North Sound News

Everett to consider merging Snohomish County's emergency call systems

EVERETT, Wash. — Everett city leaders will discuss merging Snohomish County's emergency call systems Wednesday night.

It would involve consolidating SNOPAC 911, Southwest Snohomish County Communications Agency and the Snohomish County Emergency Radio System, the voice system used by police, fire and 911 in the county.

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Officials say using three systems is causing delays because about 44,000 calls need to be transferred every year.

Reporter Joanna Small says some 911 callers are getting put on hold. She's working on that part of the story for our 5 p.m. newscast. http://kiro.tv/LiveNews

Last year, a report revealed an average of a 21-second delay when transferring emergency calls between dispatch centers.

The Snohomish County Sheriff said those 21 seconds could mean the difference between life and death.