Operations are underway at the Upper Missouri River Regional Dispatch Center (UMRRDC) in Williston.
The City of Williston and Williams County have been planning for a new space to house the Williams County/Williston Emergency Management EOC and its associated offices since 2019, as well as the public safety answering point (PSAP) for the UMRRDC.
At the time, Emergency Management was co-located with the City of Williston Fire Department in Fire Station 3 and the PSAP was located within the Williams County Law Enforcement Center. The project was funded by the Williams County 1 percent Public Safety Sales Tax and the City of Williston.
A decision was made between the City and County, opting to repurpose the decommissioned Sloulin Field International Airport terminal, transforming it into a state-of-the art facility for the two public safety entities. JLG Architects and JE Dunn Construction were chosen, working on a tight timeline to design and renovate the building by mid-2021.
About the Agencies:
Williams County/Williston Emergency Management works before, during, and after emergencies to provide support to first responders and coordinate between private and public entities within and surrounding Williams County. In the new Emergency Operations Center, the revamped building provides ample space for training first responders, public information officers, and emergency management personnel, and will serve as the base of operations should a wide scale emergency warrant its use. The EOC and Emergency Management offices were operational as of November 1, hosting their first training.
The PSAP serves as the 911 dispatch point for 19 agencies across the region, connecting citizens to emergency and non-emergency services and assisting first responders in the field. On an annual basis, UMRRDC fields approximately 10,000 emergency calls and an additional 40,000+ administrative calls. The new PSAP provides expanded space for new, modernized hardware and software for redundant, 24/7 PSAP operations and for on-site training with specialty equipment, individual workstations for each dispatcher, and space for additional staff in the future. The overall project also includes upgrades to the state network infrastructure within Williston, which will enhance the stability of local government connectivity.
