BANGOR – Confusion over the way rescue crews are sent to a call recently prompted some Glenburn officials to visit Penobscot County’s dispatch center in Bangor.

The town officials are struggling with a street name battle in which residents don’t want to change their street names, even though the four variations of “Pine” streets could make it difficult for rescue crews to find their address in an emergency.

The issue in Glenburn dates back to 2001 when rescue crews arrived at a residence with a similar street name and identical house number but no emergency. It is expected to come up again at a meeting in the near future.

And Glenburn’s not alone, according to Cliff Wells, director of the Penobscot County Regional Communications Center.

“I know of a couple of occasions where [other towns] have had these discussions,” Wells said during last week’s tour of the facility. “I know you guys are not alone.”

The streets being reviewed by Glenburn officials are: Pine Grove Avenue, Pine Hill Drive, Pine View Avenue and Pine Acres Way.

Other similar street names may become an issue in the future, but aren’t being considered for change at this time.

“If there’s any duplication or any similarity in names that could cause confusion, change them,” Wells said.

Wells, who trains his dispatchers, said he reminds them at regular staff meetings to “ask [callers] for the information, don’t give them the information.”

In the excitement and panic of their emergency, callers often transpose numbers in their address or accidentally give incorrect information.

He said dispatchers also can make mistakes on occasion, especially when dealing with more than one emergency call at a time.

“We have seen it happen where somebody could write down something and say something else,” Wells said.

In addition, rescue crews usually tell the dispatcher to “show us en route,” but they don’t repeat the address they’re responding to, Wells explained.

“They’re relying that what we’re giving them is factual information,” Wells said. “If somebody in here were to misspeak [an address], that adds to the problem.”

Dispatchers sit at a desk in front of three computer monitors, a complex telephone system with headset, a keyboard and a mouse that connects to each individual monitor. About six dispatchers work the day shift, and that is reduced to four overnight, Wells said.

Each dispatcher can handle up to 12 calls at a time, and any overflow automatically transfers to Maine State Police dispatch in Orono, he explained.

Although one computer monitor at each station provides dispatchers with the callers’ name, phone number, address, and the time and date of the call, no map is provided to give specific directions to a residence.

Glenburn officials do check with surrounding towns to make sure there are no similar names, but there are several Pine, Cedar and Vista variations in town.

“No name gets assigned without the council’s blessing,” Bill Shook, assistant to the town manager, said during last week’s meeting at dispatch.

One of the “Pine” streets in question is a private road, and the town is trying to clarify whether it has the right to change the name.

Referring to previous experience in other municipalities, Town Manager Carl Betterley said he believes that officials have the authority to change the name, but said that he was looking for an definitive answer from state officials.

Wells advised the councilors to change all similar street names so that it’s fair to everyone, rather than allowing one group of residents to keep their road name.

“This way there’s no issue or hard feelings,” he said.

Although the 9-1-1 system has improved emergency response in Maine, there are still enhancements that could be made.

At one time, dispatch attempted to get mobile data up and running in rescue vehicles to make finding addresses easier, but it was too expensive for the level of service that was provided, according to Wells.

“At this point and time, it’s not worth the money to do it,” he said.

A contract expected to be in place in the near future would provide dispatch with another computer monitor that would display a mapping system for emergency calls, but doesn’t necessarily cure the problem.

Wells sympathized with officials, but stressed the importance of changing road signs with similar names.

“It’s hard to convince people,” Wells said, recognizing that residents often don’t want to go through the hassle of changing their mailing address, checks, or driver’s license.

“It’s heartache and controversy,” he said. “After a while it does go away, though. They get used to it.”