by AllThingsECC.com | Jul 18, 2021 | Comm Center News
BERNALILLO — Sandoval County Fire Chief Eric Masterson looks to improve and expand emergency communications for more remote sections of the county, including Jemez Springs, Cuba and Regina.
Masterson told the Sandoval County Commission during Thursday’s meeting at the county administration building that the county Emergency Management Office, part of the fire department, plans to utilize state funding to build the program and look at additional funding sources to expand it even more.
He said the department’s striving for those communication signals to be broadcasted with more clarity and less static. Masterson also told the board his department’s working to address the issue of what he called “dead space” in areas like Jemez Springs…
by AllThingsECC.com | Jul 18, 2021 | Comm Center News
ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Emergency calls are still coming in, but Roanoke County is seeing a shortage of emergency dispatchers.
There are two openings currently, but with six people still training, the team is feeling the pressure.
Training tends to last six to eight months before new employees are allowed to answer phone calls by themselves.
The last time the dispatch center was fully staffed was about six years ago…
by AllThingsECC.com | Jul 17, 2021 | Comm Center News
Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Facilities
Community Facilities programs provide loans, grants, and loan guarantees for essential community facilities in rural areas and towns up to 20,000 in population. Priority is given to health care, education, and public safety projects.
http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/community-facilities-direct-loan-grant-program Program Amount: Graduated Scale
Application Deadline: Applications are accepted year-round. Contact local office to discuss a specific project
Competitive: Applicants will be carefully scored and prioritized to determine which projects should be selected for further development and funding; varying match requirements Eligible Applicants: Municipalities, counties, parishes, boroughs, special-purpose districts, non-profit corporations or associations, and Tribal governments
Objective: Funds the purchase, construction, or improvement of essential community facilities
Planning and Organization: Costs of acquiring interest on land
Equipment: Construction and development of hospitals, health clinics, schools, fire houses, community centers, and many other community-based initiatives NOFO Language: Essential community facilities include public safety services such as fire departments, police stations, prisons, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles or equipment.
Interpretation: While NG911 is not specifically mentioned, Community Facilities recipients should consider integrating NG911 implementation into planning related to public safety services, vehicles, or equipment…
by AllThingsECC.com | Jul 17, 2021 | Comm Center News
BENTON — Marshall County Fiscal Court took a recess during its recent meeting to tour the E911 facility. Director Chris Freeman welcomed the court, along with many others, and gave a presentation on how it would greatly benefit Marshall County’s emergency infrastructure.
Freeman went over many positive aspects of the controversial facility, which he purports will solve many, if not all, of Marshall County’s emergency communications issues. Throughout the presentation, he said the 911 center goes beyond a regular dispatch center, and is a “game changer.”
“Again, this is not a dispatch center, it’s not a 911 center. It’s an emergency communications center, with hopes of regionalization in the future,” Freeman said…
by AllThingsECC.com | Jul 17, 2021 | Comm Center News
The Ten-Year Plan was developed in partnership with CTC Energy and Technology and Rural Innovations Strategies, Inc.
The 365-page Plan provides an overview of the current state of telecommunications services and facilities in the state, current trends in usage and adoption, and recommendations for improving access to broadband services throughout Vermont.
Specifically, the plan provides a roadmap to achieving the state’s most pressing telecommunications and broadband goals, including:
- Bringing every currently unserved and underserved on-grid Vermont home access to 100/100 megabits per second (Mbps) broadband that can be scalable to faster speeds as demand warrants;
- Leveraging residential fiber deployments into better mobile voice coverage along key roadways and in small communities;
- Ensuring that telecommunications systems are resilient, redundant, secure, and future-proof for commercial, consumer, and public safety needs…
by AllThingsECC.com | Jul 17, 2021 | Comm Center News
BELLEFONTE — Some Centre County employees will see more money in their paychecks very soon.
During Thursday’s salary board meeting, the board approved a $5 per hour pay hike for Centre County workers at both the Emergency Communications Center and the Centre County Correctional Facility.
The commissioners said on Tuesday that the situation was dire. Citing low level staffing numbers at the county prison and the county 911 center, county administrators approved the pay hike with hopes that the new incentive will retain current employees while and get new hires on board quickly. Needless to say, both the Emergency Communications Center and the Centre County Correctional Facility need staffing 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year…
