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79 <br />ORANGE COUNTY NORTH CAROLINA <br />Deputy Director/Emergency Communications Director, and Deputy Director/ <br />Emergency Medical Services Director were eliminated in budget reductions. <br />COORDIlVATION OF RESOURCES <br />Fire, rescue, and emergency services personnel coordinate resources <br />informally and formally. A systematic process for ensuring coordination has not <br />been established. <br />EMS RESPONSE DELAYS <br />It appears that resources may be inadequate during peak activity periods. The <br />lack of quality centralized data reporting makes it very difficult to define the delay <br />levels. However, response delays are reported by personnel throughout the response <br />system. <br />CALL PROCESSING DELAYS <br />Call processing time in the Emergency 911 center was widely reported as <br />excessive. The lack of data collection within the computer assisted dispatch system <br />did not allow the consultant to quantify this problem. However, excessive call <br />processing time was reported by personnel at all levels of the emergency response <br />system. <br />VIPER RADIO LIMITATIONS <br />The VIPER radio system is an essential element of Orange County's emergency <br />services system. The radio system's configuration has limitations. Several volunteer <br />fire agencies report "dead spots" where radio reception and transmissions are not <br />possible. The VIPER radio system uses the 800 MHZ band. Radio frequencies in the <br />800 MHZ band width do not penetrate buildings effectively. Building penetration <br />refers to the reception and transmission from handheld radios operating within <br />buildings. Dead spots and poor building penetration place responders at risk when <br />operating under emergency conditions. <br />CONTRACTS AND FRANCHISE AGREEMENTS <br />In general terms, Orange County is responsible for providing fire suppression <br />services throughout the unincorporated areas of the County. The County enters into <br />agreements with volunteer fire departments to fulfill this responsibility,. The <br />agreements do not include provisions requiring data collection and performance <br />measures. <br />{r} MMA CONSULTING GROUP, INC. 76 <br />