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Guide to the Back Mountain
Wednesday, May 20, 1992 3
9%1 serves most of Back Mountain
By ERIC FOSTER
Post Staff
911 — three little numbers, but who hasn't heard
of them.
Dial those three numbers on your telephone and
you expect to get help for an emergency.
In most parts of Luzerne County, however, dialing
911 will connect you with an operator in another part
of the state who may not know Scranton from Wilkes-
Barre, let alone where you're home is. So valuable
time is lost as the operator connects your call to local
help.
°° in most of the Back Mountain.
ice December of 1990, anyone calling 911 from
the 674, 675, 696, 639, 333, 388 and 477 telephone
exchanges will be connected with a dispatcher from
the Back Mountain Communications Center, where
they'll reach a dispatcher familiar with the area, and
the emergency personnel who serve it.
In contrast, the Luzerne County Communications
Center expects to have 911 service a year of more
from now, according to David Macekura, director of
the county center.
The Back Mountain Communications Center
dispatches police, fire and ambulance service for
Dallas Borough, Dallas Township, Kingston
Township, and Jackson Township, while calls from
oll Township ring at the Wyoming County
cen
Harveys Lake and Lake Township are served by
the Luzerne County Communications Center.
Because the 639 telephone exchange covers
Harveys Lake and parts of Lehman Township, Harveys
Lake calls with be connected with the Back Mountain
Communications Center even though the borough is
not a member. The Harveys Lake police department
left the Back Mountain Communications Center in
May of 1992 in order to save the money which would
normally be spent on membership.
Harveys Lake residents who have an emergency
and need to call for police should not call 911. Instead
they should call 675-5259 or 639-1690 for police. If
the police are not in, the call will be forwarded to the
Luzerne County Communications Center. The
telephone number for the Harveys Lake Fire
department, which has never participated in the
Back Mountain Communications Center, remains at
639-5261.
The Back Mountain Communications Center has
recently installed a Telecommunication Device for
the Deaf, so that deaf residents also can get help
quickly.
The center also has recently been approved for a
$30,000 state grant so it can relocated from the
cramped Dallas Township municipal building to a
new location, which is likely to be in the Nesbitt
Hospital's Medical Center on Route 118.
In an emergency...
When you do call 911 for help, William Alaimo,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
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