About the GCRECD

Since the early 90s the Houston-Galveston Area Council managed a 9-1-1 Program as part of the State system under the Commission on State Emergency Communications (CSEC). The program was funded by fees collected by the State Comptroller and passed through CSEC. CSEC distributed a portion of the funds back to H-GAC at the direction of the State Legislature.

On May 22, 2015, Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 1108 into law which gave the H-GAC permissive authority under Chapter 772, Subchapter H, of the Texas Health and Safety Code, to form a Regional 9-1-1 District for Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Liberty, Matagorda, Walker, Waller and Wharton counties. The H-GAC Board of Directors appointed a committee to evaluate the potential impacts and opportunities associated with forming a 9-1-1 District under the new legislation. The study committee, consisting of elected officials from the eight affected counties, recommended that the H-GAC Board of Directors create a 9-1-1 District, and the Board unanimously approved moving forward.

The GCRECD represents the cooperative efforts of eight counties, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Liberty, Matagorda, Walker, Waller and Wharton, 23 public safety answering points (PSAPS), 224 emergency service providers, and numerous telephone companies. The GCRECD staff help coordinate and support the activities of these entities by:

• Planning, implementation, administrative, and financial services to the District.
• Infrastructure and support for 23 PSAPs
• Development and maintenance of Master Street Address Guide (MSAG) and Geographic Information System databases
• Quality assurance and testing of wireless call routing accuracy of new technologies
• Oversight of the functionality and maintenance of the network and call handling equipment
• Training of 9-1-1 call takers
• Public education