Hamilton County is located in the southwest corner of Ohio and is home to approximately 800,000 residents. Spanning over 400 square miles, the county includes urban cities like Cincinnati and rural townships like Whitewater. First responders in the county must be prepared to respond to a variety of incidents, from natural disasters to large planned events that bring visitors to the area.
The Hamilton County Communications Center (HCCC) is responsible for dispatch service for 105 law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical service agencies across the county. HCCC connects its employees to FirstNet to ensure they always have reliable communications. Access to FirstNet’s robust and reliable platform is essential for the tactical dispatchers at the Communications Center. During an incident, tactical dispatchers play a critical role as they collect and process operational and tactical information and then display it in the command post in an organized format for responders to analyze and make an informed decision about their next course of action. In the midst of a critical incident, timing is paramount for first responders in the county. Whether a natural disaster, barricaded subject, or high-profile planned event, responders need to make and execute decisions quickly, and having timely access to pertinent information through the FirstNet network, allows them to do just that.
Often times, dispatchers can be asked to leave the communications center to assist responders. FirstNet allows them to remain operational at all times, despite their location. In order for the team to effectively carry out their duties in the field, they must have access to the same tools and information they have at their disposal in the dispatch center. With FirstNet, the HCCC’s tactical dispatch team has a network with priority and preemption that they can rely on as they perform their crucial duties. As Andrew Knapp, Director of the HCCC, stated, “It gives our tactical dispatch teams the ability to function in the field, supporting the first responders on long-term, high-profile incidents with the same technical capabilities as they would have if they were sitting in their dispatch center.”
Learn more about how FirstNet is supporting the Hamilton County Communications Center in the video below:
