NORWICH – Recently, the heart of the Chenango County's police, fire and emergency operations underwent a much needed transplant that most community members will never have the opportunity to see.

But while ignorance is bliss on the user-end of the 911 dispatch center, keeping the facility updated and running smoothly is a necessity.

That said, the Sheriff’s Office Communications Division recently underwent a significant renovation, boosting technology to aid first responders and callers to the 911 center.

“It's come a long way from what is was like 20 years ago,” said County Chief Dispatcher A. Jones on a recent tour of the updated facility. “Back then, we sat shoulder-to-shoulder in a tight radio room with very basic technology.”

In 1997 – just a few years after Jones came aboard – the county received “new” consoles, handed down from Tioga County that remained in operation until the Sheriff's Offices were relocated out of the City of Norwich.

But those days are long gone.

The current footprint of the 911 call center and county dispatch was designed from the ground up and was state of the art back in 2006 when the Public Safety Building went online. But that was nearly a decade ago, and the pace of technology has since surpassed what was put in place at that ribbon cutting.

Jones explained that a minimum of two dispatchers are busy taking calls, running information and monitoring alarms throughout the county 24/7, every day of the year. In 2014, Chenango 911 took in 112,000 phone calls – more than 17,000 of which were 911 distress or emergency calls – equating to just over 300 calls per day.

Given the sheer volume of calls that are fielded daily, ten years of heavy constant use can take its toll on all aspects of the facility – hardware, software, and infrastructure.

Thankfully, the current facility's designers were mindful of future updates, and that paid off.