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Hillsborough County's 911 call center got upgraded before Hurricane Helene: 'Game changer'

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Published  October 3, 2024 10:50pm EDT
Hillsborough County
FOX 13 News

911 upgrades tested during Hurricane Helene

Briona Arradondo reports

TAMPA, Fla. - Thousands of people called 911 for help when Hurricane Helene hit, and those calls came through faster than before in Hillsborough County after a recent system upgrade.

Dispatchers sent first responders to water rescues in Town 'n' Country, Ruskin and more areas. Those calls first arrived at Hillsborough County’s 911 call center, and the system got upgraded over the summer.

"The technology has been the same since the beginning. It was legacy technology, so it’s been the same since the late 80s," said Anthony Cammarano, the 911 coordinator for Hillsborough County. "This is the newest technology out there, and it changes. It’s a whole game changer on call routing."

READ: Popular Ruskin restaurant battered by Hurricane Helene turns into donation center for families

County officials said it shaves seconds off when residents need help the most. The faster the calls can get into the center, the faster a dispatcher can answer them and get rescuers out to families in a crisis.

Before the upgrade, Cammarano said it only took one thing to go wrong.

"In 2008, there was a backhoe incident where they took out 911," he said.

Now, there are backups in place, improving public safety.

MORE: Davis Islands businesses recovering after Hurricane Helene brings record storm surge

"If something were to hit or a connection were to get taken out by water or anything, there’d be multiple connections to keep the system up and running," said Cammarano.

From 10 p.m. Thursday, September 26, until 6 a.m. on Friday, 911 dispatchers answered 2,440 emergency calls and 2,266 non-emergency calls during Hurricane Helene, totaling 4,706 calls.

"The storm was big. The storm was very big, so we were just making sure everything was going good," said Cammarano.

The storm was a major test for the new system, and the 911 manager said everything worked the way it should. It was a crucial upgrade because it helps cut down wait times, especially during natural disasters when cell service may be disrupted, officials said.

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