A Homeland Security Grant recently approved for the Boone County Commission will enhance the ability of officials to better respond to emergency situations.

Late last month the commission agreed to accept a federal grant to make the Boone County 911 system more efficient. Commissioners agreed to purchase a new enhanced 911 telephone and computer aided dispatch system.

Boone County Emergency Emergency Management Agency Director Greg Lay said the new system will "bring our county into the future." He said the new system will include both 911 hardware and software. The system, when complete, will also be capable of receiving voice calls when they are delivered through the next generation of IP equipment. "The technology that goes into managing large amounts of emergency calls in a 911 center is always changing," Lay said. "Our gear has needed upgrading for many years and it was time for us to get it done."

Early last year the county commission received a $106,000 Homeland Security Grant and the commission will use revenues received from a recent increase in the local 911 user fees to fund the additional $100 thousand.

"There’s never a good time to increase fees but the commission recognized the need for improvements to the 911 system," he said. "Along with the new equipment, additional dispatchers have been added to process calls for assistance during busy periods. Just like any business or service, there are times when the 911 center is busier than others, so we added an extra dispatcher during these times."

Lay added that several of the volunteer fire departments in Boone have requested or plan to request to be reevaluated through ISO. This is the insurance rating system used to evaluate local fire departments. "The volunteers in Boone County are constantly making improvements that will hopefully lower the fire protection rate for their department’s areas of service and have all been successful in doing so. In addition to the firefighting abilities of these departments, ISO also rates the communications systems in their areas as well as the water supply for those particular departments," Lay told CVN.

He also noted that both he and county commissioners believe that the addition of new equipment and personnel along with the continuing expansion of county water projects will have another positive outcome. "If all goes well, it should help lower homeowners' fire insurance costs."