Jul. 20—Daviess County's new multimillion dollar radio system for sheriff's deputies, firefighters and first responders is nearing completion and is scheduled to go online this fall.
City-county 911 director Paul Nave told the 911 oversight board Tuesday work is underway on the transmission towers and backup systems, which means the system will be ready for testing by Aug. 1 or Aug. 2, Nave said.
"We'll test for 30 days, and at the end of September or the first of October, we'll have a go-live date," he told board members.
The digital radio system will replace the old system, which is obsolete and prone to communication problems. For example, law enforcement and firefighters commonly have trouble communicating with dispatch through their portable radios, and atmospheric conditions cause signals to bounce from other areas, interfering with local radio traffic, officials said previously.
Nave said the signal equipment and backup equipment began being installed last week and continues this week.
The new system "couldn't come soon enough," said Pat Thompson, chief of the Airport-Sorgho Fire Department.
In other business, Nave said calls to the Owensboro Police Department and Daviess County Sheriffs' Department have increased this year, compared to 2021. OPD had 12,504 calls for service in the first three months of 2022, a 21% increase over the same period last year.
The sheriff's office had a 26% increase in calls in the first quarter of the year, with 4,691 calls, compared to 3,708 calls in the first three months of 2021.
While calls to OPD were about normal volume for between April and June, at 12,805, calls to the sheriff's office were 14.7% higher in the second quarter, compared to the same period last year.
The dispatch center has four full-time vacancies. The agency has 21 full-time dispatchers, while 27 is considered a full staff.
"Our goal is to till two of those in the next 30 days," Nave said.
City Police Chief Art Ealum said OPD is seeking more 911 dispatchers.
"We are in a constant state of hiring here at OPD and Central Dispatch," Ealum said. "We'll open up another (hiring) process today. We were all blessed to see pay increases by the city, and county (for law enforcement), which will affect dispatch as well."
After the meeting, Nave said dispatch will likely begin screening 911 callers to determine if they have COVID-19 symptoms.
"We are contemplating that, based on the case numbers being so high," he said.
When people report symptoms to dispatch, responders can take additional precautions.