ShawnCowden
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VIA CORBIN TIMES TRIBUNE NEWSPAPER
By Melissa Newman / Staff Writer
Posted-Wednesday, June 15, 2005 9:40 AM EDT
Communications for Knox County's emergency services will get a boost from a more than $500,000 grant from Homeland Security.
Knox County Emergency Management Director Joe Bradshaw said Knox County was able to apply for and receive the funding for a new communications tower and replace the repeaters and generator service at all the towers, with the help of the Cumberland Valley Area Development District staff.
The $558,059 grant will allow for more complete communications in Knox and Whitley counties.
"Previously, if the east end tower went down then the west end would go down too," Bradshaw said. "Now, we can work off the west end if the east end goes down (and vice versa)."
Bradshaw said this new tower and new equipment will help in the communications across more counties if there were a disaster and give Knox County interoperability from any remote location.
Bradshaw gave the example of the CTA explosion in Corbin last year.
"We had ambulances coming from as far away as Tennessee and Lexington," Bradshaw said. "We used Cingular until they were so backed up they locked up and then we started using Nextel - but not everybody had Nextel."
The new system will allow Knox County to give a station to anyone who is helping with any sort of disaster.
"For example if the flood wall broke, God forbid, we could give out a station that anyone could link to," Bradshaw said.
He said there have been instances in which Knox County's having a tower of this type would help Whitley County connect with Corbin in an emergency.
Bradshaw said the funding came from an initiative of U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, who sits on the appropriations committee in Washington. According to Bradshaw, only 33 agencies out of 123 counties received any funding at all and Knox County received one of the largest portions.
Out of the over half a million dollars, Whitley County's portion is $132,000. Knox County will provide Whitley County with the use of the tower and then Whitley County will use their money to provide equipment so they can make use of the tower.
"The agreement (for the money) was made because Whitley County and Corbin were having some problems communicating," Bradshaw said. "This will help all of us. All we're providing is the space. They'll pay for their own equipment."
Knox County Judge-Executive Raymond Smith said the new equipment will help solve the problem of bad communications in Knox County. He said the patchwork Knox County now has, will not.
"You've got a system that started 20 years ago," Smith said. "And then five years later something else was added - it's been patchwork. With this new system we can now standardize. Since we got this money, we can upgrade ourselves and get a good system."
The funding will also provide a third position for a dispatcher at the 911 center which can be used if there is a disaster and more people are needed to help.
Bradshaw also reported the amounts of funding coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Knox County disasters over the past several years.
According to Bradshaw, 2000 provided $250,000 in funding; 2001 provided $400,000; 2002 provided $825,000 in funding; and 2003 provided $650,000. Most of the money came for flooding and other weather-related disasters in Knox County.
By Melissa Newman / Staff Writer
Posted-Wednesday, June 15, 2005 9:40 AM EDT
Communications for Knox County's emergency services will get a boost from a more than $500,000 grant from Homeland Security.
Knox County Emergency Management Director Joe Bradshaw said Knox County was able to apply for and receive the funding for a new communications tower and replace the repeaters and generator service at all the towers, with the help of the Cumberland Valley Area Development District staff.
The $558,059 grant will allow for more complete communications in Knox and Whitley counties.
"Previously, if the east end tower went down then the west end would go down too," Bradshaw said. "Now, we can work off the west end if the east end goes down (and vice versa)."
Bradshaw said this new tower and new equipment will help in the communications across more counties if there were a disaster and give Knox County interoperability from any remote location.
Bradshaw gave the example of the CTA explosion in Corbin last year.
"We had ambulances coming from as far away as Tennessee and Lexington," Bradshaw said. "We used Cingular until they were so backed up they locked up and then we started using Nextel - but not everybody had Nextel."
The new system will allow Knox County to give a station to anyone who is helping with any sort of disaster.
"For example if the flood wall broke, God forbid, we could give out a station that anyone could link to," Bradshaw said.
He said there have been instances in which Knox County's having a tower of this type would help Whitley County connect with Corbin in an emergency.
Bradshaw said the funding came from an initiative of U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, who sits on the appropriations committee in Washington. According to Bradshaw, only 33 agencies out of 123 counties received any funding at all and Knox County received one of the largest portions.
Out of the over half a million dollars, Whitley County's portion is $132,000. Knox County will provide Whitley County with the use of the tower and then Whitley County will use their money to provide equipment so they can make use of the tower.
"The agreement (for the money) was made because Whitley County and Corbin were having some problems communicating," Bradshaw said. "This will help all of us. All we're providing is the space. They'll pay for their own equipment."
Knox County Judge-Executive Raymond Smith said the new equipment will help solve the problem of bad communications in Knox County. He said the patchwork Knox County now has, will not.
"You've got a system that started 20 years ago," Smith said. "And then five years later something else was added - it's been patchwork. With this new system we can now standardize. Since we got this money, we can upgrade ourselves and get a good system."
The funding will also provide a third position for a dispatcher at the 911 center which can be used if there is a disaster and more people are needed to help.
Bradshaw also reported the amounts of funding coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Knox County disasters over the past several years.
According to Bradshaw, 2000 provided $250,000 in funding; 2001 provided $400,000; 2002 provided $825,000 in funding; and 2003 provided $650,000. Most of the money came for flooding and other weather-related disasters in Knox County.
