Commissioners hear proposal for 911 Phase II project
COSHOCTON – Lt. Jim Crawford of the Coshocton County Sheriff’s Office met with the Coshocton County Commissioners on Wednesday, Aug. 22 to discuss the next phase of implementing the new 911 system. In February of this year, the sheriff’s office introduced the new 911 system to the commissioners asking permission to move forward with phase one of the implementation. That phase will be completed about a month and a half ahead of schedule.
Phase one included monitoring all lines coming in for 911 calls and also the ability to text to 911.
“I think it will be a great tool for us and for the public,” said Crawford. “We get a dozen or more cell phone calls when there’s a major crash and I look for more than half of those to be texts once this is implemented. Technology is moving forward and we have to stay up with it.”
All the equipment to implement phase one is in place and ready to be installed. The new equipment is scheduled to be installed this week with two days of training on Sept. 5 – 6 following the installation. On Sept. 12, the sheriff’s office hopes to go live with this new system.
Phase two of the new system will include mapping, GPS tracking, computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and will help to find hunters who may get lost during hunting season in the county.
“Every year, we get a hunter that is lost during hunting season,” said Crawford. “They call us and with this new system, we can send them software on their phone, like an app, and all they have to do is accept it. As long as they accept it, we can either walk them out on the phone or send help if they are injured. This is a one-time software and once they disable it, we’re not going to be able to track their movements.”
Cost for phase two will be $308,743.
The commissioners approved the sheriff’s office proceeding with phase two. They also approved an increase cost of $2,736 on phase one of the project. Crawford said hopefully it would be late spring or early summer when phase two goes live.
The State of Ohio 9-1-1 Program Office is mandating that all 911 centers in Ohio must comply with the “NG 911” along with many other mandates or the sheriff’s office would be at risk of losing $90,000 a year from the E911 fund if they are not compliant. E911 funds are disbursed throughout the state of Ohio based on cell phone subscribers and the number of 911 call centers in a county.
Todd Shroyer, director of Coshocton County EMS, asked the commissioners if they could defer a $113,000 Maximus bill until next year and use that money to buy a truck. He said they currently have six trucks running out of 11. Shroyer also said that they will need at least two new trucks next year. The last time EMS purchased a new ambulance was in 2012 and they purchased a used truck last year.
“We’re hard on them,” said Shroyer. “They’re sitting there for five to six hours, the engine gets cold, and then we come out the door and drive hard on a cold engine. You can’t drive your personal car that way and expect it to last and these trucks are no different. And with these country roads, I wouldn’t drive my personal car down these country roads the way you have to drive these ambulances.”
The commissioners agreed to defer the bill.
The commissioners also approved and reviewed:
- Request a motion to approve the bills per computer printout dated Aug. 22.
- Receive the dog wardens report for the week ending Aug. 20, with two dogs picked up by the warden, two dogs brought in as strays, four dogs destroyed, 12 dog licenses sold, no late fees paid, 13 dogs redeemed, 12 dogs per owner surrender, $10 in boarding fees collected, eight citations issued, 28 calls handled for a total of $584.00 in fees collected.
- Request a motion to sign the Elmore Farm Subdivision (Private Road) plat. The creation of a two-lot private road subdivision located on TR 242 in Adams Township, on property owned by William R. Elmore, Auditor’s Parcel Identification Number 0020000005604.
- Request a motion to sign Request for Payment and Status of funds request for BC-17-1AP-1 in the amount of $1,067 at the request of John Cleek, CDC of Ohio.
Category: Government
