Hasil to retire as Mason-Oceana 911 director

OCP photo/Mason-Oceana 911 Director Ray Hasil stands next to the diamond art creation of the dispatch center’s logo that he made with 112,000 tiny squares. Hasil, who will retire at the end of the year, plans to create more diamond art displays during retirement.

By Allison Scarbrough, News Editor

WEARE TOWNSHIP — Long-time Mason-Oceana 911 Director Ray Hasil will retire at the end of the year, and his accomplishments in emergency services will have a lasting impact.

Hasil has been the 911 director for 14 years and began working at Mason-Oceana 911 in 2003. A U.S. Army veteran, firefighter, husband and father, Hasil has served many key roles throughout his life.

During his successful career in 911 services, the 57-year-old has received several awards, one of which was the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials’ Public Safety Communications Center Director of the Year in 2014.

“My work in public safety began behind a console as a part-time dispatcher,” he recalled. In 2008, he was promoted to systems administrator and then director in 2013. Facing a budget crisis at the end of that year, he spearheaded a two-county millage request that was unanimously approved in both counties’ jurisdictions.

The plan prevented staff lay-offs and charging residents for 911 services.

With the hard work of colleagues Connie Blaauw and Todd Myers, he spread the word about the importance of the 911 millage. “We embarked upon speaking to every agency, club, organization and township. We went on this road show of over 50 meetings.”

In August of 2014, voters passed the millage. “It was a really big deal, because we were facing dire circumstances if that didn’t pass.”

Another career accomplishment was teaming up with Newaygo County for a shared computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system. “It paid for some phone system upgrades that we really needed.” Lake County has recently also joined.

A cross-county collaboration of the 911 call answering system has grown to include nine total counties. “Now, if someone dials 911 in those nine counties, it comes here, hits our back room and then gets routed to wherever its final destination is.” Counties include: Mason, Oceana, Newaygo, Mecosta, Osceola, Lake, Clare, Gratiot and Montcalm. 

“We’ve always tried to share and collaborate to save money.”

Originally from River Forest, Ill., a Chicago suburb, he worked as a technician, consultant and technical support supervisor for the United Parcel Service from 1996 to 2001 after serving in the U.S. Army. During his military service, Hasil was deployed to Kuwait as a M1A1 Abrams Armor crewman. He was a gunner, driver and loader for the battle tank.

OCP photo

Following his active duty service during Operation Desert Shield, he attended Triton College in River Grove, Ill., where he obtained an associate of science degree. He has numerous certifications in communications, dispatch service and firefighting.

Teamwork has been a key theme throughout his career. “Whether it was the U.S. Army, UPS, Pentwater Fire Department or Mason-Oceana 911, I’ve been blessed with being a part of many great teams in my life. To be trusted with serving the citizens of Mason and Oceana counties, serving the outstanding public safety agencies we work with, and leading 911 since my appointment as director in early 2013 has been an honor of my lifetime and I’ll never forget the feeling of helping people get the emergency help they need quickly and efficiently.”

A big change that Hasil has observed over the last two decades is the transition from landline phones to cell phones. “We were 80 percent landline and 20 percent cell phones, and now we’re the exact opposite.”

That transition financially impacts local 911 services, because surcharges make up about 55 percent of the 911 service’s budget. The monthly surcharge for landlines was about $3.75, and cell phones were .25 per month. In 2008, Michigan Public Service Commission set the surcharge at $2.09.

He expects the local surcharge rate will need to increase to cover growing costs, but it would be decided by voters with a ballot initiative. 

Technology advancements continue to play a major role in the 911 dispatch field. Contacting 911 can now be done via text, and photos can be texted to dispatch. “In the future, AI will answer all phone calls. It’s already happening for non-emergency calls in a lot of centers in Michigan. We have no plans to do that any time soon. For now, we like people to hear a live human voice.”

In addition to his 24 years of service with the Pentwater Fire Department, Hasil has been actively involved in his community. He and his wife Dayna have three daughters, Bailee, Mckenna and Janie. 

“At the request of families, I started participating in the funeral services of the fallen that have served public safety in Mason and Oceana counties. At the end of a service, I am called to the podium, offer a few words about what we are doing, and I then radio to 911 to sound a final alarm. I turn my radio way up and 911 transmits a special announcement that is a tribute to the deceased. It is an incredibly emotional moment for the family, and I’m honored every time we’re asked to provide a final alarm at a service. We then provide a copy of the recording to the family as something to remember about their loved one.”

In 2015, he began working with the Communications Unit (COMU) Work Group for the State of Michigan. “We are now a group of over 60 public safety communications experts that promote radio and data interoperability.” Since 2017, he has worked as lead instructor for 12 auxiliary communicators, six communications unit leaders, and five incident tactical dispatcher classes in Michigan, all on behalf of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). 

After years of battling chronic back pain, Hasil made the tough decision to retire from the job that he loves. “I am not leaving 911 to work in the private sector or to work anywhere else. I’m leaving employment because it has become too difficult to continue working,” he said.

Throughout his career, Hasil has made many tough decisions, and in emergency situations, those decisions have to be made quickly.

His advice for the successor to his job is: “Make the best decision you can, using the most complete information possible, in the best interest of Mason-Oceana 911.”

“I’ve been so blessed and have been successful here because I surrounded myself with the right people. Everybody who works here is unbelievable at what they do and has made my time here that much more enjoyable and has made this place that much more successful.

“I’ve enjoyed this job. The staff here is top notch, and the board of directors are all supportive of us. It’s been a really, really good job to have.”

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