It's hard to imagine life before the 9-1-1 emergency service existed! Emergency response has never been better but county officials are always looking for ways to improve support dispatch 911 operations and they just got the boost they need from New York State.

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Otsego, Chenango and Delaware Counties will be sharing in $10 million in state-wide funding to support 911 operations in the state's 57 counties according to Governor Cuomo's Office. Counties provide the majority of 9-1-1 answering and dispatching operations in New York, coordinating these services among municipal, county and state responders.

The grants will cover expenses related to 911 infrastructure, plus upgraded technology and services including data communication and improved geo-location for emergency response. The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services awarded the grants.

Here's how 9-1-1 works:
When a 9-1-1 emergency call is made, the call goes to a public safety facility in a given county, from there, the 9-1-1 dispatcher initiates the appropriate local emergency services to respond to that emergency (i.e. fire crew, police, and/or EMTs).

Counties can apply annually to receive state funds as a reimbursement for eligible public safety call-taking and dispatching expenses. The funding can be used to offset 9-1-1 operation costs or to invest in system technology upgrades to increase efficiency and response time to emergencies.

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