ROCKINGHAM - Ms. Donna Wright, Director of Emergency Services for Richmond County, gave a hardy welcome to each person attending the Wednesday morning dedication of Richmond County's new Emergency Services Complex. Well-wishers and dignitaries from all over the state and county, with many types of occupation backgrounds, attended the dedication of the new complex.
Ms. Wright opened the ceremony by welcoming and thanking all the Richmond County Commissioners on hand, Mayor of Rockingham, Hamlet City Manager, both City Councils and Richmond County Sheriff Dept. and all others who played a part in bringing this complex to Richmond County “This project involved getting a lot of moving parts and partners to come together and with the success of the Grant Program it fell in place into what you see before you today.” Ms. Wright also said that “this year marks the 25th anniversary of the first 9-1-1 call in Richmond County.”
Pastor Walt Smith of the Rivers of Life Family Worship Center gave the invocation.
Next to speak was Mr. Philip Penny from Mission Critical Partners. Mr. Penny said that ”the jobs done at this and other emergency centers across the country are not for the faint of heart for they are the first to respond to any emergency call that comes in.”
Sec. Eric Boyette, Chairman of the N.C. 9-1-1 Board, Chairman CIO, N.C. Department of Information Technology, praised the new complex and said it was well worth the 6.5 million dollars spent to build and equip this new state-of- arts facility.” “Also with the 60,000 calls coming into the new facility it was surely going to be a very busy place.”
The first day of operation for the new Emergency Complex will be June 19th. In full operation it will employ thirty trained people. The complex will operate seven days a week three-hundred sixty-five days a year.
Mr. Calvin Smith, who now works for the Emergency System here in Richmond County, said that “each new employee will be trained in Emergency Fire and Medical dispatch, also in telecom and police training.”
As for this writer’s perspective, folks in Richmond Co ought to be very proud of this new facility. Also don’t forget to thank these operators and all other first responders for what they do to help and protect the general public of our great county.
