Thursday, April 03, 2014
 
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Lightning destroys much of Logan County 911 system

Emergency backup plans work flawlessly

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[April 03, 2014]  According to a call from Logan County Emergency Management Agency director Dan Fulscher on Thursday afternoon, the heavy storms that passed through Lincoln on Thursday morning resulted in a lightning strike that virtually destroyed the 911 communications center at the Logan County Safety Complex.

Fulscher said the EMA staff were well prepared for such an emergency and put into action their 911 backup system. Due to this, those who may be calling in to 911 will noticed virtually no change in the response time, or the services they would normally expect to receive from the agency.

Fulscher said that the strike caused considerable damage to the Emergency Operations Center software, but thanks to the firewall installations, the computers themselves were not destroyed.

Telephone transmissions to 911 are working with both landline phones and cellphones, but the radio communications from the 911 centers are not.

In implementing the emergency plans, a temporary command has been set up at the Lincoln Rural Fire Department. The mobile communications vehicle is being utilized at a location near to the downtown area, and calls are being taken and transferred utilizing Lincoln Rural equipment.

Fulscher said the EMA staff recently conducted a training for such an emergency, and the plans they had in place to serve Logan County are working very well. He said calls are being handled in a timely fashion with only a 15- to 20-second delay as information is transferred between the mobile unit and the emergency command center.

Fulscher said the damage to the 911 center and related equipment is significant. He currently has people working on the various programs, and as they dig into the issues, they are continuing to find more damage. Right now, Fulscher said he can't say for sure how long it will take to get everything repaired; it could be days or it could go into a couple of weeks.

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With the emergency backup plan in place, Fulscher said the number of staff being utilized has increased considerably. There are currently three personnel working in the mobile unit and another three to four manning the command center at Lincoln Rural. Normally there are two to three dispatchers on hand during a regular shift.

One of the biggest changes staff are encountering is how they are recording calls. With no working software, all calls are being taken and recorded by hand. In addition, the call log, which is normally done via computer, is being done by hand.

Fuslcher said it was a bad situation for all the EMA staff, but it was being handled very well and he's very well pleased with how the EMA and 911 personnel have transitioned into this emergency backup mode.

He concluded that for the public, 911 is still intact and working, and the community can expect the same excellent service from 911 and emergency services that they are accustomed to in Logan County.

[By NILA SMITH]

 

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