On Tuesday, Norman Fire, Police and EMS opened a new emergency communications center in east Norman.
This state-of-the-art facility has been under construction for 10 years and is set to become the new nerve center of Norman’s emergency services. “It’s an active service,” said dispatcher Carolyn Glover. “It’s about helping people.”
Since 1984, Carolyn has worked to connect people in need with Norman’s emergency responders. “There is nothing more satisfying than being able to help someone in their time of need. It can be something as simple as giving directions or a reminder of the worst days of their life,” she says.
She is now the city’s longest-serving 911 dispatcher, and today Carolyn and Norman’s 28 dispatchers helped cut the ribbon on the new $20 million facility. “I’ve waited 40 years for this facility,” she said.
Funding came from federal COVID-19 relief funds and a 2014 Norman public safety sales tax.
The almost 1,858 square meter facility includes an emergency call center, an emergency communications center and an operations control center.
It is built to withstand wind speeds of over 200 mph because in times like 2012, when a tornado struck the Norman Police Department, it is even more important to provide citizens with the services they need.
“The entire facility is hardened,” said Norman Maj. Brent Barbour. “It’s equipped with redundant systems and built to ensure we’re ready to go no matter what Mother Nature throws at us.”
It is a further development of the current 911 emergency call center in the basement of the police station, which is affectionately called “the dungeon”.
“We moved from a tiny little shipping center to a bigger center, in the basement, and now this and that is just… all the technology and everything that goes with it now, I can’t even describe it,” Carolyn said.
“It almost brings tears to my eyes,” she said.
The center is scheduled to begin operations next week.
