Updated dispatch deployed

Bella Vista’s emergency dispatchers are now working with an updated system that provides more detailed maps and allows for more rapid deployment.

Administrative Lt. Ryan Harmon said that the new system, Intrado VIPER, is now the standard system for all of Benton County’s public safety answering points, or PSAPs. The system is currently used by the sheriff’s office, Bentonville, Rogers and Siloam Springs dispatch units, he said.

“Once the dispatchers learn it and get used to it, it’s going to be easier for the dispatchers and quicker,” he said.

Dispatchers will be able to access more accurate information faster than before, he explained.

With neighboring dispatch centers using the same system, information can also be exchanged quickly, he said.

One of the primary benefits is improved mapping with more features, including improved plotting of callers’ locations and layers dispatchers can use to see additional data like bike trails, weather and fire hydrant locations, Harmon explained.

“This is a way more upto-date map,” he said.

Updates are also simplified and will be performed automatically — a substantial improvement over the old system, which required someone from Benton County to come and manually apply updates to the mapping system, he added.

Another feature allows people to text 911 if they are in an emergency and cannot talk for one reason or another, he said.

And despite the improved features, this updated system also requires less hardware, meaning it has fewer potential failure points, he said.

“It’s less equipment that can go bad or break,” Harmon said.