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The Victoria Fire and Rescue Station will now serve as a backup location for the Lunenburg County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center following a request from the sheriff’s office to use a portion of the county’s CARES Acts funds.

In a letter to County Administrator Tracy Gee, Major Donald Penland Jr. with the sheriff’s office requested to purchased 911 equipment for the project that has been estimated at $24,478.

“The dispatch center currently in use does not have the ability to close for deep cleaning or in the case of an emergency.” Penland said, “We have recently seen with staff becoming ill how dire the situation could be should the dispatch center need to be evacuated for illness.”

According to Victoria Fire and Rescue Chief Rodney Newton, the equipment for establishing a backup 911 dispatch center is portable and would not be in a fixed location in the fire station in Victoria.

“The location is ideal as it is centrally located and has necessary generator back up if needed,” Penland said.

Newton added that connections for the internet and radio would be provided to allow activation of the center.

“For the citizens, businesses, and visitors to Lunenburg County, this will be a vital element of the 911 system,” Newton said.

The equipment that will allow calls to be answered remotely is estimated to cost $14,478 with an additional $10,000 expected to be spent to set up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) between the sheriff’s office and the Victoria Fire and Rescue building.