Lee County 911-Kentucky

Our communications center was struck by lightning during a storm in the summer of 2019.  We had no CAD, no mapping, no phones, no radios.  Dispatchers had to go to back to handwritten logs for call taking. We had to rely on the help of emergency responders and our callers for accurate directions. We had to go back to using handheld radios and eventually a mobile radio to talk to responders.  We ran the 9-1-1 Communications Center like this for several weeks while insurance and county officials made decisions on repairs.  We were displaced from our communications center to the local city police department due to the burnt/smoke smell of the center. Eventually we were able to return to their center, one console at a time. During this time we all pulled together as a dispatch family to use what resources we had available to serve our community during their times of need.  It was a challenge that we overcame.