The N.C. 911 Board recently awarded nearly $5.7 million in grants that will fund equipment and facility improvements for public safety answering points (PSAPs) that answer 911 calls on behalf of North Carolina’s communities.
"We’re pleased to support our state’s PSAPs and the critical work they do to build a safer, stronger North Carolina," said N.C. Department of Information Technology Secretary and State Chief Information Officer Teena Piccione, who serves as chair of the N.C. 911 Board. “These grants will fund important upgrades that will help our PSAPs continue to provide the highest level of service to our communities.”
The grants awarded include:
Alamance County Central Communications – $1,138,898.77 for radio replacement
Beaufort County 911 – $451,568.47 for a radio console system replacement
Johnston County 911 – $70,957.89 for a consolette upgrade to maintain radio interoperability
Montgomery County 911 – $83,565.00 for a facility remodel
N.C. State Highway Patrol – $1,570,108.32 for a call handling equipment refresh (while not an N.C. 911 Board-funded PSAP, the Patrol is eligible to receive Board-funded grants pursuant to statute)
New Hanover County 911 Communications Center – $503,790.45 for computer-aided dispatch replacement
Pasquotank-Camden Central Communications – $150,167.13 for Next Generation 911 integration and resiliency enhancement to purchase a telecommunicator training system and mental health supports
Perquimans-Gates 911 Communications – $442,777.26 for radio replacement
Polk County E-911 Communications – $96,161.00 for PSAP roof replacement
Washington County Communications – $1,146,885.85 for PSAP relocation and upgrade
“The N.C. 911 Board remains committed to partnering with local PSAPs and helping meet their needs so they can perform life-saving work that keeps us all safe,” said L.V. Pokey Harris, executive director of the N.C. 911 Board. “The PSAP Grant Program has proven to be a very successful funding opportunity to complement the board’s annual 911 PSAP funding distribution to accomplish this mission.”
A unit of the N.C. Department of Information Technology, the N.C. 911 Board administers funding to public safety answering points (PSAPs) across North Carolina to create an enhanced statewide 911 system. PSAPs are operated by and under the jurisdiction of counties and other local government entities.
A single, statewide service charge per connection for any type of voice communication service provider goes to the 911 Fund, which the N.C. 911 Board manages and distributes to support 124 PSAPs in the state.