The two 9-1-1 centers in Snohomish County voted Thursday night to consolidate.

“Careful analysis and consideration has shown that this consolidation will improve overall responsiveness to emergency calls while also allowing for substantial cost savings. Doing things better and more efficiently makes this the right choice for the taxpayers of Snohomish County,” Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring said.

The change will be effective Jan. 1, 2018.

For more than a year and half, elected officials and staff from the agencies, police and fire agencies, and emergency radio system have been studying whether to consolidate the two dispatch centers into one, a SNOCOM and SNOPAC news release says.

“The professional police and fire 9-1-1 operators at SNOCOM & SNOPAC work behind the scenes to get the public the help they need and protect our first responders,” SNOPAC director Kurt Mills said.

A task force was formed to look at ways to improve service and reduce costs keeping in mind the needs of the community, first responders and employees.

Consolidation is the first step toward eliminating the up to 50,000 9-1-1 transfers that occur between the two centers each year. There is a projected cost savings of nearly $1 million annually.

The boards agreed that any labor reductions would occur over time through attrition, and that there would be no layoffs. “It’s a critical mission and so it was important that our employees didn’t have to worry about

job security while the study was completed,” SNOCOM director Terry Peterson said.

SNOPAC board chairman and Fire District 7 assistant fire chief Steve Guptill said the consolidation has “placed public safety above all other interests with this merger. We are eager to complete this transition and continue to look for additional ways to improve our public safety system in Snohomish County.”

SNOPAC and SNOCOM were formed in the 1970s in the early days of 9-1-1. In 2017 the two centers answered approximately 1,800 9-1-1 calls a day and provided dispatch services to 49 police and fire agencies serving a population of nearly 775,000 within Snohomish County.

“Both SNOCOM and SNOPAC have a long and esteemed history of service to our county and by joining forces we will continue that legacy together,” said SNOCOM board chairman and Mountlake Terrace Mayor Jerry Smith.