San Bernardino County law enforcement, fire and government officials hailed the dawn of what they described as a new era in emergency response and disaster preparedness in the region as they broke ground on a new communications center to serve the county.
CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Nearly six years after Kyle Plush died after repeatedly calling 911 for help, his family is getting an update on improvements the city of Cincinnati promised to make.
CHICOPEE — Elected officials, first responders and more gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony of a new regional emergency communications center to be built at the old Salter College site at 645 Shawninigan Dr.
The new center is set to enhance and revolutionize the emergency response capabilities for the towns and cities it currently serves and allow more room for other communities to join.
Associated Press
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) — A tech nonprofit is trying to set roots in Virginia to make emergency help accessible to everyone.
“Lack of access to emergency services because you’re not able to hear or speak out loud for help could really mean a death sentence for somebody,” said Gabriella Wong, founder of AccessSOS.
She had the idea to launch AccessSOS after her father, who is deaf, had an emergency.
“His gallbladder was making him feel very, very sick. He was not able to call 911 for help and his first instinct was to text me to call 911 for him,” she explains.
Unfortunately, Wong wasn’t near her phone.
“Realizing there was no one there to help on the other line he drove himself to the ER, and almost got into a car crash. He recounts to me as his head being hunched over, driving to the ER,” she says.
Wong says after that, she knew something needed to be done to give equal access to everyone in need of emergency help.
AccessSOS bridges the gap for anyone who isn’t able to verbally communicate their emergency or those who don’t even know it’s an option.
“Even if text 911 works in someone’s area, there’s still that lack of educational awareness of how to even send a text message to 911,” said Wong.
Fortunately, texting 911 is already an option in Charlottesville and Albemarle County.
“You just use 911 as the phone number you’re texting and it’s nice if you can give us the address and the nature of your emergency in that initial text. That way we can just text back with some additional background or additional questions for you,” said Celeste Baldino with the Emergency Communications Center.
“Our goal is to launch in Virginia and nationwide so that you don’t have to be like ‘I am in New Mexico, can I use AccessSOS?’ We want to be as ubiquitous as 911,” said Wong.
In order to bring AccessSOS to Virginia they need a local foundation to sponsor their work and advocacy.
Funding will support the Fresh Water Institute, upgrades to 911 system
CUYAHOGA COUNTY, OH – Cuyahoga County is set to receive Congressional funding to strengthen our environmental sustainability and enhance our public safety infrastructure. Congresswoman Shontel M. Brown and Congressman Max Miller recently announced monies specifically for the Cuyahoga Fresh Water Institute and upgrades to the Cuyahoga Emergency Communications 911 System (CECOMS).
Congresswoman Shontel M. Brown has allocated over $13 million in federal funding for Northeast Ohio, including $500,000 to implement the Cuyahoga Fresh Water Institute. The Fresh Water Institute will advance freshwater initiaves in the areas of economic development, education, research and advocacy.
“Congresswoman Brown is committed to the health and well-being of Cuyahoga County residents,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne. “Her investment in the Fresh Water Institute will bolster our efforts to connect our residents to the region’s vast freshwater resources.”
Congressman Max Miller announced his support of a package containing resources for 15 projects important to Ohio communities, including technological enhancements to the Cuyahoga Emergency Communications 911 System. CECOMS, a 24/7 public safety call answering system, is vitally important to the safety and well-being of all County residents.
“Congressman Miller has improved the safety of all Cuyahoga County residents with his support of the Cuyahoga County 911 System upgrade project,” said County Executive Chris Ronayne. “The new technology will advance our emergency dispatch systems for more seamless coordination across communities. We will be better able to pinpoint where help is needed and send it immediately.”
Cuyahoga County is the geographic and economic core of the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area. With over 1.2 million residents, it is the second-most-populous county in the State of Ohio. The County promotes sustainability, regional growth, public safety, economic opportunity, individual well-being, regional collaboration, and superior services. To learn more about Cuyahoga County services, visit cuyahogacounty.gov.
The Daviess County Council put a hold on a request that would improve communication with first responders due to cost.
“I believe the need is large enough to justify this $800,000 expense. The end result will be a county-wide communication system that all first responders can use in all areas. The end result is better response and communications for everyone,” said Daviess County Chief Deputy Sheriff Steve Sturgis. “I don’t think you can ever go wrong with improving public safety. That is why this is beneficial.”
The proposal includes an almost $600,000 infrastructure project that would include adding a tower and upgrading the three existing towers. It would also include $267,000 for new radios for volunteer fire departments.
“I am a fan for the safety and security of our citizens, for sure. It would be a good thing, but at what cost? Even if we pay for the infrastructure, someone still has to come up with $267,000 for the radios,” said county council president Tom Schaffer. “I don’t know what the big rush is all of a sudden. We have a good system. What they want to do is expand it by adding a fourth tower. It seems like a lot of money to me, $600,000, to do that.”
Sturgis told the council he believed that between the sheriff’s department, prosecutor’s office and the county’s E911 fund, they could cover about $100,000 of the cost.
A check of available money in E911 accounts indicated that money may not be available.
“We thought we had found $100,000 that we could put toward it for the fire department radios, but after our discussions with the council, we need to go back and see what money is available,” said Sturgis. “I am going to get together with some of the council members and see where the money can come from.”
“Even if they come back and say they can cut out $300,000, I don’t know that we could afford the other $300,000 right now. I think we need to see some of the dust settle on projects we are working on now. We are paying on the annex and the courthouse renovations,” said Schaffer. “There is always something that needs attention. Eventually, something is going to break. Something is going to pop-up.”
The council is expected to continue discussion on the proposed improvements at the next meeting.
In other business, the council appointed Schaffer, vice-president Marilyn McCullough, and Matt Meredith to serve on the wage committee. The committee will investigate and determine where wages should be set during the next budget session.
The council approved a new software for the auditor’s office that will give county departments better access to the auditing system. The cost will be $4,000.
The council appropriated $17,290 for benefits for a new employee in the clerk’s office, spent $4,850 on a new copier, allocated $17,806 in grant funding for Adult Protective Services, approved spending on a $10,000 grant for the Daviess County Health Department, and approved a $2,000 internal transfer for Daviess Superior Court to provide uniforms for the court staff.
