Stearns County Now Handling St. Cloud Fire Calls

ST. CLOUD -- Stearns County dispatchers are now handling calls for the St. Cloud Fire Department.

The move to shift dispatch services from the fire department over to the county was made last October, but today (Tuesday) is the first day for the switch.

The transition is expected to save the city about $215,000 a year by not filling three firefighter positions.  However, there is an initial cost of $230,000, plus an annual fee to the city of $25,000.

Officials say callers will not notice any changes.