It will take years, money and people to modernize Orange County’s emergency services.

A two-part, $28,000 study says implementing the draft EMS/911 assessment over the next 10 years could cost more than $15.6 million in capital, one-time and operating costs.

“This has festered for number of years. It didn’t happen overnight,” consultant Steve Allen, of Solutions for Local Government, told the county commissioners Thursday.

The county system is 20 years old, and the population is aging and growing; 911 calls could number about 15,000 by 2032, he said.

Allen and the county’s EMS services workgroup identified 19 short- and long-term steps to improve response times, technology, staffing, data, training and planning.

The study identifies four main issues: ambulance availability, response times, and EMS and 911 facilities and staffing.

Public comment will be included in the revised report.

Look for a story in Sunday’s Chapel Hill News. The study can be found online at www.co.orange.nc.us/OCCLERKS/agenmenu.asp. Click on the Aug. 30 meeting link.

If you have questions or comments, contact Assistant County Manager Michael Talbert at 919-245-2308; mtalbert@co.orange.nc.us; or at 200 S. Cameron St., Hillsborough, NC 27278.