911 Communications Service in Miller County Receives Up-Grade

911 communications in Miller County, under the supervision of The Office of Emergency Management, is proud to announce the recent replacement of the outdated 911 Emergency Communications equipment at the Miller County Sheriff’s Dept.

“Communications between the public and emergency services like the Miller County 911 dispatchers to sheriff deputies, emergency medical responders and firefighters must involve the latest, updated equipment to successfully process an emergency call for service to the 1^st Responders” said Joe Bennett, Coordinator of Emergency Management who oversees the County’s 911 Emergency Communications.

According to the press release, when Bennett entered the office in January 2019, the system at that time had been installed around 2007 with few updates and a mapping extension that didn’t work. The new Next Generation system is more reliable, uses less specialized equipment, is much more efficient and will provide the residents and visitors of Miller County access to all emerging features for many years to come.

The funding was made possible from a presentation by OEM to the Quorum Court with added financial assistance and support from the Miller County Sheriff’s Department. Miller County Judge Cathy Harrison pushed this agenda and has considered this venture an example of progress for Miller County in 2019. “Judge Harrison, Emergency Management and the Miller County Sheriff realized the failures within the old 911 system and acted promptly to ensure adequate and reliable service and response for our 1^st Responders” Bennett said. It has taken about a year to work out logistics, funding and coordination with AT&T, Motorola and AirBus among others to get this new system operational. OEM also contributes improvements and success of this project to members of the Quorum Court.

Bennett also mentioned a new OEM Deputy Coordinator, Ashley Roberts, was recently hired to take over as 911 Coordinator. The experience as a 911 emergency dispatcher Roberts brings to the table has proven vital in the implementation of the new system. All of this cannot be possible without our dedicated 911 dispatchers who work 24hrs a day taking calls, delivering assistance and directing our emergency personnel. “The dispatchers at Miller County are considered 1^st Responders working behind the scenes. They are our heroes,” Bennett said.