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County says NG911 is live; staff to pursue NG911, GIS and recovery grants and EMD rollout continues
Summary
Officials reported Floyd County is live on Next Generation 911; dispatch training for Emergency Medical Dispatch is underway and staff will pursue multiple grants for GIS, NG911 upgrades and post-storm recovery projects, including microgrants for outdoor recreation and CDBG urgent-need funding for generators.
County staff reported that Floyd County is now operating on Next Generation 911 (NG911) and that dispatch personnel have received required Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) training. County leaders said they will pursue a series of grants to support upgrades and hurricane recovery.
NG911 and EMD status: Staff said NG911 — which improves latitude/longitude location delivery and other call-routing features — is technically live. Dispatch training for EMD has been completed for required personnel and the county is working through remaining build-out and testing steps. Staff noted a lingering issue with text-to-911 that they are continuing to troubleshoot.
Grant activity: The county signaled intent to apply for several grants: a GIS/data program funding award (small grant, no local match), an NG911 equipment/upgrades fund (new program with awards up to $100,000), and other PSAP-related training grants. Separately, supervisors unanimously approved a motion to apply for an Outdoor Recreation Rebuilding and Recovery microgrant (estimated $5,000–$10,000, no match) to support repair of storm-damaged recreational assets.
CDBG urgent-need funds (hurricane Helene): Staff described a potential CDBG urgent-need program to fund generators and repairs for water/wastewater systems damaged during the storm. The county and town staff are exploring whether the county can apply on behalf of local water/wastewater authorities, and whether moving certain FEMA-queued generator projects into DHCD funding would speed completion — DHCD funds can come sooner than FEMA reimbursements.
Equipment and call-handling funding: County staff noted call-handling upgrades may require larger investments (a cited order-of-magnitude figure was roughly $300,000, to be refined by vendor quotes). The board authorized staff to research and pursue the NG911 and related grant opportunities, subject to application details and vendor quotes.
Why it matters: NG911 and EMD upgrades can improve dispatcher ability to locate callers and standardize medical pre-arrival instructions. Grant funding would accelerate equipment replacement and repair of storm-hit infrastructure, including potential generator replacements for essential facilities.
Next steps: Staff will finalize applications for the GIS grant and microgrants and report back about NG911 vendor quotes and EMD certification completion. Officials said a formal vendor and equipment quote is required before a larger call-handling equipment application is completed.
