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Combined Communications reports improved 911 location data, steady call volumes and planned infrastructure upgrades
Summary
Sweetwater County’s Combined Communications Center presented its 2024 annual report, noting most 911 calls now include better location data via RapidSOS, continued high wireless call percentage, and planned server, microwave and authentication upgrades to meet federal security guidance.
David Halter, interim executive director and IT director for Sweetwater Combined Communications, briefed commissioners on the center’s 2024 annual report, highlighting improvements in call-location accuracy, radio usage trends and planned infrastructure upgrades.
Why it matters: The Combined Communications Center is the public safety answering point for Sweetwater County and supports police, fire and EMS dispatching. Technological upgrades and procedural changes affect responder coordination and the center’s resilience.
Key points - Call volumes and location accuracy: The center received 14,813 911 calls in 2024 (down from a 2023 peak driven partly by carrier testing). Wireless calls accounted for 90.64% of incoming 911 traffic. RapidSOS-based handset location was available for 81.96% of wireless 911 calls, improving ability to locate callers.
- Text-to-911 and satellite text: The center supports text-to-911 and reported a small but important number of successful text responses in 2024, including a satellite-text rescue off Highway 530.
- Operational changes: The center is encouraging “voiceless dispatch” and increased use of mobile data terminals so field officers can self‑dispatch lower-priority calls, freeing radio capacity for urgent traffic.
- Planned technical upgrades: Upcoming projects include server replacements to move to a supported virtualization platform, microwave replacement between primary and backup centers, a firewall replacement for the justice center, UPS replacements and multifactor authentication to meet FBI cybersecurity guidance.
- Requests and outreach: Halter encouraged public and facility managers to create Smart911 safety profiles and facility profiles so dispatchers receive critical details (floor plans, utility shutoffs, gate codes) when a 911 call originates from those locations.
Ending: The center will proceed with the server and microwave upgrades and continued cybersecurity improvements; Halter said he expected the interim executive director role to be filled in the coming weeks and thanked dispatch staff for their work during recent emergencies, including the tunnel incident.
