Marion-Crittenden County 911 has put some grant money to good use and made several improvements at the emergency center to better serve dispatchers and most importantly the community.
911 Coordinator Kellye Rudolph said in a social media post that they received a $400,000 grant around February. She said they have installed a new radio system, a new computer system that helps dispatchers flag addresses that can tell them when someone has special needs at their home, and they now have Mott City Road on their maps. She added their other system did not have that updated.
In addition, Rudolph indicates the 911 center has new chairs that have a 10-year warranty, a new mapping program and mapping computer that allows her to make addresses for the community, and a new HVAC system that has been separated from the server room and the dispatch office that allows better temperature control.
Other new additions include dispatch desks that allow the dispatchers to stand up during their shift so they don’t sit all day and keep them healthier, a fax machine and shredder, filing and storage cabinets that are large enough to store all of the items they need to keep, and brand new battery backups for their radios and computers that allow them to stay operable during a power outage long enough for the generator to come on.
Rudolph indicates they are now working on a grant they received that will assist in getting the mapping even more up to date and make sure they are up to standard on federal mandates.
She says they look forward to continuing to do everything they can to stay up to date with the latest technology so they keep local citizens as safe as possible.
