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METRO/STATE <br /> <br /> Darren Gibbins / The Forum <br />Fargo cib7 network en§~neer Renee Lara installs a computer system at the Red Rive~; <br />Regional Dispatch CenTer at 300 NP Avenue, Fargo, on Monday. Emergency calls from both <br />Fargo and Moorhead will be handled at the site· <br /> <br />Dispatch center moving '' <br />into ne v headquarters ." <br /> By Jona[han Knutson by the transition, she said. Consolidating the center's <br /> <br /> j knu[son @ forurncomm.com <br /> The Red River Regional Dis- <br /> patch Center soon will be <br /> under one roof. <br /> The dispatch center - at <br />which seven local agencies <br />will take emergency phone <br />calls - is consolidating in new <br />quarters at 300 NP Ave., <br />Fargo. <br /> Though the new center <br />already is unified on paper, <br />some of its workers are locat- <br />ed in Fargo, others in Moor- <br />head. <br /> The move to a single loca- <br />tion is expected to be complet- <br />ed within a week, but no open- <br />ing date has been set. said <br />Kathy Colvin, the center's <br />directon <br /> The public won't be affected <br /> <br /> Thirty people will work at <br />the centen which will take <br />emergency phone calls for F-M <br />Ambulance Service, the Cass <br />and Clay county sheriff's <br />departments, Fargo and Moor- <br />head police departments, and <br />the Fargo and Moorhead fire <br />departments. <br /> The Fargo agencies will pay <br />53 percent of the costs to oper- <br />ate the center, Moorhead's <br />agencies 22 percent, Cass <br />CotmW 15 percent and Clay <br />County 10 percent, based on <br />each jurisdictions' size. <br /> Plans for the consolidated <br />home in downtown Fargo <br />were approved in May. The <br />center is renting what had <br />been empw space on the sec- <br />ond floor of the building. <br /> <br /> operations in one place makes <br /> sense. Colvin said. <br /> One consideration: increas- <br /> ingly costly communications <br /> equipment. <br /> "You can't afford to have'iI <br />equipment at more than one <br />location," she said. <br /> And by coordinating their <br />efforts, she said, the agencies <br />can work more quickly and,... <br />effectively. <br /> Mike Hall, executive direCJ/~ <br />tor of F-M Ambulance, also'~ <br />praised the new dispatch cen- <br />ter. ~ ' <br /> There will be much better' <br />coordination," he said. "It will <br />be good for everyone <br />involved." <br /> - <br /> Readers can reach Forum reporter <br /> Jonathan Knutson at (701} 241-5530 <br /> <br /> <br />