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County Breaks Ground for 9-1-1 Center in Harlingen
- Updated: October 31, 2014
The Cameron County Emergency Communication District celebrates construction underway for its new headquarters in Harlingen on October 21. From the left are Joel Davila, deputy director; Mario Prado, retired La Feria volunteer fire chief and president of the district’s Board of Managers, Harlingen Mayor Chris Boswell; Silbia Barajas, executive director; Humberto Barrera, emergency management coordinator; Bill Aston, vice president of the Board of Managers; Brownsville police Lt. Raul Rodriguez, board member; Brownsville fire Deputy Chief David Hinojosa, board member; Cameron County sheriff’s Lt. Domingo Diaz, board member; and Irma Bramlett of AT&T, secretary of the Board of Managers.
Law enforcement and emergency services officials gathered Tuesday, October 21, 2014, to break ground for a new Cameron County Communication District Office in Harlingen.
Silbia Barajas, executive director of Cameron County Emergency Communication District, said the total cost of construction for the 11,527-square-foot building scheduled for completion in six to nine months and its state-of-the-art equipment will be about $3.2 million. The new facility at 501 Camelot Boulevard will provide backup 9-1-1 emergency phone connections for police departments in Brownsville, South Padre Island, Port Isabel, Los Fresnos, San Benito, Harlingen and La Feria. It also will provide 9-1-1 emergency communication support for the Cameron County Sheriff’s Department and secondary backup ambulance communications for the South Texas Emergency Care system.
A key component for the new technology will be the capability of the district office to send public safety alerts or warnings to Cameron County residents in specific locales or on a county-wide basis, Barajas said. The messages could range from severe weather advisories to emergencies such as taking shelter after a chemical spill. The public can sign up online for the notification service by going to www.cameroncountyr911.com.
“This is a great regional project and a lot of people from Cameron County have worked on it,” Harlingen Mayor Chris Boswell said.
“We appreciate the district’s planning and continual progress in providing fast, crucial emergency services to our communities.”
Barajas said the new facility will have five staff members, an increase of three from the current staff. Joel Davila serves as the district’s deputy director. The new building also will have training accommodations for emergency personnel from around the county.
The project costs are covered by the county’s 9-1-1 usage fee that is paid by telephone customers, Barajas said. The county has been accumulating revenue for the project by investing fees since 1986.
Brownsville fire Deputy Chief David Hinojosa, speaking on behalf of Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos, said the 9-1-1 service became operational in November 1986. Hinojosa said that the primary emergency response system receives about 260,000 calls per year.
Members of the CCECD Board of Managers include President Mario Prado, Vice President Bill Aston, Secretary Irma Bramlett, and board members David Hinojosa, Raul Rodriguez and Domingo Diaz.
