SPOKANE, Wash. – Spokane is set to face significant changes in its 911 emergency response system, as the Spokane Regional Emergency Communications (SREC) has announced it will cease its services to the city by January 2026.
Currently, SREC manages the dispatch center, but the city will need to assume responsibility for these operations. Lori Markham, SREC’s executive director, explained the urgency of the situation. “Unfortunately, the timeline of being able to sit around and talk about it has come to an end,” Markham said.
Markham highlighted recent changes to SREC as part of the motivation behind the terminated services to Spokane Fire Department and Spokane Police Department.
“We’ve got some software that we’ve got to implement that’s highly involved and highly detailed that if we don’t have certain answers, we won’t be able to accomplish these things in the time that we need to get them done,” Markham added.
As part of the transition, SREC has issued an official termination notice to the city, ending its role as Spokane’s Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) in January.
Markham explained that calls made within Spokane will be directed either to the city’s new system or to SREC, which will handle calls from surrounding areas.
For Spokane to establish its own PSAP, it will need to replicate SREC’s existing technology. Markham emphasized the financial implications. “The reality of our line of work is not a very cheap line of work. It’s multimillion-dollar systems, multimillion-dollar hardware, and electronics,” she stated.
In its termination letter, SREC expressed concerns about the city’s decision to create its own PSAP, suggesting it would lead to additional costs for Spokane residents and contradict established 911 operation practices.
Mayor Brown, however, has rejected SREC’s six-month timeline, arguing that “this unilateral and arbitrary deadline will put lives at risk.” She noted that at least 18 months are necessary for a smooth transition and stated that the city will not accept the termination until a detailed plan and funding for its PSAP are finalized.
While SREC accused Spokane of being “unwilling to embrace the regional model,” Mayor Brown countered that the city had made several proposals to collaborate with SREC, which were declined. She criticized SREC’s “take it or leave it mentality” toward Spokane, which accounts for half of the 911 call volume.
Airway Heights Police Chief Brad Richmond supported the current SREC structure, noting its inclusivity for smaller communities.
“Oftentimes people from smaller communities like Airway Heights don’t have that opportunity – so we do have a seat at the table and are able to help make those important decisions for the people we serve,” Richmond said.
Despite the ongoing political debate, Markham assured the public that emergency services will remain committed to providing quality care.
“I think it’s important for the public to know and understand that regardless of what’s going on, on the political scene or in administrative discussions. But at the end of the day, when you call 911, when this transition occurs, someone will answer and we will dispatch units to go and make sure that you are getting what you need,” she stated.
Mayor Brown’s full statement in response to the terminated services:
We are in receipt of communication from the SREC Board notifying the City of Spokane that SREC “will no longer serve as the primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for the City of Spokane Fire Department effective 12:00am on January 1, 2026.” This unilateral and arbitrary deadline will place lives at risk. Indeed, independent subject matter experts recommend at least 18 months to stand up a new PSAP.
In the interests of public safety for all residents and visitors served by the 911 system and fairness to all taxpayers in the region, the City does not accept a termination until we have finalized a plan for the safe and smooth transition to a City PSAP and resolved the issue of equitable apportionment.
As you know, the City of Spokane’s Fire Department (SFD) joined SREC as a fully participating agency in late 2022 and began paying user fees (approximately $2.5 million per year). SFD accounts for roughly 55% of all 911 Fire-related calls across the County. Spokane Police Department (SPD) has always operated its own dispatch system and began serving as a secondary PSAP on October 31, 2022. SPD accounts for 55-60% of the County’s 911 law enforcement calls.
SREC’s first correspondence to this Administration was sent on April 19, 2024. It demanded that SPD join SREC or SFD would be removed from SREC. Since then, the City conducted due diligence with regard to a fair and responsive regional emergency communications center. We hired a consultant to conduct a feasibility assessment, we recommended a facilitator to help us resolve the consultant’s findings (a request that was summarily rejected by the SREC Board), we met with the SREC and County transition committee multiple times, and we attempted to resolve our primary concerns around governance, service levels and finances by:
• Proposing alternative governance models that retain the City’s minority representation on the Board, center subject matter experts, and facilitate elected oversight of taxpayer dollars.
• Identifying opportunities to increase financial capacity by financing large purchases, driving down user fees passed onto jurisdictions and their taxpayers, and ensuring that revenue and expenditures are brought in line.
• Suggesting service level assurances to safeguard the needs and expectations of the public.
Each of these proposals have been rejected by SREC who has maintained a “take it or leave it” posture toward the County’s largest municipality that accounts for 42% of the population, nearly half of the relevant tax revenue, and over 50% of 911 emergency call volume.
The City recognizes that SREC must balance the needs of participating rural agencies. The regional emergency communications center should also be responsive to the unique needs of the region’s largest City that serves as the hub for commerce, employment, health services, and major regional events, which draw visitors from neighboring cities and states and drive up demand for emergency services within the City.
The City has consistently demonstrated a sincere willingness to resolve concerns regarding governance, finances and services. These issues were not resolved over the course of several meetings with SREC and County officials, or during the recent mediation. Since the SREC mediation on June 11 did not result in an agreeable resolution, we must resolve the issue of equitable apportionment of the sales and use tax (RCW 82.14.420) and the 911 excise tax (HB 1258). To further that discussion and to enable to parties to reach an agreement on the equitable apportionment of both taxes, the City and County must meet to resolve the elements of equitable apportionment including finances and service level no later than July 15, 2025.
