NOBLESVILLE — The Hamilton County Real-Time Information Center is leveraging advanced technology to help first responders act faster when winter weather puts lives at risk.
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Since 2024, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office Real Time Information Center has monitored license plate-reading cameras, traffic cameras, and it has utilized drone technology. The center then relays critical information to officers and first responders on scene.
"The more accurate and the more time-sensitive information that we can provide to officers and medics and fire personnel out on the street, the more efficient everything is," Lt. Brian Niec told WRTV Thursday.
Lieutenant Niec serves as director of the Hamilton County RTIC.
This winter, that efficiency has become more important than ever as temperatures drop and emergency response times become critical.
"The effects of cold weather are tremendous, and if we can get a drone overhead, identifying people who need help, that's going to change the response of those officers and fire personnel to that scene," Lt. Niec said.
The RTIC's traffic cameras help assist law enforcement officers responding to cars stuck in icy conditions.
"If we can identify vehicles that need to be impounded or towed from the scene due to disabling damage, if we can start those records five minutes sooner, that's five minutes sooner that roadway is going to be open for normal flows of traffic," Lt. Niec explained.
The center's drone technology can also assist firefighters during house fires caused by space heaters and other cold weather-related tools.
"Using those thermal cameras to identify any heat signatures, any people that may be in the house still, and be able to get them out safely before they can actually start the fire suppression," Niec gave as an example.
The center's ultimate goal remains simple but vital.
"If we can save seconds, that saves lives," Niec said.
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