The Brown County Sheriff’s Department has received a federal grant for more than $20,000 to help update maps and allow first responders to get to people in need faster.

A press release from the Indiana Treasurer of the State last month reported that $2.8 million in federal money will be distributed to 29 dispatch agencies in the state to enhance 911 equipment.

The grant is provided by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It is supposed to help with the transition of the dispatch 911 network and other core services to Next Generation 911, said Brenda Wojdyla, director of the Brown County 911 Dispatch Center.

“I’m pretty excited about this project and super proud that Brown County was selected by the Indiana Statewide 911 Board,” she said.

“I’m also very grateful to the commissioners and to Sheriff (Scott) Southerland for their support and encouragement. Anything that helps us find people more quickly in an emergency situation is an absolute win for everyone.”

The money will be used to update five layers in the current GIS maps to bring Brown County dispatch into compliance, Wojdyla said.

Those layers are: Road centerlines, address points, PSAP (dispatch) boundary, emergency service boundary and provisioning boundary.

The total project cost is estimated to be $35,615. According to grant terms, NHSTA will provide 60 percent of that, $21,639, and the sheriff’s department will match it at 40 percent, or $14,246.

“The bottom line is a much improved mapping system for all county users as well as adding enhanced addressing efficiency from an emergency service provider standpoint,” Wojdyla said.

Dispatch centers in Indiana submitted sub-grant applications to the Statewide 911 Board which is administering the funds for Indiana. These applications were reviewed by a committee and then submitted to NHTSA for final approval, according to the press release.