EAST HARRIS COUNTY – Five Emergency Service Districts have combined their 9-1-1 dispatching duties, into a new collaborative agency known as ECOM, or Emergency Communications. They plan on operating out of a new building, to be built on Ridlon Street in Channelview, and they broke ground for this building last Thursday, Oct. 13. On hand were representatives of the five ESDs that have formed ECOM, and other interested parties.
The new East Harris County Emergency Communications Center will receive emergency call through the Greater Harris County 9-1-1 network. The Center will dispatch emergency medical service events or fire service related events for five area emergency agencies. The five emergency agencies provide services within an area located North of the Houston Ship Channel, East of the Houston City limits, South of Lake Houston, and West of the San Jacinto River.
The 5,500 square foot facility will house the equipment and personnel needed to efficiently receive and dispatch the five agencies. The Center is designed to withstand hurricane force winds, and will have redundant systems to assure uninterrupted services 365 days a year.
The Center is on schedule to begin full operation in January, 2018. During the first year of operation, the Center is projected to receive over 30,000 calls and dispatch over 14,000 incidents for the five emergency agencies.
The Center will be recognized and have equipment support necessary to comply with the Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network, the largest 0-1-1 network in the state of Texas.