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Video conferencing system will give fire, police better connectivity
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Published: October 21, 2009
For Mooresville's fire chief, the ability to communicate orders to four fire stations simultaneously through video conferencing has numerous advantages, some of them life saving.
For the town's police chief, video conferencing means reducing the daily trips officers make to the magistrate's office in Statesville.
On Monday night, with the Mooresville Town Board approving the purchase of the $198,040 communication system, police will now have the potential to book an arrest in Mooresville by speaking to an Iredell County judge on a video screen instead of in person.
Keeping those patrol cars in town was the deciding factor that finally persuaded commissioners to unanimously approve the contract with Incident Communication Solutions. Although the money was budgeted to buy the technology this fiscal year, commissioners have questioned the need for the expenditure since their Sept. 8 town board meeting.
"Of all the things you would choose to do, is this first on your list to provide for the safety of the citizens of Mooresville?" Commissioner Chris Carney asked Fire Chief Wes Greene last month.
"In terms of public safety, it is a great way to spend money," answered Greene, whose says one of the bigger benefits will be in time and costs saved on training personnel.
Each firefighter averages close to 50 hours per month in training. While some of that training is hands on, some of it involves lectures. With 86 personnel working different shifts housed in four locations, the video system will alleviate the need for offering repetitive classes and for travelling, Greene said.
Personnel and trucks can now remain at their respective stations, making them available for calls for service and reducing costs for fuel.
Having the system also means Mooresville will be cleared to communicate with federal agencies like the National Guard in the event of a major catastrophe and as well as Mecklenburg County and its 11 surrounding counties which also have the system, officials said.
In town, the police and fire departments will be linked with town hall conference rooms, allowing for collaboration on decisions. But any organization could hook into the system, leaving the door open for multiple possibilities in the future.
One of those potential uses could be in assisting victims of domestic violence. "Unfortunately, many victims do not have the resources available to navigate through the justice system," said Police Chief Carl Robbins. "If we can make a magistrate available through video conferencing to our victims in Mooresville, I believe it will be a tremendous asset."
In other action Monday, the Town Board decided to financially support a transportation study looking at the economic benefits and funding strategies necessary for the North Corridor commuter rail line and widening of I-77 from Huntersville to Statesville.
Mooresville joins Huntersville, Cornelius and Davidson in funding the Urban Land Institute study, with each town contributing $10,000 toward the $85,000 total. The remaining $45,000 will come from private donations of which $20,000 has already been raised.
Davidson Commissioner Brian Jenest, representing the Lake Norman Regional Transportation Commission explained during a presentation that a rail corridor decision should be made next spring, and the commission sees an urgent need to have this study available using data that reflects current economic conditions.
The North Mecklenburg towns have been lobbying in Washington to secure federal funding for the rail line, but Mooresville has not joined that effort.
"We may not all have the same feeling toward the train," Carney warned Jenest, saying he hoped this new study would not come back asking Mooresville to endorse the train.
A 2000 study estimated the cost of bringing the train from Davidson to Mt. Mourne at $28 million. Mooresville recently approved the building of a park-and-ride lot at the site of a future rail station at Legacy Village in Mt. Mourne, partly because grant money was available, not out of a strong commitment to support mass transit.
One of the biggest questions the study will answer is how towns should pursue funding of multi-million dollar projects with the state strapped for cash and the widening of I-77 not expected until 2030.
Also Monday, the town board appointed Dawn Huston to serve on the board of directors for MI Connection, the locally owned cable company. Huston will join Mooresville MI board members John Kasberger and Dave Pendleton.
"I understand customers and what they are looking for," said Huston, who plans to use her experience as Rubbermaid Product and Customer Marketing Manager to help build MI-C's relationship with the community.
Huston has lived in Mooresville for five years and is originally from Maine.
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