Font ResizeTroy Snyder was asleep in bed when his old emergency pager started vibrating and a voice call for help went out for a car down an embankment with a man trapped inside.
The veteran fire chief in Jefferson ran to his new electronic text-message pager to see where the call was.
The pager was blank.
Snyder then found out the call was on Water Tank Road in Codorus Township just after 6 a.m. March 25. A man with serious injuries had to be flown to York Hospital.
Upset at the communication failure, he e-mailed and later talked with the leaders at the 911 center.
Rather than try to get to the bottom of the issue, 911 leaders were defensive and told him the system worked perfectly, he said. Nothing more was said or done, Snyder said.
"Somebody somewhere is going to die because help is not sent to them," Snyder said.
Snyder said he wasn't surprised to learn the new text-messaging paging system failed to alert several fire companies -- including Manchester and West Manchester townships and Manchester (Union) Borough -- to a fire in Dover Township on Wednesday.
Fire officials said the pagers failed to go off, and they had to learn through the old alert system, cell phones and scanners about the blaze, which left a family of seven homeless. The problem caused delays in getting manpower to the scene, they said.
The officials said the initial response they got from Eric Bistline, executive director at York County 911, was the same as what Snyder was
Bistline said he did not learn about the issue until he got an e-mail from Manchester Township Fire Chief Richard Shank the next day. Bistline said he was "puzzled" with the problem and has technicians investigating the transmission towers and alert system.
Snyder said he was happy Bistline was doing something this time, unlike with the concern he raised more than three weeks ago.
"There was an obvious problem here. And I don't hear another word about it," said Snyder, a veteran firefighter for 25 years.
Bistline did not return calls for comment Friday.
According to Snyder, West Manchester Township Fire Chief David Nichols and Manchester (Union) Fire Chief Joe Stevens, there have been previous failures with the new text-messaging paging system.
Despite the claims of state-of-the-art technology, Stevens said, he will rely on his old paging system and a 1940s air-raid siren atop his fire station until he has confidence in the county's $36 million 911 upgrade.
Snyder said the missed calls occur a few times a week.
"I am really upset. I am here to help people and serve the public. But how can I help someone if I never get the call?" Snyder said.
Shank said Wednesday the miscommunication was alarming, given the old and new paging systems failed some firefighters. He said he luckily heard his dog barking at a fire call on his home scanner and discovered his firefighters were heading to the call in Dover.
A firefighter then alerted 911 that the initial page did not go out, and 911 redispatched crews successfully three minutes later, Shank said. Fortunately, the initial 911 dispatch was received by crews in Dover Township and Dover Borough, he said.
"Everyone is working diligently to find out what happened the other night and to see that doesn't happen in the future," Shank said.
Shank and Snyder said they are also concerned because the old pager system will last for only so long and because many departments have already switched over to the new system. Firefighters in the Hanover area have to rely on the old system because an antenna designed with the new system isn't working, Shank said.
The county fire chiefs are expected to discuss coming up with a backup communication system at a Monday meeting at the Seven Valleys Fire Hall, said Shank, the association president.
"Every second counts in emergency services. Three to five minutes is a long time when it comes to life safety," Shank said.
DETAILS
What: York County Fire Chiefs Association meeting
When: 7:30 p.m. Monday
Where: The Seven Valleys Fire Hall in Seven Valleys
Expected topic: York County 911 communication system
BUYOUT
The company involved in the 911 upgrade was recently purchased.
The Harris Corp., an international communications and information technology company, has signed an agreement to acquire the Tyco Electronics Wireless Systems business, formerly known as M/A-COM, according to a press release from Harris Corp.
