History

9-1-1 and emergency dispatching services has a rich history in Jackson County. Prior to July 1, 2010, there had been more than one 9-1-1 PSAP in the county, and at one point, there were four. These included North Valley Communications Center (NVCC), dispatching for the cities of Central Point, Eagle Point, and Shady Cove; the City of Ashland 9-1-1, answering calls and dispatching for all units within the city limits of Ashland; the City of Medford, which later became Rogue Valley Consolidated Communications (RVCCOM), dispatching and answering calls for the largest city in Jackson County; and Southern Oregon Regional Communications (SORC), which started initially as a Fire Communications Center in 1973 and ultimately culminated in the drafting of an agreement allowed under O.R.S. 190.10, which, in turn, established (SORC) as a stand-alone public entity. In essence, this agreement enabled the user agencies of the Center to come together as one organizational public body providing its own control and direction of emergency communications services.

In 1994, NVCC dissolved, and the cities of Shady Cove and Eagle Point joined SORC, while the city of Central Point joined RVCCOM. In 2003, after legislators indicated they may force a single PSAP in each county in Oregon, the City of Ashland gave up their dispatch center and joined RVCCOM.

In 2008 the County broke ground on a new building, designed to house both of the remaining PSAP’s in Jackson County, whether as a consolidated single center, or co-located centers.

In November of 2009, with consolidation talks well under way, SORC moved into a brand new, state of the art 16,468 sq. foot facility located at 400 Pech Road, Central Point, OR. In February, 2010, the City of Medford’s 911/dispatch center moved into the facility as a co-located agency while consolidation of the two agencies was finalized.

On July 1, 2010 the City of Medford and SORC consolidated and became known as Emergency Communications of Southern Oregon (ECSO).