City of Fresno breaks ground on new 911 dispatch facility

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer says the installation has been decades successful the making.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's not each time you spot a metropolis politician breaking ground-- literally. But that's what happened connected Tuesday greeting successful Downtown Fresno.

Mayor Jerry Dyer, on with metropolis assembly members and instrumentality enforcement, gathered to denote a caller installation for 911 dispatchers.

"This caller 911 halfway volition regenerate the existent connection halfway located successful the basement," said Mayor Dyer.

He explains a caller installation is agelong overdue.

"It has nary windows, it has antiquated aerial conditioning, it has encapsulated asbestos successful the extortion area. And it's been truly untenable ambiance situation for dispatchers to enactment retired of," said Mayor Dyer.

Dyer, who was antecedently Fresno's Police Chief for 18 years, has agelong wanted to get dispatchers a caller space.

"We attempted to bash this backmost successful the aboriginal 2000s. The recession deed successful 2009. We really had architectural plans that were done, we had to shove those. And past we truly didn't person backing opportunities on the way," said Mayor Dyer.

These photos shared with Action News amusement what the caller gathering volition look similar erstwhile it's complete.

The task volition outgo astir $19 million. Mayor Dyer said $2 cardinal was secured done the Office of Emergency services.

Police Chief Mindy Casto said dispatchers received implicit 1 cardinal calls successful 2024- averaging much than 2 1000 calls a day.

"This is really existent contiguous and it's precise exciting," said Chief Casto.

It's a hub and the starting constituent for exigency assistance anyplace successful the metropolis of Fresno.

"It's a nationalist information reply point, and the largest 1 successful Central California. That means that we get each 911 calls successful the metropolis of Fresno. So, whether you request an ambulance, you request occurrence oregon police, the 9-1-1 calls travel successful present into our nationalist information reply point," said Casto.

Officials anticipation to prosecute astatine slightest a twelve much radical to enactment successful the dispatch halfway by the clip the caller gathering is complete, which is acceptable for the autumn of 2026.

For quality updates, travel Vince Ybarra connected Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.