Centre County Government

Emergency Communications

Daniel A. Tancibok, Director

Centre County Office of Emergency Communications
Willowbank County Office Building
420 Holmes Street
Bellefonte PA 16823-1488
Directions: Map
Phone: (814) 355-6800
Emergency: 911
Non-Emergency Toll Free: (800) 479-0050
E-mail: datancib@co.centre.pa.us
Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
Budget Information: Departmental Budget

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About 9-1-1

Pennsylvania Act 78 of 1990, also known as the Public Safety Emergency Telephone Act, established 9·1·1 as the statewide emergency phone number. Act 78 also established a monthly surcharge for subscriber phone bills to fund a central 9·1·1 communications center. Act 56 adds a surcharge on cellular phones to fund the cellular location technology.

The Centre County Commissioners have established the county 9·1·1/Emergency Communications Center in the Willowbank Office Building in Bellefonte, PA. The Communications Center began operations June 1, 1994. All residents of Centre County now have access to 9·1·1.

Centre County 9·1·1 is a consolidated communications center. That means it accepts 9·1·1 calls and dispatches the appropriate emergency services. We provide Enhanced 9·1·1 to the residents of the county who have wireline phones in their homes. That means if you dial 9·1·1 from your home phone the Telecommunicator answering the call gets your address and telephone number on the Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) screen in front of them. CAD takes all of the information from Enhanced 9·1·1 and coordinates it with predetermined dispatching procedures for police, fire, and ambulance agencies. All of this information is displayed on computers to make the dispatching of emergency services faster and more efficient.

Centre County 9·1·1 is also Phase II Wireless capable which means that we have the capability to locate a cellular phone making a 9·1·1 call. The location is generally accurate but can vary by as much as 100 meters and in some cases the location cannot be provided. Cellular phone location technology is still developing.

Centre County 9·1·1 also coordinates all addressing in the county. Every residence in Centre County has a municipal style address so emergency responders can locate them quickly.

9·1·1 Tips

• 9·1·1 IS FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY!
• Non-emergency calls are received by the Communications Center by dialing 1-800-479-0050 from anywhere.
• Post your address and phone number next to the phone. This saves time and avoids confusion in an emergency.
• Listen to the Telecommunicator and answer their questions. They know what information is necessary to quickly send help. They are also Emergency Medical Dispatch Certified and can provide vital emergency medical instructions prior to the arrival of the ambulance.
• Teach young children how to dial 9·1·1, and when it is appropriate. Even if they are too young to give much information, we can trace the call for a location.
• Teach older children not to misuse 9·1·1. They may be preventing a true emergency from getting through. We WILL prosecute malicious use of 9·1·1.

Staffing

The Communications Center is staffed 24 hours a day, with a minimum of one (1) Shift Supervisor and three (3) Telecommunicators on duty at any time. High activity periods will see one (1) Supervisor and four ( 4) or five (5) Telecommunicators on duty. The center is equipped to allow as many as seven (7) Telecommunicators on duty for a major emergency. The Communications Center currently employees sixteen (16) full-time Telecommunicators, five (5) full-time Shift Supervisors, and five (5) on-call, part-time Telecommunicators. In the Administrative Division we have two (2) full time and one (1) part time addressing specialists and three (3) full time administrative staff.

For More Information

Further information may be obtained by calling our business number, (814) 355-6800, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays.

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