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9-1-1 director reports tower work, mapping review and federal grant cuts
Summary
Paul Lewis, Hardy County OEM and 9-1-1 director, updated commissioners on tower maintenance and equipment, GIS review ahead of NextGen mapping, call volumes for May, and changes to several federal and state grant programs affecting emergency preparedness funding.
Paul Lewis, director of the Office of Emergency Management and 9-1-1 dispatch, briefed the Hardy County Commission on ongoing infrastructure projects, mapping preparations ahead of NG9-1-1 work, monthly call volumes and several anticipated grant cuts from state and federal programs.
Lewis said the State Siren Group has been installing equipment on the Lost City Tower but a few incorrect parts from the vendor caused a delay. "The antennas and everything's been put in by Premier Construction. So once those other parts come in, that tower should be finished and operational," Lewis said. He also reported ongoing reviews by carriers: T-Mobile is assessing whether the Helmets Rock tower footings meet structural specifications and US Cellular had sent materials to its engineering team.
Lewis said the county is talking with database vendors to validate GIS data before committing to a NextGen (NG9-1-1) mapping conversion: "I don't want to spend a couple $100,000 if they're not where they need to be," he told the commission. He said the database review is a relatively modest upfront cost compared with a full NG9-1-1 conversion.
On call volume, Lewis reported 632 total calls in the month. Law enforcement calls included: Hardy County Sheriff's Office, 269; Moorefield Police Department, 158; West Virginia State Police, 44. EMS calls reported were: West Hardy, 124; ACEAA, 79; Orrisville Rescue, 34. Fire department calls included Capon Valley Fire, 7; Mathias/Baker, 17; and Morgantown/Morrisville Fire Department, 29. Lewis also noted 47 Department of Highways responses related largely to storm debris on roads.
Lewis told the commission he has applied for a State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHGP) award to add fiber/network security equipment to the 9-1-1 center after recent national incidents of 9-1-1 centers being targeted. "If that grant comes through, GST will add additional equipment to the center to protect the stuff there," he said.
He summarized broader grant developments the commission should watch: recent announcements showed cuts in homeland-security-related allocations in certain grant pools (e.g., an approximate 17% cut to some state homeland-security distributions, a 15% cut to EMPG, and larger cuts to specific non-profit-targeted grant lines as reported at the state level). Lewis also said an EMPG application for 2023 funds remains pending and a 2024 LAPC grant application is in process for a small award (roughly $4,000) to support local projects.
Other operational items Lewis reported: Project Lifesaver trainer class scheduled June 10 at the 9-1-1 center; rain gauges (estimated $5,000 each, with state installation and maintenance) are being considered for localized monitoring; and his OEM/9-1-1 budget was running about $10,000 under projections at the time of the report.
Ending: Lewis said he will continue vendor and carrier coordination on tower readiness, finalize GIS validation before NG9-1-1 work, and follow up on pending grant awards and state guidance on EMPG and SHGP funding.
