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Rolla council approves purchase of three rugged phones for emergency siren backup
Summary
Rolette County 911 Coordinator recommended a three-button rugged cellphone as an indoor backup to the city's radio network; the council unanimously approved buying three phones through Verizon.
The Rolla City Council on May 20 unanimously approved buying three cellular phones to serve as a backup "siren" network for emergency communications.
Rolette County 911 Coordinator Ryan Hiatt recommended the devices, saying the city's existing radio network "does not get signal when inside buildings" and proposing a "three-button rugged cellphone" with push-to-talk capability to provide rapid access to dispatch and body-camera integration. The council moved to buy three phones through Verizon Wireless (motion by Paul Frydenlund, seconded by Damond Schemmel); the motion carried on an all-"Aye" roll-call vote.
Council members framed the phones as a backup rather than a replacement for in-car radios. The minutes record the purchase approval but do not include contract price or projected deployment timeline; the motion authorized procurement through Verizon without listing a dollar amount. Next steps, including device configuration and assignment to public-safety staff, were not specified in the minutes.
