Equipment & Technology

The New River Valley Emergency Communications Regional Authority (NRV 911) uses a variety of technology and equipment to aid in providing prompt and efficient support of public safety personnel and first responders to the region it serves.

NRV 911 utilizes extensive telephone, data, and radio communications networks between the different agencies in the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg, Virginia Tech, and Montgomery County. Networks have been designed with built-in redundancy and failover capabilities to minimize downtime and provide prompt support to the community.

Emergency 9-1-1 calls coming into the dispatch center are handled by a computerized telephone system that displays caller ID and location of the telephone number in real-time. The caller’s location enables telecommunicators to efficiently dispatch police, fire, emergency medical, and other response resources more efficiently through the use of a state-of-the-art multi-channel radio dispatch console. The radio console keeps telecommunicators in constant contact with fire, rescue and police units.

Other systems used include CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) and GIS (Geographic Information System). NRV 911 GIS is a collaborative effort between all agencies and is kept updated regularly to provide accurate response of public safety personnel and first responders from the dispatch center.

The NRV 911 dispatch center is supported by an on-site 24/7 Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) and backup generator in the event of a power failure. All systems are tested on a regular basis to ensure efficient operations.