County upgrades 911 computer system
WAYNESBURG – Greene County’s 911 operators will have more tools at their disposal during an emergency with the help of an upgraded computerized dispatch system.
The county commissioner agreed Thursday morning to spend $284,450 to purchase the new mainframe from Tyler Technologies that will replace an aging system in operation for more than a decade.
“It’s a great upgrade,” Commissioner Dave Coder said. “I’m really pleased by that.”
The new system will be installed over the summer and should be fully operational by the end of the year, according to Greene County Emergency Management Director Greg Leathers. The upgrade will interface with the county’s mapping system and has the ability to communicate with computers installed in police cruisers, giving officers more information – including call history at particular address – before arriving at a scene.
Leathers called the new capabilities an “overall improvement” to the current system.
“It should be fully implemented by the end of the year because they have to enter a lot of information,” Leathers said.
The system will be funded with 911 wireless fees cellphone users pay in their monthly bills, along with other grant money the county has on hand.
Even with the upgrade, county officials praised the previous computer system that they considered a major leap forward in technology.
County Chief Clerk Jeff Marshall said before the county implemented that system in 2003, dispatchers had to “open up a book to see where the call was coming from and then find who they needed send” to the scene.
“To get more than 10 years out of a system is pretty good,” Marshall said. “It’s just old and time to replace it. It’s served its life cycle.”
Leathers added the technology at the time also allowed the county to transition into its modern 911 addressing system that provided more accurate information to first-responders.
That system cost about $350,000, which was paid for using the 911 cellular funds.