Ronjamin,

Whitehall continues to dispatch using their own communications officers. As does Bethel Park. The majority members of Brentwood and Baldwin councils were the dunderheads who decided that it was in their residents best interest to outsource our emergency services dispatches to County dispatchers. I am hearing the same problems as you are with the degraded quality of service from the County 911 Center. But, you will never get the borough decision-makers to admit that they made a big mistake.

Hiya Ron Jammin'! Just so ya know, I'm not haunting these blogs, It's just that I have nothing better to do at the mo'

I agree with your posting 100% and then some. It really seems that callers to the county 911 center may as well be asking for technical support from a call center in India! I don't have reason to call 911, but in the past it was comforting to know (for a Brentwood resident) that either Rick M. or MaryLou S. would be on the other end of the phone if there was an emergency. They knew their town like they should, and could offer some comforting conversation during a crisis instead of scolding you while your adrenilin was flowing in a panic situation. Those were the days...

Wow, are you really discussing the 911 change again. I have taken time to ask around the police, fire and EMS scene and apparently those who use it, love it. But what the hay, lets debate it here and then try again in a few more months. BTW..... I saw the new Brentwood Police Car at a convenience store, I think Wednesday morning. That car was awesome, just like the old days of black and white. No light bar ?? I'm sure theres a crime fighting tactic in that decision.

Last thought..... I asked my tire man and oil change man to hook me up with some free golf, damn them.... they laughed at me. I also asked my boss to allow me to golf my work day one day a week and ,,, he also laughed at me !! Can anyone give me any help convincing them that this is a common practice ??

Rick M., Marylou S., Give me A break!

Well, Well, Well. The concerned citizens of Brentwood stand up and make a bold statement. "It was comforting to talk to Mary Lou...that says a lot! As concerned citizens, you should educate yourselves a little more with the Allegheny County 911 system before passing judegement on political propaganda only. Point being, borough residents do currently work at 911, and yes they know your streets, some better than you do. And yes, there are flaws, with any new system. But, Im sure that above information does not make a good headline. Ask the many people who have been guided by 911 through CPR of a loved one, talked through having a suicidal moment in time or would you rather have Mary Lou offering a "useless" comforting thought during your moment of crisis. In closing, all of the earlier postings are being made on hearsay and not factual evidence which proves all of the negatives are just feeding the public lies for political gain.

PS, We do know where the HOLLOW is, but the Baldwin portion is FISHWICK, but who keeps track of that, right????

Yes, I bet that a LOT of townies have had a suicidal moment when talking with ML! LOL!

Ah yes, the Ole Fishwick dilema - Humm, is that off of Brentwood Road, or is that Schutte or Willet or is that with TWO t's as in Willette? Better load up my MS Streets and Trips! LOL! I always thought that the hollow was at the end of Brentwood AVE near the soccor field - Or is that the Soccer field??

Oh golly. Don't take these blogs so seriously. If you want some REAL fun in your day, head on over to the Daily Rotten - Now there the blog comments are REAL serious! :-)

http://www.dailyrotten.com

County 911 has been nothing but A vast improvement for Brentwood Boro.

I have nothing bad to say about 911.I have used them twice and had no problem.They ask the questions they do because thay have to varify the information your giving (address,phone, area) and determins what type of emergency services to send just ems or just police or a combo of the services.It also helps the responders decide how much equipment to send. (is 1 ambulance enough).I know someone is going to ask How do you know this? I am an EMT and I Also work as a dispatcher.I'm not going to say where I work but I don't work for the county and I have nothing against them.I have been told that if you would like to tour the 911 center and see what goes on you can call the nonemergency number and speak to the director or supervisor about touring.I also work with people who work at 911 and they speak highly of the center,co workers.I have toured the center and it is amazing at what they can do in a split second by pushing one button.As someone else stated when you call 911 and they tell you how to do cpr,they tell you how to control the bleeding you going to thank them.compared to the local dispatcher who has minamal training and is NOT permitted to give those or any other instructions.

I am always amused at those who cite the economies of scale argument, about all the money our Borough will save by using it, by all the great increases in service, the knowledge......., but they always ignore the stark realities that come along with it: bureaucratic intransigence, cockiness, bad attitudes, lack of compassion, lack of knowledge of the community they serve, on and on and on.

I have no doubt that the County 911 Dispatch Center is a technological work of wonder. In fact, I've asked several police officers about the dispatch changes, and 100% like it. However, the obverse is true when you ask the citizen. Outside those here who love to argue, 100% of the people I've talked to on the street....my neighbors, have issues with the system. Many think it's a joke perpetrated by our own council because they lack the leadership to preserve the system that worked well. The question then is who does this County 911 system really serve?

The issue is that when your dealing with regional phone calls, there is a greater margin for error, rudness, lack of compassion, lack of knowledge and basic spelling abilities. This can be demonstrated by repeated problems at the County 911 here as well as throughout the nation. There is no reason to "give it some more time", as someone suggested. There isn't "more time" when your house is burning and the prick at the end of the line is chastising you for being excited. There isn't more time when your dying and they keep asking the same question over and over and over like some mentally challenged person.

For those not up on local history, Brentwood (and most other communities carved out of Baldwin Township) were created because of the lack of service from government. Today, our local governments ability to effectively manage our borough is in question. Ineptness, lies, thieves, perverts, cheats rule the day while the local population generally turns an indifferent blind eye. . . until their house burns down.....or they are raped.....or they are burglarized......or their father is having a heart-attack. Then they have to deal with these winners in the County. Granted, it only takes one bad apple. But when it's our bad apple, we have access to make changes. With the County, you might as well talk to the wall.

Yes, the great people at the County 911 are trained with all kinds of knowledge. But busy signals due to football games or the Regatta are no excuse. Cockiness and bad-attitudes during a crisis is unacceptable. Rude behavior and bureaucratic intransigence is unacceptable. It's not like we can go to a council meeting and bring our concerns directly to those who are responsible. Our council has shirked it's responsibility and handed it off to the County. And for anyone who has tried to complain about a problem with the County, you know the futility.