Iron County receives 911 grant

By RICHARD JENKINS

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Hurley — Iron County is receiving over $92,000 in grant funding to pay for upgrades to the county's 911 system.

The county was one of 24 projects the state’s Office of Emergency Communications selected to receive a share of $2.1 million in federal funds for 911 upgrades.

Iron County's $92,967 grant will go towards a pair of projects, according to Stacy Ofstad, the county's emergency management director and 911 coordinator.

“Our current system is roughly five years old and it runs off Windows 7. We applied for a grant to basically bring it up to Windows 10,” Ofstad said, explaining the upgrade is needed as support for the Windows 7 operating system is being phased out.

Along with upgrading the 911 system to a more current product, Ofstad said the grant will allow Iron County to upgrade its voice recording system — which is also reaching the end of its lifespan.

“Our current system only recorded voices,” Ofstad said. “As we move forward … where people can send text (or) video to dispatch, we'll be able to record them.”

The grant covers roughly 60% of the costs for the two major upgrades, according to Ofstad, with the county covering the remaining costs.

Ofstad said he hopes the county will be able to begin scheduling the installation and training for the upgraded systems in the coming weeks.

Along with Iron County, the Bayfield County Sheriff's Office received a $76,991 grant and the Minocqua Police Department received $62,203 in grant funding.