2/19/19 Tony Fiore & 911 Safety: What Price Should We Put On Life?

How much does a life cost and what price would you put on it?

I'm asking this question because after viewing the video from Tuesday night's Middletown Township Committee meeting, I was left slightly stunned after hearing Deputy Mayor Tony Fiore's public comment regarding a recent stabbing that took place in North Middletown at McMahon Park.

During Committee Comments, Tony Fiore addressed social media criticism about an alleged delayed  response time by Middletown police after the stabbing in McMahon Park last week. The delay was blamed on the Monmouth County 911 dispatch operator not being able to identify the location of McMahon Park. Fiore then assured those listening that there really wasn't a delay and that police were on the scene in less than 4 minutes after the call came through.

Fiore then continued to state that he asked for some statistics and found that since Middletown turned over it's own 911 system to the County in 2016 via a shared- service agreement, the township had saved a "few million dollars". He said that since that time there has been 101,000 calls to 911 that the County dispatch had received, of those calls, 93,689 were actual emergencies and of those calls, ONLY 16 were delayed due to a wrong address or the need for additional information or clarification from the 911 dispatch operators. He then stated that those 16 delays represented  less than .07% of all calls and gloated, saying that he thought that it, turning our 911 call center over to the County,  has been a good deal.

I say Bullshit!

If 1 life was lost or 1 person suffered unnecessarily due to delayed response times from a 911 call center, which resulted in a  life long complications, than it isn't worth the money saved.

How can you look into someones eyes,  who lost a loved one or suffered needlessly, with a straight face and say it was worth it? You can't ... but I'd like to see our deputy-mayor attempt to explain it to someone who has experienced such a loss or tragedy.

I'm sure that if he or someone he cared about, was affected by a delay in response time after calling 911 for help, because the dispatcher on the other end of the phone was unfamiliar with an area or gave first responders the wrong information, he'd be the first to want answers and accountability from those involved. And I bet afterwards, he wouldn't think it was such a good deal.






Update 2/27/19:

It was brought to my attention last week, that the incident that I had mentioned above, the stabbing at McMahon Park,  may not have been the social media incident that lead Tony Fiore to make his comments that have been posted in the video. More than likely it was a different account of a recent event that taken place at McMahon Park a day or so prior to the reporting of the stabbing by the Asbury Park Press, which had a delayed response from 911.  The social media post was apparently
taken down sometime after initial posting but thanks to a forward thinking individual, there was a screenshot taken, which I have posted.  I apologize for any confusion.

Two be fair to the 911 operator who was involved in this incident, I will give the benefit of doubt to them, the name of McMahon Park was misspelled in the social media post as "McMann". If the caller spelled out the name of the park to the 911 operator wrongly,  then I can understand the confusion but not necessarily the delay. Any police officer or dispatcher in Middletown should know where a McMahon/McMann park is without hesitation. The name of the park is pronounced, as far as I know and others are concerned as, McMann, there is only one.  If that was the case, then all the dispatcher needed to do was inform local authorities of the incident at "McMann" park and send the help that was requested.

 

May 2, 2016 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

At last week's Middletown Township Committee's monthly Workshop meeting, the Committee voted to adopt the 2016 Municipal Budget, T&M Engineering was awarded a contract to draft a development plan for the Port of Belford and Maser Consulting was awarded a contract to redesign the Rt. 36 corridor.

We also found out when a public document is considered a public document. It's when Middletown's governing body says it is!

During public comments, resident Don Watson asked about documents that he requested via an OPRA request, pertaining to the transfer of the Township's 911 system to the County. His OPRA request was denied because the Township Clerk had stated that no such documents were available.

Mr. Watson questioned this denial at the meeting, stating that at the last township meeting the Township Committee voted on a resolution accepting the terms of the County's takeover and if the resolution was voted on, then there must be a document stating what the terms were?

As usual, when someone legitimately points out an error and questions why the cart was placed before the horse, they are met with aggression and disdain.

See for yourself starting at the 17 minute mark of the video.




As always, you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.

Letter: Here's The 911

This letter was sent to me the other day but I haven't had time to post it. It's since been posted on the Asbury Park Press under the title "County dispatching move threatens public safety".

I posted the letter on the MIDDLETOWN, New Jersey Facebook page and its gotten quite a reaction. It's been shared over 40 time and has over 120 comments. Go take a look.

Regarding the April 5 story, “Middletown to lay off dispatchers, join county’s 911 center,” the township will not have to pay to keep these employees on the payroll, but the residents will continue to pay to keep them on the county payroll. There are no real savings here since county 911 operators receive higher pay. 

In 2011 the township borrowed more than $600,000 to purchase a state-of-the art 911 computer system, which did not include installation costs. This loan still has another five years of payments remaining. Payments will continue to be made on equipment that will be used only as a backup. 

The announcement stated that the township will be paying $475,000 to the county on an annual basis, with a maximum 2 percent annual increase over the next four years. By the time the original loan is paid, in five years, the township will have paid the county more than $2 million in fees. This, plus the remaining loan payments, will total more than $2.3 million. 

This move also could jeopardize public safety if a call is misdirected. A five-minute delay in response time to a fire is the difference between a room being lost and an entire home. A five-minute delay in response to a heart attack victim is the difference between life and death. Contrary to reports, there are no guarantees that a former Middletown dispatch operator will answer calls received from Middletown, who have knowledge and wisdom about the township’s 42 square miles. 

Better decisions need to be made by our elected officials regarding the safety of the residents and especially the emergency responders who work and volunteer in Middletown. Saving a few dollars cost much more in the end. 

Don Watson
Middletown

February 16, 2016 Middletown Township Committee Meeting

At the last Middletown Township Committee meeting held on February 16th, Richard Saker, owner of Shop-Rite, was presented a Citizen of the Year Award for his philanthropy in the community.

A new ordinance was introduced that will reorganize the recreation programs and the fees associated with those programs.

Questions were raised regarding the funding of the Open Space Program. In recent years the grant money obtained from the state has been used to pay down the debt incurred by matching funds received.

The Committee was also asked about the status of the design of the new municipal center that will be built in the township. The Committee did not comment, but the Administrator said that the final draft of the plans were reviewed with the architect last Friday. The architect will revisit each department one last time before finalizing the plans and announce them to the public.

Questions were also asked regarding moving the police 911 response center over to the county Sheriff's office. Again, the Committee did not reply but the Administrator did say that it was being considered. He said that the current system that was purchased 3 years ago is already obsolete and would need to be updated. Instead the township is considering moving the system into the county system for an annual fee that is based on the number of calls made per year.

Watch the video to see what else was discussed before tonight's next meeting of the Township Committee.



As always, you can download a copy of the Meeting Agenda that contains the discussion items and the proposed resolutions and ordinances that were voted on or presented during the meeting. A box around an item is a link, bringing you further into the document to that resolution or ordinance. At the end of the resolution there will be a link bringing you back to the agenda. Attached to this agenda is also the monthly bill list, so that everyone can see how the Township is spending our tax dollars.