Joe McLaughlin, who identified himself as the volunteer fire department representative on the ECC operations committee, told the Sumner County Commission Nov. 3 that he supports Michael Guthrie for the Emergency Communications Center director role, saying "he's a good director, and he got my full support." McLaughlin also noted it is not uncommon for 9-1-1 directors to oversee ECC operations.

Later in the meeting, Chairman Becker said he placed an item on the agenda to discuss ECC and ECD operations but that the expected presenter had not signed up to speak and was not present. "I do want to make it free and clear that person's not here. That person didn't sign up to speak," Becker said before removing the item from the agenda and moving to the next item. No formal action on ECC/ECD operations was taken at the meeting.

Why it matters: Oversight and management of the Emergency Communications Center affect 9-1-1 coordination and incident response. Public endorsement from a representative of the volunteer fire service signals local stakeholder support for the interim director, while the removal of the operations item leaves oversight questions for a future meeting.

No motions or votes were recorded on ECC or ECD operations during the Nov. 3 session; the item was deferred because the presenter did not appear.

Ending: The commission took no action and the ECC/ECD operations item will need to be reintroduced at a future meeting when the responsible presenter or staff can attend.