Greene County took on a massive communications center renovation in early 2017 in order to provide better and more efficient service. Besides upgrading the county’s telephone service and investing in a brand new CAD technology, the agency also set out to replace an aging Motorola Centracom console.
From the beginning, Greene County’s Deputy Director of Emergency Services, Randy Ormerod, knew he wanted a console that made it easier for dispatchers to communicate with first responders on the road. Emergencies move fast. And streamlining the passage of information can make all the difference in life-threatening situations.
Situated in the heart of New York’s Catskill Mountains, Greene County Emergency Services isn’t your typical rural 911 center.
Working with a staff of sixteen employees, the department answers roughly 85,000 calls per year, serves 50,000 full-time residents, and juggles communications for 9 police agencies, 27 fire departments, and 14 EMS squads.
Adding to the load, Greene County is home to two of the region’s busiest outdoor sporting destinations: Hunter Mountain and Windham Mountain. Both resorts are open year-round for skiing, snowboarding, zip-lining, and mountain biking, attracting up to 500,000 annual visitors…of which not an insignificant percentage inevitably find themselves in need of emergency services at some point during their activities.
Since bringing the ACOM system online, the agency has navigated several large-scale incidents throughout the busy winter season.
Despite the challenging conditions, the ACOM system functioned seamlessly. “The staff appreciates the simplicity and cleanliness of the screen, which makes their job a lot easier. It’s not nearly as cumbersome as our past consoles. Every pager button is spelled out, right down to the individual fire departments and ambulance squads.
There’s no searching around, everything is right up front,” explains director Ormerod. “It’s been a breath of fresh air to work with the ACOM system. From changing screen layouts to the way we hear tones drop, it’s extremely customizable. And it can all be done. The system is so easy to work with, and the features are endless. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Zetron and the ACOM console to any size agency.”
