Survey crews making rounds

In a life and death situation, nothing should be left to chance.

That's the premise behind major improvements being made to the emergency communications system in Potter County.

John Hetrick, a veteran employee of Potter County Emergency Services, is heading up the project in his new position of Enhanced 911 deployment coordinator.

E911 will improve emergency response by automatically providing location, telephone number and occupant information when 911 is dialed.

Hetrick reported that contracted workers have begun surveying the county to verify street addresses for the 911 system. The field workers will be traveling in vehicles marked "9-1-1 County Survey" and will have identification.

"These workers will have no reason to enter buildings," Hetrick said. "However, they may be observed sitting along the road or driveway entrance, recording information."

Mapping work will take about one year to complete.

Once the database is finished, it will include addresses, driveway length where appropriate, photos of each structure, location of fire hydrants, cell towers, utility substations and other facilities.

Potter County is also converting from an outdated analog communications system to a more modern digital system, which accommodates both voice and data traffic. The new system provides broader coverage and meets state standards.

The county continues a cooperative arrangement with Tioga County, through which calls for fire, ambulance, police and other response services are fielded by a dispatch center in Wellsboro.

Funds for the personnel, as well as improvements to the emergency communications equipment throughout the county, have been made available from the state through a fee placed on residential and business telephone services.