On Thursday, Lyon County commissioners approved a pilot program designed to help the Emergency Communications Department handle non-emergency calls.
Commissioners approved a $16,000 payment to Hyper as part of a four-month program to develop and customize an artificial intelligence system. Emergency Communications Director Roxanne Van Gundy tells KVOE News this will have no impact on emergency calls.
Van Gundy says the new AI system will work non-emergency callers through a special phone tree.
Van Gundy says this step comes at a time when emergency dispatchers are overloaded and in short supply. The goal is simple: to reduce or avoid burnout.
Van Gundy says the department had some demonstrations of different AI options, but most were geared towards larger departments so Emergency Communications and Hyper began conversations.
As part of the pilot agreement, Hyper is waiving a $20,000 implementation fee.
Van Gundy says it may take several weeks for the non-emergency AI system to be ready for public use. If this helps the Emergency Communications Department, a longer-term agreement may be discussed.
