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“ Our district is having a lot of success with the communication technology on a day-to-day basis ,” Stubenrauch said . “ There are still some technical issues associated with installation , but those will be resolved .” The district has yet to encounter a fleet-wide emergency since installing the system but has successfully tested the group-wide dispatch system . Stubenrauch said that emergency preparedness is top-of-mind after a tornado tore through the area in Spring 2019 and officials were unable to communicate with a bus . “ The system has created such an improvement in our office ,” she added . “ It ’ s almost as if the overall stress level has dropped – because we know we can get in touch with a bus , and that driver will respond to us .” Hardesty emphasized that the installation has been gradual but effective . BusPatrol has been customizing installations for each of the three major makes of buses in Carroll County ’ s fleet . FirstNet and GPSLockbox deployments also present brand new technology for Carroll County ’ s team of dispatchers , requiring some retraining . Carroll County Public Schools administrative staff also visited each contractor ’ s location and provided training to those dispatch and drivers . “ We are still learning the system ,” Hardesty said . “ But I believe that we will be ready to roll when the system is fully operational .” “ I feel much more comfortable knowing where all of our buses are and knowing we can reach them instantly in an emergency ,” he added . “ From an operational standpoint , we are very pleased about the district today compared to five years ago – and at all the hard work it took to get here ." Please visit www . gpslockbox . com or call 844-933-2062 to learn more information .
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