Case Study: Elk County Emergency Services achieves regional radio dispatch redundancy and seamless backup with Zetron MAX Dispatch

MAX Dispatch Equips 3 PSAPs for Regional Operation

Elk County Emergency Services faced aging, end-of-life dispatch equipment and the need to ensure redundancy and regional backup—so that a catastrophic event (a “storm of Sandy proportions”) wouldn’t wipe out call‑taking and dispatch operations. Rather than consolidate centers or fund duplicate backup sites, the county joined a Northern Tier regionalization effort and selected Zetron’s IP‑based MAX Dispatch system to modernize dispatch, support shared 9‑1‑1 call‑taking, and enable future regional radio dispatch.

Zetron installed MAX Dispatch for Elk (went live December 2013) and for partner counties Clarion (January 2014) and Clearfield (February 2014); Elk’s configuration includes six regular console positions plus two tablet/mobile positions. The deployments have met operational expectations—dispatchers report the system is user friendly and easy to administer—and, together with the Northern Tier fiber network, already allow the nine counties to answer each other’s 9‑1‑1 calls. With Zetron’s MAX Dispatch Portal planned next, the counties gain immediate redundancy, quicker remote/mobile operations, and a path to sharing radio resources while reducing equipment and maintenance overhead.

Elk County Emergency Services

Mike McAllister

Director