Several years ago, the various cities involved drew up a proposal which resulted in litigation. The upshot of the ruling in that case was the E911 Board would have to handle the proposals.
The initial request for proposal, which includes benchmarks and evaluation standards, was released in April.
The E911 Board sent the final proposal to the Talladega County Commission for final approval.
North Star’s contract covers the city of Talladega and the area around Oxford. Lincoln and Childersburg have municipal paramedic services and will not be participating in the new contract.
“We have criteria to meet,” Dierking said. “We have minimum required emergency response times for the city and the county, and those will be evaluated every six months. The service providers will have to meet those standards, and that is a definite positive for the community.”
The proposal also includes a community education component that will likely cover such topics as drinking and driving during the holidays. These will be collaborative efforts involving local media and healthcare organizations.
Beginning next year, he said, the company will likely choose a theme such as child safety helmets or safety restraints in cars. They will also be working with local emergency medical technicians on such projects as monthly training classes, health fairs and blood pressure checks.
After an extensive analysis of call data, the company also decided to purchase office space in Talladega. They are now housed in the old E911 Building on North Street.
Dierking said an annual North Star tradition will be returning to Talladega this year, specifically Home for the Holidays.
“We will pick out a nursing home resident that would normally be able to go home for Thanksgiving or Christmas, and we make sure they get home and get to spend a few hours with their loved ones. Then we take them back. It’s a good way for us to give back.”
Contact Chris Norwood at cnorwood@dailyhome.com.
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