The paging system utilized by Worth County 911 to notify off duty and part time personnel, and volunteer firefighters went offline on Monday, February 2. This system, better known as Page-Gate, allows 911 to quickly notify all emergency responders via text message of a fire, wreck, or other event.
According to 911 Director Marci Errair, the system is simply outdated. Errair recently addressed the Worth County Board of Commissioners on the matter to make the commissioners aware that the system has been crashing on a daily basis. According the 911 Director,
“Because of the way it is set up, we tap into the carriers. Well, Verizon cut it off on January 31, and mostly everybody uses Verizon. Because our system is so out of date, we are no longer able to get a Page-Gate.”
Now, in an effort to keep essential personnel informed, Errair says she will personally send a text message to the captains and lieutenants at county fire, as well as Chief Jack Colby at the city fire department, and EMS Director Kevin Lassiter. From there, these men will have to relay the message to anyone they feel may be able to assist. And, while every volunteer in the county previously received a text for every emergency call in their area, the various department heads will now only be alerted when there is a high priority call such as a wreck with injuries. Errair explains,
“Now we have to individually call each one if they’re needed on a structure fire or something… It’s just going to put a little more work on everybody right now.”
Also, the director says the center’s CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) system has not been upgraded in nearly a decade.
However, she stresses that CAD is still working and it will continue to work, but with computers that still utilize dial up internet modems, the system is nearly obsolete. She is currently working on applying for a grant to upgrade the entire system.
“We are upgrading our phone system now already because it was out of date. We had to upgrade that; we didn’t have a choice. On the CAD, it’s still manageable to be worked with and being able to dispatch, but it’s the extra stuff like paging that is going out of date a lot quicker than the rest,” the director states.
The 911 center plans to have a definite plan in place for the grant and new system by May or June.