New Mapping Data For First Responders

By Jim Cox
Numerous times Garrard
EMS would drive up and
down the road wasting value
time in an emergency
because a residence was not
addressed properly.
Now due to new software
on their mobile computers,
the county’s first responders,
including not only the EMS
but the city police, sheriff ’s
office and potentially the
county fire departments, will
have in the field at their finger
tips almost the same
information the 9-1-1 dispatchers
have at their consoles.
They will be able to pull
up on their mobile computers
an up-to-date map of the
county that can be zoomed
into showing details of roads,
topography, addresses and
even photos of houses.
County Judge-Executive
John Wilson became aware
of the problem as his office
monitored 9-1-1 dispatch
calls to first responders over
the scanner.
Emergency personnel were
always calling back to the dispatchers
for more information
about directions, Wilson said.
He became even more aware
of the situation when EMS
Supervisor Colby Arnold asked
him to go on a run.
“The run was up Mt. Hebron
Road. We went past the house
two or three times because it did
not have an address on the mailbox,”
Wilson said. “We could
have responded sooner had we
had this technology in the
ambulance at the time.”
In August, Wilson was able to
get some help on the problem.
He was selected by Bluegrass
Area Development District
(BGADD) as a county judge to
attend the National Association
of Development Districts in
Austin, Texas.
While there he was able to
negotiate with Lenny Stulls of
BGADD for BGADD to write a
computer program for Garrard
County’s first responders to use
in the field.
“That is one tangible benefit
that came out of the trip,”
Wilson said.
Through a grant, the EMS
already had the mobile computers
for their five ambulances,
but the computers were not
being utilized because of lack of
mapping data software.
The Garrard County Sheriff ’s
Department and the Lancaster
Police Department were also fitted
with mobile computers
through an $80,000 grant they
received in the spring, but also
lacked county mapping data.
They use the computers for
communication purposes– running
car tags, etc.
What the new software
allows is data compiled by the
Garrard Property Valuation
Office for 9-1-1 to be placed
and brought up on the first
responder’s mobile computers.
The program is self-contained
on the computer’s hard
drive and does not require an
internet connection that is at
times impossible to access in
certain areas of the county.
Updates to the file are done
through the BGADD and can be
arranged through the Internet.
Tuesday, James Whisenhunt,
GIS manager for BGADD,
installed the software on the
county’s mobile computers.
It took him four to five
months to write the program
and a couple of days to compile
the data, he said.
The file consists of six gigabytes.
The cost of writing the program
was just $600, Wilson
said. Actually it will not be of
any cost to the county because it
will be paid for through CSEPP
federal funding.
“It is another example of how
important BGADD is for us and
how good they are as a
resource,” he added.
Whisehunt would not estimate
the cost of the program if a
private company did it.
“I would be afraid to say,” he
said. “It would be pretty expensive
just having somebody do
it.”
He did commend the excellent
job the Garrard PVA has
does in compiling the information–
mapping, addresses and
updating.
“Garrard’s data is a lot better
than other counties,” he said.
“Without the PVA, we would
not have been able to do this,”
Wilson said. “This is really a
collaborative effort between my
office, BGADD and the PVA
office.”
“They are willing to share the
information and we all are able
to work together,” he said.
“People of Garrard County are
going to benefit from this.”
Presently EMS and law
enforcement in the county have
mobile computers. Grants will
be applied for and as extra
equipment becomes available,
the county’s fire departments
will also be equipped with
mobile computers, Wilson said.