Vermont task force releases dispatch inventory, seeks public comment on statewide options

Barbara Neal, executive director of the Enhanced 911 Board and co-chair of the Public Safety Communications Task Force, told the House Energy and Digital Infrastructure Committee on Feb. 7 that the task force has completed an inventory of Vermont dispatch centers and will release a draft system-planning report for public review.

The task force, created by Act 78 (2023), was "tasked with the planning and implementation of a reliable, secure, and interoperable statewide public safety communication system," Neal said. The inventory and a forthcoming system-planning report aim to present multiple options for how Vermont dispatch services could operate going forward.

The inventory collected by Mission Critical Partners and project management support from Televate includes site visits to all 37 dispatch centers in use statewide and responses to a detailed questionnaire covering cybersecurity, radio systems and governance. Neal said the inventory will be part of an analysis that must be redacted where it contains sensitive security information before public…