audit reports citing the major reason for the increased balance resulted from the transfer of five Sheriff Department dispatchers and related expenses to the newly consolidated IRON COUNTY CENTRAL DISPATCH Department.   LEIN records management duties belonging and performed by the Iron County Sheriff’s Office and Iron County Courts and criminal justice system were turned over to ICCD personnel to manage and maintain.  A short time later the Michigan State Police Post in Iron River merged with the Iron Mountain Post eliminating LEIN access to Caspian and Iron River PD’s.  This as well as police funding cuts prompted Caspian, Iron River and Crystal Falls Police departments to begin  restructuring their departments, eliminating  support staff,  24/7 officer availability and hours of operation turning their phones and all their LEIN criminal justice records maintenance over to IRON COUNTY CENTRAL DISPATCH personnel as well.

In 2020 Iron County residents once again voted not only to keep IRON COUNTY CENTRAL DISPATCH emergency dispatch services local but approved a 911/IRON COUNTY CENTRAL DISPATCH millage for property owners, in lieu of the county monthly telephone surcharge fees funding mechanism.  This change would mean both permanent and seasonal residents paid their fair share regardless of phone provider jurisdiction.   Iron County voters support maintaining control and dispatch services within the County of Iron.

Significant transition over the years from landline to cell and voice over internet protocol call volumes have created variables in automatic location information availability and proximity.   Location identifiers are dependent upon a variety of factors such as carriers, device type, towers and network compatibility.  These variables don’t always provide the accuracy necessary during critical life threatening situations.   Local knowledge and experience play a key role in getting emergency services to you as soon as possible, whether at home or exploring the many trails, waters, and remote wilderness of Iron County.

 STATISTICS

When the difference between life and death is counted in seconds, count on IRON COUNTY CENTRAL DISPATCH!

DIAL 911 for POLICE FIRE EMS