Sunday, October 19, 2008
Pike County Receives Grant For Mobile Units In Fire Trucks.
Pikeville, Ky.—The Kentucky Office of Homeland Security (KOHS) recently announced that it has awarded the Pike County Emergency Management Office a $92,000 grant to place mobile data systems in county fire trucks.
“This money will make Pike County’s emergency services stronger than it is already. Each of our fire departments will have access to a vast array of data at their fingertips when they need it the most—in the middle of an emergency,” said Pike County Judge/Executive Wayne T. Rutherford.
Pike County EMS Director Doug Tackett, who wrote the application for the grant, said he was “ecstatic” about receiving the money. “We’ve been working on this project for three years now, and this money will finally allow us to complete it.”
He said mobile data units are computers that allow emergency responders access to information they might need when preparing or responding to an emergency.
Pike County/Kentucky Firefighters Association President Randy Courtney was also excited about receiving the grant money. “Any tool or device that will help firefighters respond more quickly and gives us more information is always a plus for the citizens of Pike County,” he said.
With the devices, firefighters can connect to fire departments, hospitals, police stations and other first responders locally and statewide, and they can communicate to them through text messaging. The ability to communicate through text messaging as an alternative to communicating by radio will be very helpful to first responders, Tackett said.
Additionally, mobile data systems contain mapping information, a global positioning system, and contain information regarding hazardous materials.
Tackett said the Pike County EMS Office began asking the KOHS for money for mobile data units in 2006. He said the KOHS awarded the Pike County EMS Office $74,000 in 2006 and $14,000 in 2007. He said the most recent award of $92,000 will allow Pike County EMS to install a mobile data system in a fire truck at every fire department in the county. He hopes to have the remaining systems installed by February.
Ultimately, Tackett said he would like to install mobile data systems in all the fire truck in the county, but cannot currently afford to do so. He said most fire departments have one truck that they take to every emergency, so his immediate goal is to install a system into each station’s main fire truck.
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“This money will make Pike County’s emergency services stronger than it is already. Each of our fire departments will have access to a vast array of data at their fingertips when they need it the most—in the middle of an emergency,” said Pike County Judge/Executive Wayne T. Rutherford.
Pike County EMS Director Doug Tackett, who wrote the application for the grant, said he was “ecstatic” about receiving the money. “We’ve been working on this project for three years now, and this money will finally allow us to complete it.”
He said mobile data units are computers that allow emergency responders access to information they might need when preparing or responding to an emergency.
Pike County/Kentucky Firefighters Association President Randy Courtney was also excited about receiving the grant money. “Any tool or device that will help firefighters respond more quickly and gives us more information is always a plus for the citizens of Pike County,” he said.
With the devices, firefighters can connect to fire departments, hospitals, police stations and other first responders locally and statewide, and they can communicate to them through text messaging. The ability to communicate through text messaging as an alternative to communicating by radio will be very helpful to first responders, Tackett said.
Additionally, mobile data systems contain mapping information, a global positioning system, and contain information regarding hazardous materials.
Tackett said the Pike County EMS Office began asking the KOHS for money for mobile data units in 2006. He said the KOHS awarded the Pike County EMS Office $74,000 in 2006 and $14,000 in 2007. He said the most recent award of $92,000 will allow Pike County EMS to install a mobile data system in a fire truck at every fire department in the county. He hopes to have the remaining systems installed by February.
Ultimately, Tackett said he would like to install mobile data systems in all the fire truck in the county, but cannot currently afford to do so. He said most fire departments have one truck that they take to every emergency, so his immediate goal is to install a system into each station’s main fire truck.
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# posted by Joe Kinzer @ 6:36 AM 
