COLUMBUS, Ind. — The first annual report from a public agency detailing the impact of COVID-19 in the Columbus area in 2020 shows emergency responses were up significantly due to medical emergencies from the virus.
The number of calls received by the Bartholomew County E911 Emergency Operations Center in 2020 was unbelievable, Bartholomew County Commissioner Tony London said.
In total, nearly 142,000 phone transactions were processed last year, center director Todd Noblitt told the commissioners. But rather than crimes or fires, the largest number of calls came from those seeking emergency medical services, at 8,829, the report states.
Last year, there was a record 2.7 million emergency radio transmissions made in the county, as well as a 12% increase in text-to-911 transactions at 4,732 throughout the year, Noblitt said.
In a section of the report titled “COVID, COVID and MORE COVID,” Noblitt and his deputy director, Julie Pierce, outlined how the virus impacted the operations center.
With the initial onset of the virus in February 2020, the center canceled training, travel and time-off for staff, Noblitt said. To reduce the number of dispatchers in one enclosed space, a second emergency dispatch center was temporarily installed at the Bartholomew County Governmental Office building.
The action was taken to ensure that a COVID-19 outbreak would not completely close down emergency dispatching, Noblitt said.
“The interesting thing is that during the initial outbreak (March, April, May), we actually saw a significant reduction of phone calls for service by 17%,” Noblitt said. In mid-May, all operations were brought back to the center at 131 S. Cherry St., and staff was again allowed to take time off.
For more on this story, see Monday’s Republic.
