County tests back-up center
By John Joyce
Published in News on August 3, 2014 1:50 AM
Dispatchers for the Wayne County Communications Center moved to an undisclosed location early last week to conduct operations, interim director of the Wayne County Office of Emergency Services Mel Powers said.
The reason for the move was two-fold -- an upgrade to the microwave tower was being conducted and it gave the county an opportunity to test its newly renovated back-up center, Powers said.
Dispatchers conducted radio checks frequently throughout the morning, checking with each fire station to ensure communications were audible and clear in both directions.
"This is our first test of the back-up center," Powers said.
He said the remote site received "major renovations" and is equipped with redundant radio systems, links and the county's CAD system and a computer-aided dispatch system that keeps track of all emergency calls.
"Everything is functioning as normal," he said.
The test was scheduled for four hours, after which the dispatchers were transferred back to the primary communications center at 134 N. John St.
Once that transition was completed, OES supervisors and assistant-supervisors met for an evaluation.
"There will be an internal report, which will be turned over to the county manager and the board of commissioners," Powers said.