With the much-anticipated E-911 system nearing full operation, the Blaine County Commission on Tuesday decided to enlarge the board overseeing the program from five to seven members.
Don Keirn, a Hailey city councilman, and Sun Valley resident Bill Boeger were appointed by the County Commission to act as public representatives on the Blaine County Communications Committee (BC3) board.
The BC3 board is currently composed of five members representing the sheriff's office, emergency medical services, fire, law enforcement and all five mayors in the county.
E-911, or Enhanced 911, is a multi-faceted program designed to boost communication and response times among the county's emergency responders. Using an array of technologies, the program allows emergency dispatchers to see a caller's name, phone number, physical address and map on a computer screen. It also tells dispatchers which type of emergency agency needs to be dispatched.
The only missing piece of the program is the Computer Aided Dispatch, which allows dispatchers to see the exact address of callers. That component is expected to be up and running by mid December.
Commissioner Sarah Michael said that since the brunt of the system's technological components are installed, the board should have members representing the public in a customer service role.
Sheriff Walt Femling agreed.
"I don't know whether to say I fell into it or got pushed into it," joked Keirn, who's regularly attended BC3 board meetings for the past year and a half.
