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Porter County approves five-year Rave Mobile Safety renewal and discusses 911 staffing after storm surge
Summary
The board approved a five-year, $296,758.05 contract with Rave Mobile Safety for county-wide emergency notifications and discussed telecommunicator staffing needs after a June 11 tornado overwhelmed call volumes; staff also recognized several employees for EMP certification.
Porter County commissioners on June 23 approved a five-year renewal with Rave Mobile Safety to continue countywide emergency notification, school panic-button coverage and facility profiles, agreeing to a total contract value of $296,758.05.
“Rave has been a phenomenal tool that we just continue finding ways to grow,” said Ms. Abby Goddard, who presented the renewal and described Porter County as an early Rave customer since 2011. Goddard said the county’s use has expanded to Rave Panic Button for schools and to facility profiles that give dispatchers earlier situational awareness.
Goddard also shared a personal example from the June 11 tornado: she said Rave alerts on her phone provided trajectory information that led her to change course and avoid a damaged area. “I encourage everyone to download Smart911,” she told commissioners, noting Smart911 is opt-in and that users control what information is shared with dispatch.
The board took action on staffing matters in the same block of 911 business. Staff requested two additional frontline telecommunicator positions (raising staffing from 32 to 34) and asked to restore two CTO stipends to support training. The presenter said the two new positions will be requested as part of the 2027 budget cycle and the CTO stipend request was approved to help recruit and train staff.
Why it matters: 911 staff described an operational surge during the June 11 storm—dispatch reported 330 inbound calls and a more than 160% volume increase during a short span—illustrating the pressure on call-taking and the rationale for investing in notification and staffing. Commissioners and staff said the Rave platform and Smart911 profiles give dispatchers better tools for fast situational awareness.
Privacy and data handling were discussed: presenters emphasized Smart911 is opt-in and that local users control what is shared. The presenter told commissioners that, in past procurement comparisons, some vendors harvested user data; Rave had been hesitant to do so and Porter County participated in a beta test to customize Rave’s emergency capabilities.
The five-year Rave renewal and the associated CTO stipend/budget items were approved by voice vote.
What’s next: Staff will advance the 2027 budget request for two additional telecommunicator positions and continue outreach to increase Smart911 enrollment and facility profiles across schools and county facilities.
