HISTORY

Initially there were 6 full-time calltaker/dispatchers, a supervisor, and the director. More than 1/3 of the 8-hr. shifts were handled by one person alone. It was not until late in 1989 that the first part-timer was hired, allowing double-coverage on most 4-12 shifts. Today we have 9 full-time and 1 part-time person, all of whom still function as both call-takers and dispatchers, and all shifts are double-staffed. The staff works a 40-hour week on assigned (not rotating) 8-hour shifts.

The first 9-1-1 center held the communications room, offices for the supervisor and director, a half bath, a meeting room, and a kitchen area with a “dorm-sized” refrigerator and a toaster oven. We started with one telephone/radio console, a separate desk phone, a CB, a typewriter, a teletype machine on which we could communicate with the Maryland Emergency Management Agency in Pikesville, a reel-to-reel 24 hr. Dictaphone, and a TTY that required that a phone handset be put in its cradle. There were 10 9-1-1 lines, 2 dedicated to each of the 5 exchanges in the county, 2 administrative lines, extensions of the main phone line of the Crisfield Police Dept., the Princess Anne Police Dept., and the County Sheriff’s Dept., and a direct line to Maryland State Police in Berlin. During the fall of 1989 a second console position was added. Along the way 5 additional administrative lines were also added.

In the Fall of 1989 the State teletype was replaced by our first computer with messaging software installed that enabled communication via modem between MEMA and any Central in the State. On that same computer EIS was installed as well as word processing and a hurricane program.

Our first FAX machine was donated to us by Baltimore Gas & Electric, as they did to all counties directly in the ingestion zone of their Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant.

A county-wide addressing system was in place as was Enhanced 9-1-1 which allowed operators to see the phone number and address of the caller, and we developed an in-house CAD system with two networked stations.

A lightning strike in the summer of 1993 resulted in the replacement of the reel-to-reel Dictaphone by a digital logging tape recorder on which all radio and phone transmissions are recorded for a week at a time on each tape.

At first the only supplemental training required was that of Maryland EMS First Responder. In 1996 and 1997 all operators in the center were certified as State and National Emergency Medical Dispatchers. All full-time operators hired since then have also completed that program, and all full-time operators hired since July 1, 1997 have been required by the State Emergency Numbers System Board to be certified as a Maryland Emergency Communications Specialist, requiring an additional 40-hour training class on the college level. Dispatching police as well as fire and ambulance, all operators are also certified by MILES and NCIC.

The communications room was moved to the much larger room formerly used as the meeting room in the Spring of 1999 and a new Zetron 2-position touch-screen console installed along with an upgraded phone system and direct access to Verizon’s database. We expect our phone system to be upgraded again in the next six months, implementing Phase I of E911 Wireless. More security cameras and a card access system have been implemented in the building. A “net clock” has been installed to synchronize times in the console, Dictaphone and telephone system.

Plans were initiated for the upgrade and replacement of all county-wide radio systems serving fire, EMS, police, County Roads, and Animal Control, as well as for the conversion of the former communications room into an employee lounge with enhanced kitchen facilities. At the end of 2002, the County assumed occupancy of the offices across the hall, which had previously been leased by Parole & Probation. The Director’s office, the 911 Supervisor’s office, and the Emergency Operations Center were relocated to this space, resulting in an expansion that nearly doubled the department’s total square footage.

Somerset County placed into service the EDACS (Enhanced Digital Access Communications System) 800 MHz trunked radio system, manufactured by M/A-COM. The system offered a substantial improvement over the County’s legacy VHF/UHF conventional systems by providing broader geographic coverage, enhanced audio clarity, and more reliable in-building penetration.

The trunked design also allowed for more efficient use of available radio frequencies by dynamically assigning channels as needed, thereby reducing congestion and ensuring critical communications capacity during high-volume incidents. Additionally, the EDACS platform supported features such as talkgroup prioritization, emergency signaling, and interoperability with neighboring jurisdictions that operated on compatible systems.

Overall, the transition to the EDACS 800 MHz system represented a significant advancement in public safety communications infrastructure, improving reliability for fire, EMS, law enforcement, and other county agencies.

In May 2018, Somerset County signed a contract with L3Harris to replace its aging EDACS radio system, which was approaching end-of-life, with a modern Project 25 (P25) Phase II digital trunked radio system. The upgrade included the deployment of five strategically located tower sites across the county. These towers were designed not only to provide seamless countywide coverage, but also to extend service into traditionally hard-to-reach remote areas such as marshlands, waterways, and rural communities.

The new P25 system offers enhanced in-building penetration, greater interoperability with state and regional agencies, and significantly improved audio clarity compared to the analog and mixed-mode operations of the previous EDACS system. By utilizing simulcast technology and digital signal optimization, the system ensures reliable communication for first responders, law enforcement, fire services, and emergency management, even in areas that historically experienced coverage gaps.

In early 2019, Somerset County, Maryland implemented the Text-to-9-1-1 service, providing residents with the ability to contact emergency services via text message. This capability is intended for situations in which placing a voice call may endanger the caller’s safety, as well as for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities. Through this initiative, Somerset County joined statewide efforts to strengthen public safety and ensure that all residents have equitable and reliable access to emergency services.

After all infrastructure was constructed, upgraded, or added—including tower equipment, backhaul, microwave links, and dispatch console integration—the system underwent rigorous coverage testing, reliability assessments, and acceptance trials. In January 2020, following successful completion of these evaluations, the Somerset County P25 system was officially accepted and placed into service.

Beginning in early 2018, counties across Maryland’s Eastern Shore evaluated Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911) vendors to determine which solution best met their needs. After a thorough review process, all nine counties collectively chose AT&T ESInet™ as their provider, and the Master Contract was signed in December 2020.

One of the major benefits of this regional approach was that all Eastern Shore 9-1-1 Centers operated on the same system. This shared platform improved the ability to communicate seamlessly across county lines, ensuring better coordination and faster response when it mattered most.

On April 26, 2023, Somerset County officially went live with the NG911 system—a milestone in public safety for the community. The upgrade was designed to meet the evolving demands of residents, lifestyles, and technologies.

The NG911 system provided a wide range of improvements, including:

1. Improved location accuracy for calls from wireless devices.
2. Location-based call routing, ensuring calls were directed to the correct center.
3. Greater interoperability between 9-1-1 communication centers.
4. A more resilient and reliable network for call delivery.
5. Dynamic routing to manage call congestion by redirecting calls to neighboring centers.
6. Automatic failover routing to other 9-1-1 centers in case of equipment failure or evacuation—ensuring no emergency call went unanswered.
7. Future capabilities to receive voice, video, and data requests through multiple modes of communication.