By Jessica Moore

Staff Writer

Software which will help dispatchers with emergency calls will be purchased for the county.

The Emergency Communications Board made the decision to buy PowerPhone software at their November meeting last week, after some negotiation with the company. PowerPhone is the software dispatchers will use during emergency calls that will help them to deliver the utmost care to those in need. It helps keep a record of callers and details and even allows emergency responders to be dispatched while the dispatcher is still talking to the caller. Board members were unanimous in their buying decision.

The ECB meeting started with a visit from a representative who works for Nashville Communications and Motorola. He gave a quote for the cost of a headset to be used with a console they already have. Unfortunately, the quote was missing some features the board had wished to see included and since the price was higher than they expected, they are choosing to ask other vendors for bids as well. Hopefully by January, the board will have more information and be able to make a choice.

Also during the meeting, Lewisburg Police Chief Chuck Forbis suggested the board revisit the idea of purchasing the rest of the mobile CAD equipment that the police force is already equipped with. He explained that by switching from laptops to tablets, the equipment can be shared among vehicles. Forbis also explained this would help with the addressing issue that has been discussed recently.

The addressing issue was brought up again during the ECB board meeting. This time it was explained in more detail and with maps. Linda Haislip, the 911 coordinator, explained that several streets in Lewisburg have issues with the house numbers. The issue is that many of the numbers are out of sequence. She has proposed that residents with incorrect addresses change their address. This would ensure that emergency responders would not have difficulty locating these addresses in the event of an emergency. The procedure does not cost any money, it just requires a little time and effort, but all in the hopes of saving lives. Some of the streets with known issues include Midway, Old Lake Road, Fairlane, and Joyce Avenue.

The board also decided to start setting aside a select amount of money toward a consolidation fund.

The board will not meet again until January 2014.