PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Two North Carolina counties have consolidated their 911 communication services.
Both the Perquimans County Board of Commissioners and the Gates County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to enter a long-term interlocal agreement for the consolidation.
What does this mean for the citizens of Perquimans and Gates Counties:
- 911 services will continue to be provided by highly trained 911 telecommunicators 24 hours a day.
- When calling 911 a telecommunicator will answer with, “Perquimans-Gates 911, what’s the address of the emergency?”
- Text to 911 service for both countries
- Prepared Live allows telecommunicators to view live video and pictures directly from the callers device.
- Expenses for 911 services not paid through the Emergency Telephone System Fund (ETSF) will now be shared by both counties
- Rapid SOS, a redundant data pathway that supports the safety and security of local citizens
- After hours administrative services for the sheriff’s office, Department of Social Services, magistrates and local utilities for both counties including the towns of Hertford, Winfall and Gatesville
- Management of the Consolidated Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) will be the responsibility of the 911 Communications Division of Perquimans County Emergency Services
- Rapid Deploy will be utilized to support the quality improvement process through data analytics
“This joint venture represents a continued commitment by both boards of Commissioners to provide quality service to the citizens of our counties at a reasonable cost with a plan that is sustainable both now and in the future,” wrote Wallace Nelson, chair of the Perquimans County Bord of Commissioners and Althea Riddick chair of the Gates County Board of Commissioners in a joint statement.