PHARR – Pharr residents could see faster emergency response times due to a new 9-1-1 dispatch and emergency operations center.

The city currently has two different dispatch locations – one for police and the other for fire and EMS.

"If you call 9-1-1 now, it goes to the police department, which is a public safety answering point so it goes there first,” explains the director of communication and emergency management operations, Daniel Ramirez. "If you need fire then it gets transferred to the fire, if you need EMS it gets transferred to EMS. So those seconds make a difference."

Ramirez says they will also dispatch out to the Progreso, Linn–San Manuel and Penitas fire departments.

The center will open by the end of February.

Watch the video above for more information.