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Grant County approves Everbridge subscription, reviews portable 911 phones
Summary
The Grant County commissioners approved a 12-month Everbridge mass-notification renewal and reviewed a portable LTE "911-in-a-box" system to allow dispatch to answer 911 remotely; commissioners also approved a travel request for a dispatch employee to attend training.
The Grant County Board of Commissioners on April 6 approved a 12-month renewal quote for Everbridge, the county's mass-notification system, and reviewed new portable 911 phones intended to keep dispatch operations mobile during evacuations.
Commissioners voted to approve the Everbridge quote of $14,631.72 for a 12-month term, with approval contingent on attorney review. Mr. Hicks, who presented the central dispatch report, said the system ties into weather warnings and can send texts, emails and social posts to residents. "It also takes in the weather warnings for thunderstorm and tornado and puts those out on Mr. Jackson's Facebook page," Mr. Hicks said during the meeting.
The board also saw a demonstration of an LTE- and FirstNet-enabled "911 phone system in a box" that would allow dispatchers to answer 911 calls remotely if the dispatch center must evacuate. Mr. Hicks described the phones as able to forward county phone numbers and handle administrative calls. Commissioners asked operational questions about deployment and costs; no purchase motion was recorded, but Mr. Hicks said the kit would be paid from the dispatch contractual budget beginning in 2027 for ongoing costs of maintaining equipment purchased in prior years.
A travel request to send employee Marlena Wilson to a five-day Nina's Center Management Certification in Frankfort, Kentucky (May 3-8) was presented by Mr. Hicks and approved by motion. Mr. Hicks said lodging and travel will be paid from his budget.
The meeting followed an earlier operational update in which Mr. Hicks reported dispatch received 10,808 calls last month, including about 2,585 911 calls; he said much of the volume was driven by recent storms. "We had to 2,585 911 calls in total," he said.
What happens next: the Everbridge renewal will proceed pending the attorney's review, and commissioners indicated they will continue to assess the portable 911 kit's role in emergency continuity planning.
