Angela Brandt
Havre Daily News
abrandt@havredailynews.com
The start date of an enhanced-911 call center in Hill County is near, but members of the Havre-Hill County 911 Board still need to select the software that will run the system.
Hill County Sheriff Greg Szudera, who chairs the board, said the e-911 equipment, which allows dispatchers to track the location of emergency calls, will be installed on April 20. The board needs to choose mapping software, which will display the caller's location on a monitor, along with the phone number and best route to the location.
Dispatchers now only have caller ID.
Board members will decide whether to purchase software from Minneapolis-based GeoCom or North Dakota-based Bullberry Systems Inc. The group will meet with Blaine County's board - which has not yet selected its own software - to discuss the two options.
In an interview Tuesday, Blaine County Sheriff Glenn Huestis said the two boards may benefit from choosing the same software. That would allow Havre and the two counties to combine data and act as backup call centers for each other.
Szudera agrees.
“Getting on the same page with mapping would beneficial to us all,” he said.
Blaine County has installed e-911 equipment and is in the process of remodeling its dispatch centers, Huestis said.
He said the companies are similar both in pricing and product, and he is not leaning toward one or the other.
Havre Police Chief Mike Barthel said he wanted to wait until he hears a final price on the software, and until the two counties' boards can discuss the options, before a final vote is taken.
