SUFFOLK, Va. — Suffolk's 911 call center is entering into a project with centers in Portsmouth, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake.
The official title is the Hampton Roads Computer Aided Dispatch Interoperability Project (HRCIP).
It will allow each city's CAD—or computer-aided dispatch—systems to talk to each other and see what fire and resources are available for emergency responses.
Suffolk Fire Chief Michael Barakey told News 3's Jay Greene the project aims to work with other cities to break down barriers and quicken response times.
"A Suffolk dispatcher can dispatch a Virginia Beach fire truck to the city of Suffolk, just from their dispatch console," Barakey said. "That's the power of what we're doing."
As soon as someone calls 911, the caller's address point is loaded into the CAD system. From there, comes a coordinated response, which could involve first responders from other cities, all depending on the location of the call.
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"If it's in North Suffolk or Harbor View up in the north part of our city, when a building fire comes out or a residential or commercial building, an access point will then trigger the closest Suffolk fire units, Portsmouth and Chesapeake fire units," the chief said. "Those fire units will be automatically recommended and dispatched at an immediate time."
It's all about saving time which is crucial in an emergency, especially in a growing community. Nearly 100,000 people live in the city, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Between 2010 and 2020, the city saw an 11% increase in population.
With the current procedures, the chief told Greene that Suffolk would be three to five minutes delayed if they were called to assist with a building fire in Chesapeake.
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"So when you get not only the closest, but the most appropriate closest resources, engine companies, ladder companies or rescue companies—that have specialized pieces that we have—and they arrive in that type of flashing of closest and most appropriate, we can really take care of some building fires very quickly," Chief Barakey said. "But right now if you just depend upon your city or your resources, sometimes there are delays and other calls going on."
The system also allows for police agencies to be included at a later time, though they are not part of the current project.
"Police have a little bit different laws or regulations to consider, but this can be expanded or expandable to allow for police cars, police vehicles to be allowed to be dispatched across city lines," Barakey said.
The chief anticipates the system will go live in the spring of 2024 with a plethora of training beforehand.
