Sebastian County, Fort Smith to merge emergency dispatch services by 2025

FORT SMITH, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Fort Smith plans to merge all of its emergency dispatch services into one center by January 2025, according to city administrator Carl E. Geffken.

In emergency situations, every second matters. Whether it’s police, fire, or EMS responding to a call, swift coordination can mean the difference between life and death. Tim Hern, a veteran in emergency services, has seen this firsthand during his 40 years of serving the River Valley community.

“I’d been out of high school just a few years,” Hern recalled. “At that time, I decided to work for a while down in Logan County. Then I came back home to Fort Smith, and I’ve been with it ever since.”

Hern is now seeing a shift in Sebastian County’s approach to emergency services, as the region prepares to merge its dispatch centers under the Consolidated Dispatch Center Act, a law recently passed by the Arkansas state legislature. The act mandates the consolidation of public service answering points (PSAPs) to streamline emergency response.

“We’ll all be in the same room,” Hern explained. “Calls won’t get dropped, and there won’t be any delays from being transferred to a different center, which rarely happened, but still could. I think being together in one room is a positive move for us.”

Currently, Fort Smith’s police, fire, EMS, and Sebastian County each operate separate dispatch centers. However these services will be combined into one unified center.

“This consolidation is in line with state law aimed at reducing the number of PSAPs,” said Geffken. “In many other states, there’s usually one dispatch center per county, and some are even consolidating across several counties.”

Geffken said the plan for consolidation is being finalized and will be sent to the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office for approval. Once cleared, further details, including the location of the new dispatch facility, will be determined.

“We know we need a hardened facility, one that can withstand tornadoes and other natural disasters,” Geffken said. “It’s a key consideration as we move forward.”

As the county prepares for the transition, officials and first responders like Hern are optimistic that the change will improve efficiency and enhance the safety of the entire community.

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