BOZEMAN — Gallatin County 911 and Montana State University announced Thursday morning that their emergency dispatch centers have officially merged operations, a move officials say will better serve the entire community moving forward.
The county and MSU recently signed an inter-local agreement solidifying the merger. The move means that MSU dispatch responsibilities will be transferred to Gallatin County 911. As part of the merger, MSU is transferring four current dispatch staff members and two additional budgeted positions to Gallatin County 911.
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Discussions about potentially merging dispatch centers began in 2017. In May of 2019, MSU dispatch moved to the Gallatin County 911 facility but remained a separate entity. The agreement to officially merge was signed by both parties in June, and the merge was completed on July 1.
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| So what does this merge mean for the public? |
| It increases the number of staff members at Gallatin County 911 to better serve the entire community. It also increases staffing and oversite for MSU operations. Instead of relying on four staff members to cover operations, there will be 10 initially covering MSU operations with an additional eight in training. Once off training, there will be 18 staff members to cover all dispatching and 911 services for Gallatin County. |
| This also gives the students, staff and visitors of MSU the ability to receive services from dispatchers who are fully trained in dispatching law enforcement, fire and EMS. The MSU Police Department will also gain access to Gallatin County 911’s Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and Records Management System (RMS), allowing them to free up resources by not having to maintain their own systems and to focus on other pressing needs. |
| “We’re excited to complete this merge and welcome the MSU dispatch staff as official members of our Gallatin County 911 team,” said Gallatin County 911 Director Tim Martindale. “The group that we are bringing over to join us are all exceptional individuals, and we’re grateful to have them. We’re committed to providing the same great service that we offer to our current users to the students, faculty, staff and visitors at MSU. We’re also eager to become a part of the MSU family.” |
| “The safety and security of our campus community is MSU’s top concern, and this merger with Gallatin County 911 will keep both the university and our community safe,” said Kevin Gillilan, chief of University Police. “We look very much forward to working with our partners at 911 to better serve our community.” |
