In an effort to keep emergency communications as up to date and efficient as possible, Burlington County is seeking state funding to make additional improvements to its 911 system.
“Public safety is always our board’s highest priority, and Central Communications is a critical component of our county’s public-safety infrastructure,” said county Commissioner Allison Eckel, liaison to the Department of Public Safety.
“Our 911 dispatchers are often the first public-safety professionals our residents speak to during emergencies, and they serve as a lifeline for first responders,” she added. “Response time is an important factor, but it’s also important for responders to have the best information possible before they arrive on scene, and that they can communicate easily and effectively without interference or dead zones.”
The commissioners last week authorized the county Department of Information Technology to prepare and submit an application for the New Jersey FY23 Next Generation 911 Grants Program. A total of $10 million was appropriated for counties and towns in the state’s fiscal year 2023 budget.
The county’s recent emergency communications system overhaul moved all of its emergency radio frequencies from the 500 megahertz band to 700 MHz bands.
“The upgrade to 700 megahertz has significantly improved the reliability of emergency radio communications throughout the county,” Eckel noted. “This is critical for those responding to an emergency so they can safely and effectively do their jobs.”
The change prevents interference from digital broadcast television channels and allows signals to easily penetrate buildings and walls. It also helps ensure first responders can clearly communicate across the county and from within nearly all buildings.
Burlington is one of the only counties in New Jersey to provide emergency 911 dispatch service to all 40 of its municipalities without imposing a tax or fee for the service.
“We’ve dedicated a lot of resources to our emergency communications system, because we recognize the importance of the infrastructure to public safety and we’re proud to provide this service to all 40 municipalities at no local expense,” Eckel explained.
“It’s a big investment, so we’re encouraged the state is now making funding available to support 911 centers like ours, and we’re looking forward to using this funding stream to make additional improvements.”
“Last year, Central Communications fielded more than 1.3 million phone calls and dispatched to close to 700,000 incidents, including 605,830 police incidents, 31,347 fire incidents and 61,045 emergency medical incidents,” county spokesperson David Levinsky said.
As part of the recent system upgrade, the county’s Central Communications dispatch center in Westampton was completely redesigned and renovated, and new computers, radios and work stations were installed to enhance efficiency and comfort for dispatchers, according to Levinsky.
A smaller dispatch center was installed at the county engineering offices in Mount Laurel and used during the renovations. It now serves as a fully functioning backup dispatch center, in case of problems at the Westampton center or a major disaster that requires extra personnel to answer 911 calls.
The commissioners also authorized the purchase of new handheld and vehicle radios for all police, fire and EMS personnel in the county, with no expense or cost to any of those agencies, Levinsky said.
“Emergency communications is a critical public-safety function and the ultimate shared service for property taxpayers,” Eckel pointed out. “Upgrading our system and purchasing those radios was good for public safety and provided direct property tax relief for our municipalities and residents.
“We’re now looking to make more improvements, so we’re grateful New Jersey has made money available to support this critical county service,” she added. “We also want to thank the New Jersey Association of Counties for advocating for this important funding stream, and our state legislators for supporting it in this year’s budget.”
