MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – First responders in Macomb County have access to over 300 high-tech cameras to monitor conditions during the incoming winter storm.
“They’re 24/7,” said Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel. “They’re operational matter what the conditions are outside. We’re inside making sure we’re taking care of people’s concerns or issues.”
The County Communications and Technology Center has many advantages, better known as the COMTEC Center.
“We have the capabilities with 300 real-time traffic cameras,” Hackel said. “They can see 360; The nighttime vision, incredible resolution that they have, where we can zoom in and zoom out on a particular scene.”
The state-of-the-art facility will serve as an eye in the sky and a tool for first responders, open 24/7. But Hackel says the county still depends on citizens calling 911 if they see an emergency taking place.
“The public, our eyes and ears, you know, you are a superpower, so they tend to think, you know, when police officers drive around, they don’t just see through buildings, they don’t just hear things far, far away,” Hackel said. “It’s the public who brings it to our attention, and how they do that is they pick up that phone, they call 911, and it goes to a dispatch center like this.”
Director of Emergency Management Brandon Lewis says if you really want to help, though, stay out of the way.
“Really, the thing we really want people to do is keep an eye on the weather and stay home,” said Lewis. “We’re looking at 3-7 inches of snow. We’re looking at sustained winds of 20-30mph and gusts of wind up to 50mph. Those are blizzard conditions.”
But make sure to contact them if you’re in an emergency. Dialing 911 is your best bet.
“We have the capabilities of when somebody calls in, we know who’s calling, we know where they’re calling from, even if they’re on a cell phone,” Hackel said.