When you're in an emergency, every second counts.
Now, Metro 911 of Kanawha County has launched its new state-of-the-art computer aided dispatch system to give citizens the best help possible.
Missy Bennett has been a dispatcher for five years. She said the new system helps streamline calls as they come in. She can tell what kind of help the person is requesting, which emergency unit is responding, and what calls are pending, all within one centralized location on her computer.
This feature saves dispatchers valuable time.
"Time is critical. No matter how big or small the incident is, time is of the essence," she said.
The old system was more complicated, she said.
Dispatcher Garrett Chain also really likes the new CAD system. He said there is an instant message feature that allows dispatchers to communicate with each other. This can be useful if there's a situation involving multiple callers about the same issue.
"The information is so much more organized and it's readily available to everybody, regardless of what console you're at. You no longer have to change a screen," he said.
Chain said the new mapping system is also one of the best in the state. If a caller lives in a rural area, or isn't sure where exactly they're at, dispatchers can figure it out almost immediately.
He said the new system is more reliable and accurate when it comes to finding the coordinates of a location.
"We also have the ability, if it's a cell phone to re-transmit it and it'll trace it to where it is," Chain said.
The county said the new CAD system is a $1.1 million investment.
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