Jasper County breaks ground on $16M public safety communication project
SARCOXIE, Mo. — It’s a big step forward in a multi-million dollar project to improve public safety communication in Jasper County.
“The communication from them to the police officer from the police officers to 911 Center has to be on point. And if it’s not, then we need to fix it. And that’s what we’re doing,” said James Harrison, Jasper Co. 911 Board Chair.
Building a better 911 communications system.
“Jasper County Emergency Services” hosted a groundbreaking ceremony in Sarcoxie.
“This is going to create such a safety issue that’s going to be so much better than it was before. We’re going to have a radio system that all Jasper County is going to be able to use for the first time that I know of,” said Harrison.
The site of a new radio tower for 911 communications. The 16 million dollar project is adding two new towers in the county, as well as updating four existing towers.
Project leaders say the goal is reliable communications for every first responder in Jasper County.
“Multiple systems in all Jasper County agencies talking on antiquated systems that needed to be replaced. We did not have interoperability the way that we should have had in our own county. And we saw that during the tornado. We saw it with all the agencies coming in and then continued throughout the years for any type of event that we had mutual aid for,” said April Ford, former Jasper Co. 911 Dir.
Construction is already underway for the other new radio tower about four miles north of the Joplin airport, off Highway 43.
Both of the new towers are expected to be done by the end of the year.
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911 improvements don’t stop at the county line.
The county dispatch is currently working with AT&T to expand telephone connectivity.
It relies on other call centers to serve as a failsafe when there are issues in-house.
Growing phone system capabilities will help improve current options, and allow room for future growth.
“Actually back each other up across this system – and we’re connected, we’re with Joplin as well. We have Springfield – Greene then JASCO and then Joplin PD,” said Lisa Rataczak, Jasper Co. Emerg. Svcs. Exec. Dir.
The system is looking to potentially add the Lawrence County 911 system as an additional backup in the near future.
The hope is to complete the phone expansion in the next 30 days.
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