Area 911 Services to See Improvement with State Funding

By Matthew Avitabile

ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $85 million in grant funding last week for county 911 services, including the implementation of Next Generation 911 (NG911) in 57 of the state's 62 counties. This follows $55 million in emergency communications systems enhancements announced in January.

New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner Jackie Bray said that the state was “thrilled to announce” the 57 county grant, with $85 million in total. This includes $3.9 million locally for 911 and communications hardware “to bring us into the 21st century.”

Many 911 services are still run on copper wire, which Bray describes as “30 years .” She hopes that the funding will allow for a modernization

She credited $130 million in state funding from Gov. Kathy Hochul in recent years.

Bray said that currently, there is only voice data available on most 911 networks. She believes that emergency dispatchers should also be able to receive text and video information. This “next-gen 911” will allow for this transition.

The commission said that during a major crisis, the counties have backup systems, but sometimes events like the 2022 Buffalo snowstorm could overwhelm entire regions’ systems.

She said that all of the calls could be rolled out of each region during the snowstorm. The new system will allow for the calls to be “interoperative” between regions.

This includes the use of advanced tech that can locate people on a vertical level (on the first floor vs. the third floor.)

“We have to do this all together,” said Bray. She said that there has been a significant advancement in technology in New York City, and that it’s time to expand the same to other parts of the state.

She said that “emergency services is getting the right help to the right people as soon as we can,” including all parts of the state.

The entire process should take between three and five years. There will be a total need of about $500 million statewide to fully meet the needed standard, Bray said. Some of the funding will be provided by the counties and some by the state.

Funding from the state will go to individual counties to the local 911 center for use.

The commissioner said that the 2022 Buffalo crisis is a situation she hopes never happens again. She said that she is committed to preventing such a rolling blackout of emergency communications services. Bray said that working together ahead of time to upgrade systems is a way to make the situation during emergencies easier.

“It means a ton to get the money to the agencies and the people that need it,” she said.

“We have taken advantage of prior offerings from this program. The Sheriff 's Office and Emergency Services have the announcement details and will follow up as applicable,” said Schoharie County Board of Supervisors Chair and Conesville Town Supervisor Bill Federice.