Emergency Communications Program

The Emergency Communications Program includes Field Techs, Project Development, Site-Project Management, WyoLink Operations, Next Generation 911 Planning (NG911), and Program Safety Training. Each section has distinct roles and responsibilities to keep everything running as smoothly as possible. The Program mission support includes 24/7/365 operations, with designated personnel On-Call to provide immediate support to priority outages throughout the State.

Field Section
The Field Section’s district shops are located in Cheyenne, Laramie, Rawlins, Rock Springs, Evanston, Jackson, Lander, Basin, Sheridan, Gillette, Casper, and Douglas. 

The field technician’s main mission is to support and maintain WyoLink, the statewide radio system. Yearly maintenance is performed at each site to ensure all of the equipment is performing as designed. Additional duties include maintaining the WHP and WYDOT fleet of radios and any electronics installed in the vehicles. The technicians also support communications to hundreds of ITS roadside devices to inform the traveling public of changes in road conditions, speed limits, and road closures. 

Project Development
Project Development’s mission is to research, design, and implement the best, most reliable, and cost effective communication to roadside locations where WYDOT and the traveling public need it most. Communications can be for connected vehicle systems, weather stations, Dynamic Message Signs, Weigh in motion, traffic counting, traffic signals, office automation in WYDOT shops, and fuel tracking systems.

Project Development works closely with WyoLink in sharing communication paths along the WyoLink  microwave radio system, referred to as the Backhaul, to provide reliable roadside communications across the State. Emerging technologies and constantly evolving equipment make this part of Emergency Communications vital in order to inform and ensure the safety of the traveling public across Wyoming.

Site-Project Management
Emergency Communications Site-Project Manager’s mission is to ensure that the radio sites, buildings, and backup equipment are kept in good working order; to facilitate co-locating WyoLink equipment on various carriers’ infrastructure within the state; to deploy new fiber circuits which improve or provide redundancy; and to maintain the drone and High Frequency (HF) programs. 

The drone program provides detailed information of the tower equipment; this reduces the number of times personnel are required to climb to complete yearly inspections. The HF program can be used in the event of a wide area catastrophic WyoLink failure and provide multi-state auxiliary interoperability communications.

WyoLink Operations
WyoLink provides communications for public safety and service agencies across Wyoming, within and outside of their home areas. The system is interoperable, meaning that agencies can directly communicate with each other in larger scale events and operations, whether they are nearby or across the state. Public safety agencies from every level of service, to include state, local, and federal entities, utilize WyoLink.

Emergency Communications Wyolink Operations’s mission is to monitor and maintain the WyoLink System and the components that make it work. This includes managing, programming, upgrading, planning, training, and troubleshooting a complex radio system and its connectivity to provide reliable and robust communications.

NG911 Planning and Program Safety Coordinator
Next Generation 911 is a national initiative to update standards and technology within the 911 system.  In Wyoming, the 911 services are provided by Public Safety Access Points (PSAP’s), staffed with Telecommunicators taking the call and emergency responders responding to the call for assistance. The coordination of answering the 911 call coming into the local jurisdiction is managed and maintained at the local government level. 

The Emergency Communications Safety Coordinator oversees inhouse certification and training for Snowcat/ATV operations, and has a cadre of certified instructors that oversee the training for a certified tower climbing program, credentialing individuals for 40 foot, 80 foot, and rigging operations.