Letter to the Editor: Emergency Services Director Defends $970 Chairs

Submitted by Director of Emergency Services Scott T. Forster:

At the core of any government services agency, the role of providing public safety for residents is paramount. With that responsibility in mind, I write to offer my extreme objection to your editorial of Friday, November 22, 2013, “Pricey purchase doesn’t sit well.” (The editorial was published in a Bucks County newspaper.)

Let’s begin with the reality that the Bucks County 9-1-1 Emergency Communications staff handles more than 750,000 phone calls for assistance each and every year. Some of those calls deal with life-threatening, or even life-ending, situations. The trained professionals who handle those calls with empathy and expertise sit for work shifts ranging from 12-16 hours.

The unanimous vote by the county commissioners on November 20 to spend $36,861 for 38 chairs to serve as essential equipment in our busy radio room was an investment in all Bucks County residents. The $970 cost per chair comes with a 10-year warranty, including six (6) years for parts – which equates to $87 per year for the mid-back model and $102 per year for the high-back model. I view this investment as part of the equipment our dispatchers need to perform their job function safely and comfortably. It is also the same (or less) cost that our neighbors in Montgomery, Delaware and Chester counties made for their dispatch professionals. Clearly, they value sturdy and reliable public safety equipment, too.

It is also important to note that these new chairs referred to as “new thrones” are occupied by our valued employees for 168 hours per week, which is 24 hours per day every day. Their heavy-duty construction also lessons the potential for liability to the County in the event of a workman’s compensation case, because the chairs are constructed with ergonomics in mind. Quite simply, the chairs will be put to extensive, lasting use and will withstand wear and tear much greater than a cheaper less quality chair.

Financially, the chair purchase was funded with 9-1-1 telephone surcharges that are collected through phone bills. There were no county tax dollars used to purchase these chairs.

On a personal note, one member of the county board of commissioners recently received critical assistance from the Bucks County Emergency Communications Department during a call involving a close relative. Our dispatchers are there at any second in the day to provide assistance in times of need.

The commissioners are proud to have voted for the purchase of our new 9-1-1 Emergency Communications chairs, and the staff is thankful for their decision. We all consider the chairs a symbol of our ongoing commitment to maximize public safety here in Bucks County, and we want to provide safety and comfort for our employees who are there when the people calling 9-1-1 need them the most.