By: Jennifer Britt
The Parsons Advocate
911 Deputy Director Mike Simmons updated the Tucker County Commissioners on the actions of the 911 call center for the month of August. Simmons said, “There were a total of 830 calls from the public and were processed from the following agencies: 49 were law enforcement, 92 were to EMS, 16 were to Company 10, five were to Company 20, six were to Company 30, and five were to Company 40.
Company 10 is the Parsons Volunteer Fire Department was formally established in 1932. Davis Volunteer Fire Department is Company 20 and has been operating since October of 1937. Company 30 began in early 1982 as the Canaan Valley Station of the Davis Volunteer Fire Department. On September 26, 1985, the Canaan Valley Volunteer Fire Department was chartered. The Thomas Volunteer Fire Department was established in January of 1950 and is considered Company 40.
Simmons also informed the commission that the “IamResponding” software is up and running. “IamResponding” provides features that can benefit every type of emergency entity. From sending incident and staffing recall notifications to unlimited mobile devices, mapping, communication tools and incident reporting, to tracking all members’ certifications, training and attendance at events.
Agencies will know immediately who is available to respond to your incidents, and will be able to get more complete, more effective and safer crews out faster. Operational tasks and decisions at base stations will be streamlined, and tactical decisions on the scene will be more informed and tailored to who is actually responding to the incident.
Simmons said, “I did a training session with Thomas Volunteer Fire Department and there was guest there from Delaware and he was impressed because he did not think a small town like this would have the “IamResponding”. It enables an app on a responder’s phone to pin point a location of an accident while also showing who is responding and their estimated time of arrival.”
The commissioners accepted the resignation with regret of Steven Leyh from the Corridor H Authority.
The commissioners also voted to approve a funding request for the extension office. The request was for the of six buses to take student from TVEMS and DTEMS in grades five through eight to the 4-H Youth Development Program for an agricultural safety day. The request for $1,200 and the commissioners approved the full amount.
According to the 4-H website, “The 4-H Youth Development Program is the only national organization that is federally mandated to conduct positive youth development programs. The program works to improve knowledge and skills of young people (their Heads, Hearts, Hands, and Health) and the quality of life in the communities in which they live.”
Commission Mike Rossenau reported on a meeting that was held with the commission and Western Pocahontas to get an update on what they are going to do in the future. Rossenau said, “One thing they have done recently, and I had realized was they had installed a cell tower across Mettiki, and it now offers that area 5G service. It was something we did not know had been done but it was something they did just because it was needed for the county. I thought that was a good thing.”
The next regular meeting of Tucker County Commission will be held on September 14, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. and located on the third floor of the Tucker County Courthouse at 211 First Street, Parsons, West Virginia, 26287.