County plans $4.1 million update of public safety communications centers
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
The Washington County 911 center
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
The 911 center for Washington County
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
The nerve center for Washington County’s 911 operations will soon be updated.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Jeff Yates in a file photo from June 2018
Washington County officials were meeting Thursday to discuss a $4.1 million upgrade and expansion of the 911 communications center, the second-biggest project at the emergency communications hub since its inception 23 years ago.
For the project, the county has earmarked Act 13 money from the impact fee on unconventional or “fracked” natural gas wells.
“We get around $5 million a year for the general Act 13 money,” county Finance Director Joshua Hatfield said Wednesday.
The plan requires coordination with existing contractors, purchases that can be made through state contracts and compiling information for aspects of the project that will be part of the competitive bidding process. County officials were meeting Thursday to sort this out.
“It’s fairly complex,” said Washington County Purchasing Director Randy Vankirk.
A host of changes will be taking place at what has been dubbed the “public safety answering point,” which dispatches calls to police, fire departments and ambulances.
“We’ve been looking to improve communications with field units,” said Jeff Yates, county public safety director.
Changes will include replacement of the radio dispatch console system, logging recorder and microwave links and systemwide synchronization of an atomic clock.
Scott Fergus, Washington County director of administration, said the expansion also would include new radios on existing commercial towers.
“We’re looking at at least four locations around the county,” Yates said. “Two in the Mon Valley, one in the south and one in the west. We’re working on lease arrangements with people, expanding the radio system to improve coverage.”
A backup command center, which is under construction at Washington County Airport, will be furnished and outfitted with servers, a network, computer processors and monitors. The backup center also will have satellite and secure, privately owned fiber-optic connections.
“We hope to complete the project by the end of the year,” Yates said. “The things we can do (under) existing contracts will be put in motion here very, very soon.”
In 2006-07, the emergency dispatch center was the recipient of a $9.3 million grant of state taxpayers’ money through the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency so it would have equipment with the ability to pinpoint cellphone calls’ origination.