Hot Springs chooses not to combine with Garland County for 911

Hot Springs, Arkansas – The decision to combine the 911 contact center operated by the city of Hot Springs and Garland County has been opted out of.

Although there were numerous considerations in this difficult decision, Hot Springs Mayor Pat McCabe stated that safety will always come first and money will come in second.

If the city of Hot Springs and the county combined their 911 centers, the state would have given the city $500,000; however, officials argue that the cost of consolidation is too high if it results in a slowed-down safety.

“We like to deal with issues as fast as possible,” Hot Springs Fire Chief Edward Davis said. “Get those things resolved and allow people to return to their vacations or their lives and do it in a peaceful manner.”

This is precisely how Seth Louton, a resident of Hot Springs, originally encountered dialing 911. claiming that the three cops who responded to his call were all very helpful, kind, and quick to arrive.

Louton is unsure, nevertheless, of the extent to which the consolidation might help him in an emergency. He declared that the plan must be revised from scratch.

which the city of Hot Springs concurs with but hasn’t yet been able to effectively challenge the consolidation in court.

“I think the state of Arkansas made a mistake when they denied the appeal that we made to keep two dispatchers here,” Davis said.

These days, the Hot Springs Police Station houses the 911 call center. It would relocate to the Garland County 911 emergency communications center in the event of a merger.