JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – Stutsman County Emergency Manager and 9-1-1 Coordinator Jerry Bergquist gave the Stutsman County Commission the latest information on the 9-1-1 system and radio console update.

Bergquist informed the commission that on June 6th, Barnes County left the shared 9-1-1 system between Stutsman, Barnes and Richland counties.

Bergquist says Richland county remains on the shared system, which has been in place since 2012. He says they are warrantied with the current system until April 2019.

Bergquist says the joint powers agreement between all 3 counties is still in effect, which allows them to dispatch for each other if needed. He says they’ll remain on that agreement and shared system until they have the equipment and funds to afford a move to the state system.

The radio console is used by dispatch to connect to all other radio systems, what Bergquist calls a “glorified switch” connecting the Jamestown Fire Department, Jamestown Police Department, Stutsman County Sheriff’s office and more.

Bergquist says they are being informed by the Motorola company that they will quit servicing their consoles in Stutsman and other counties by December 2018.

Bergquist says the statewide radio would allow all dispatch centers in the state to communicate, making virtually one large hub for emergency services.

Bergquist says work continues at the state level for this system. Bergquist says because the system is still being figured out and discussed, he isn’t able to provide an official cost estimate until it’s done. He pointed out that he will budget on the highside and go from there.