New 911 Communication project to help Shore’s EMS

By Linda Cicoira

The $9.5 million Eastern Shore 911 Communication Project that will serve Accomack and Northampton counties including local fire departments, emergency medical workers, sheriff and town police, state police, and school systems is expected to be up and running by February 2025.

In a report to the Accomack Board of Supervisors Wednesday, Director Jeff Flournoy said the new system is designed to last more than 15 years. In the next three or four months, tower work is planned across the two-county region. Then radios will be installed in squad cars, group channels will be discussed, interfacing with neighboring areas will be performed, and maintenance training will be offered.

“The old system is obsolete,” Flournoy said.

Another system modernization project is in limbo for Accomack County. The long-awaited Enterprise Resource Planning software can’t be implemented because a vendor was unable to meet the county’s security requirements at the promised cost. County Administrator Mike Mason said negotiations were terminated and the county will be accepting new proposals.

Mason explained that the software can be used to manage day-to-day business functions and activities including accounting, budget, procurement, and employee recruitment, scheduling, time, and attendance.

“The county has been using essentially the same application since 1989,” Mason reported. It is “outdated and no longer meets county” needs. The project is already budgeted” and monies have been appropriated, he said.

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