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Sumter County says Motorola Premier 1 rollout is in punch‑list phase; drone AED pilot planned
Summary
Emergency Communications staff reported Motorola Premier 1 CAD is in the punch‑list phase and that an automated drone (Guardian model) AED deployment pilot is scheduled for testing with a target of late Q1 2027 for full launch; the county will reconcile extra vendor labor costs with Motorola.
Sumter County's emergency communications team told the commissioners on March 31 that the Motorola Premier 1 computer‑aided dispatch (CAD) implementation, started March 10, has moved into a punch‑list phase after resolving major technical challenges. ECC staff said mobile data terminals and reporting are functioning and that the county meets with Motorola twice weekly to finish integration work.
"We're in the punch list phase at this point. We've resolved all of the major technical challenges," Steve Kennedy, Emergency Communications, said, adding that Motorola remains engaged and the county will seek reconciliation for extra on‑site vendor labor required during the rollout.
Staff briefed commissioners on related communications initiatives: a hybrid radio approach that leverages Motorola WAVE plus LTE/FirstNet for schools and hospitals, lower‑cost subscriber radios to replace some large public‑safety radios, and mobile repeater options to address building coverage without requiring large in‑building upgrades.
On public‑safety innovation, ECC described a Guardian drone program intended to autonomously launch an AED from the communications center and deliver it to a scene. ECC said the Guardian model selected has roughly 60‑minute flight time, thermal imaging, autonomous routing with designated no‑fly areas, and a hot‑swap battery feature to support sustained operations. County counsel and staff noted indemnification, FAA rules and collision‑avoidance as matters addressed in the contract.
"This is a first for us where telecommunications would be able to launch the drone directly from the communications center and do flight and deliver to the scene," Kennedy said, adding that earlier simulated data and a 60‑day simulation with a drone specialist firm showed improved response times for AED deployment.
Next steps: staff will continue punch‑list work with Motorola, reconcile district costs with the vendor, and run further drone simulations and pilots with an eye toward a full‑launch target in late Q1 2027 for autonomous AED missions.
