Computer technicians were busy installing the latest Vesta 911 software at the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department Monday, that is expected to shorten response times for emergency responders.
The newly installed system works faster than the 12-year-old version the county was using and includes several new features.
Wayne Stone
“It has a component that will allow us to filter out background noise on a call so that we can better understand the caller or get more information of what’s happening at the scene,” E-911 Director Wayne Stone said.
The new system returns the county’s ability to pinpoint the location of someone calling 911 on a cell phone. That was lost when lightning hit the system’s antenna earlier this year.
Additional new features include the ability of transfering an incoming 911 call to a different agency when needed without losing time or information.
If an emergency call came in to Pittsboro that needed to be redirected to a different county in the past, it was a manual process.
The new system also compiles all information, such as where the majority of emergency calls are coming from, for officials to review.
“It’s a big improvement over what we had and gives us the functionality we need to better serve this county,” Stone said.
The new system cost in excess of $130,000. Insurance payment from the lightning strike and a grant helped defray some of the cost for the county.