Ben Weathers, The Capital (Annapolis, Md.)

A Democratic candidate for Anne Arundel county executive commends the county Fire Department for recent changes to cut dispatch times, noting she recommended similar moves two years ago.

Joanna Conti issued a statement Friday applauding the new protocol county officials say has slashed call processing times in half. The protocol decreases the time dispatchers spend talking to 911 callers, allowing the calls to be processed quicker and for dispatchers to perform additional functions.

Dispatchers now send available units after confirming the caller’s address, phone number and nature of call.

Conti, who made an unsuccessful bid for county executive in 2010 against John R. Leopold, noted that during the last election cycle she began researching the issue after hearing from concerned firefighters.

“I was appalled to learn that we were nowhere close to meeting national response time standards, with the worse problem being that it was taking far too long to dispatch ambulances,” Conti said.

Conti said a simple solution was to have the 911 operator dispatch units as soon as the caller’s address was identified.

Conti compiled a detailed report on the subject by analyzing data from over 14,000 ambulance calls obtained through a Maryland Public Information Act request.

Fire Chief Michael Cox acknowledged Tuesday that Conti brought the issue to the department’s attention. Cox said the department was thankful to receive the input and welcomed further feedback from county residents.

Conti is the only declared Democrat running for county executive in 2014. County Executive Laura Neuman and Del. Steve Schuh are vying for the Republican nomination.

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