Nevada City, Calif. November 24, 2020 – Nevada County’s rugged landscape can make communication for first responders difficult when emergencies strike in river canyons and parts of the County with limited telecommunications infrastructure. Radio coverage can be spotty, and many times cell and data service are non-existent. Until now, the Incident Command Post in the field was not able to reliably share real-time data with the Office of Emergency Services nor the Sheriff’s Office Command Staff overseeing the incident. Thanks to funding from a Federal Homeland Security Grant, which made this purchase possible, the Sheriff’s Office now has a device which provides critical cellular and WiFi communications via satellite.
“Of paramount importance to the Nevada County Board of Supervisors and the citizens of Nevada County is the protection of lives and structures from the threat of wildfire, and the safety of fire and law enforcement during wildfires. This tool will help us maintain real-time communications during an evacuation scenario, a remote rescue, or any other critical incident where communication is vital.” says Office of Emergency Services Emergency Operations Coordinator Sheriff’s Lieutenant Bob Jakobs.
Last Spring, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office identified a critical need for consistent and reliable voice and data communications during emergencies and disasters, such as wildfire evacuations, throughout the entire County. The purchase of the SatRunner mobile satellite communications system provides that reliable connectivity anytime, anywhere.
The procurement of the SatRunner was made possible by the Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) which is facilitated by the Office of Emergency services and supports the training and equipping of Public Health & OES personnel as well as County and municipal Law Enforcement and Fire agencies.
For more information and to see the SatRunner in action, please visit our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/nevadacountysheriffsoffice) for a video.