- Jefferson County Community Emergency Response Team proposes a new communication system called Meshtastic.
- The system uses small, solar-powered devices to restore communication after disasters.
- What the video to find out how the system will be deployed.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Jefferson County Community Emergency Response Team is developing a plan to support first responders in times of crisis. I'm Lentheus Chaney, your Monticello neighborhood reporter, taking a closer look at their proposal, how it aims to keep first responders connected, and why it matters to our community.
When natural disasters hit, cell towers and internet service can go down, making it difficult for first responders to coordinate rescue efforts. Bob Jones, the program manager of the Jefferson County Community Emergency Response Team, says he proposed a new system called Meshtastic to help solve this problem.
“The idea with Meshtastic is they are small devices that we can deploy easily to reestablish a network within hours after a storm if we had lost all other methods of communication,” Jones said.
Jones recently presented the proposal to the city council. He says he explained how the small, solar-powered devices, which cost about $100 each, are attached by drones to the top of water towers throughout the county.
“We are funded through grants from Volunteer Florida and other organizations, and we’re committed to using some of that grant money to establish the network,” Jones said.
CERT works alongside first responders in many ways, like helping set up Red Cross locations after a disaster. Jones says this new system will make it easier for them to offer even more support.
“Our role is to support emergency responders, so we’re there to help them be more effective, and this is an extension of that role,” Jones said.
Jones says the Meshtastic system was successfully deployed in North Carolina and Tennessee after Hurricane Helene wiped out first responder communication systems. The goal is to ensure emergency crews can stay connected when it matters most.
In Jefferson County, Lentheus Chaney, ABC27.
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