At midnight Friday, November 28, Mackinac County will make the official switch of its 9-1-1 emergency dispatch operation from the Michigan State Police Negaunee Regional Dispatch to Chippewa County.

Chippewa County 9-1-1 Coordinator Tim McKee and Mackinac County 9-1-1 Coordinator Bryce Tracy are completing testing of radio and paging equipment, adding more capacity for higher volume of incoming and outgoing communications and a new communication console at the Sault Ste. Marie dispatch center.

Informational meetings about the switch are being held at four locations: At the Clark Township fire hall in Cedarville at 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 19, at the Garfield Township Hall in Engadine at 7 p.m. Thursday, November 20, and at Little Bear East Community Center in St. Ignace at 7 p.m. Monday, November 24. A meeting on Mackinac Island was held November 17.

The meetings will provide new protocol information to emergency responders, but are open to the public.

Businesses with emergency alarm systems will need to contact the system operator and provide them with Chippewa County's 9-1- 1 routing number, information that will be mailed in a letter to all businesses soon, said Mr. Tracy.

Another feature that will lend helpful information to emergency responders and dispatchers is a database that includes special information about residents and properties, which is voluntarily given to Chippewa County Dispatch.

"This would provide information about people with special needs or a company with hazardous material on the property, or who are the main key holders to a business building, for example," said Mr. Tracy. "The more information that can be provided will improve the response procedure and make handling the incidents smoother for both the person and our responders. It's just another tool to be used to improve response and care."

All information given to the dispatch center is strictly confidential, said Mr. Tracy.

People will be able to send any special information to the dispatch center via online forms, fax, e-mailing, or simply by calling Mr. Tracy.

"I hope to get this up and run- ning in the next week or so," he said.

Once the system is up, Mr. Tracy said the next project for Mackinac County is to install mobile data equipment to about 30 Mackinac County vehicles.

Chippewa County is the only county in the U.P. that has mobile data equipment in its emergency response vehicles, said Mr. McKee. It will allow police officers, for example, to check a person's background and criminal record or a vehicle's license plate on an online database without having to call a dispatcher and wait for information, Mr. Tracy explained.

Mackinac County is entering into a five-year, $640,000 contract with Chippewa County, in which Mackinac County is expected to pay $160,000 for the first year of service and then $120,000 each year until the contract expires in 2013.