Delaware County hires new 9-1-1 director

The Delaware County Board of Commissioners today announced the hiring of a new director for DelComm, the County’s Emergency Communications Department. Lauren Yankanin, currently the communications manager for the City of Dublin’s Northwest Regional Emergency Communications Center, will join the county Aug. 29.

Yankanin began her 19-year career in emergency communications as a 9-1-1 dispatcher for Dublin. She earned undergraduate degrees in sociology and criminology from The Ohio State University and earned her Master of Public Administration degree from Kent State University.

She will be filling the vacancy created in early July when previous director Patrick Brandt left to head the State of Ohio’s 9-1-1 Program Office as its new administrator.

“This is an essential service that every Delaware County resident, business owner and visitor depends on in a time of emergency when they call 9-1-1,” said Delaware County Commissioner and 9-1-1 Board member Gary Merrell. “We all knew Patrick would be hard to replace. To find Lauren, who has the skills needed to lead our team and who is already familiar with our operation, was great. And the fact she already lives in our County is an unexpected bonus. We and all of our stakeholders are extremely fortunate.”

Yankanin, who is a resident of Delaware, will lead the center, which is staffed by nearly 30 dispatchers and technical personnel. In 2022, DelComm processed more than 102,000 calls and, of that total, 99.7% were answered within 10 seconds, far exceeding the national industry standard of 90%.

The Delaware County 9-1-1 Center has been nationally accredited since 2019 by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, making it one of the few emergency communications centers in the U.S. and only the seventh in the state of Ohio to earn this distinction. Accreditation required a two-year vetting process of its policies, practices and results.

For more information about the Delaware County 9-1-1 Center, visit their website at: https://emergencycomms.co.delaware.oh.us/.