Influence

by

Pastor B.J. Knefley

Are you a person of influence? It may surprise you, but we are all people of influence in one way or the other. Just by the very nature. of your existence you have influence. How much and how significant it is depending upon you. The scope of your influence might only be your immediate family, but it is still an influence.

A friend shared with me that he had been asked to include a reading at a funeral he was conducting. The reading that he was to share was one of these short essays that I had written several years earlier. Although I didn’t know the person who had passed, my influence through writing was being remembered and shared with others at their funeral.

What we don’t understand or realize is that our life is an influence on whomever we meet and don’t meet. How we interact with others, our comments with what we say and don’t say all have a bearing in the lives of others. Whether intentional or unintentional, we leave an impression as we traverse through life. It might be like the scent of a rose or the stink of a skunk, we all leave something behind. Ultimately, we all have a choice about the type of influence that we will create.

Not sure about what your influence? Simply ask others. This might be the first step. Another way is to look at your social media posts. It can say much about who you are, what you like and dislike, your spirituality, and even your political leanings. What others see will have an influence both in a positive manner and negative. If you don’t like what you’re seeing you have the power to change that. Remember you may not have the power to change others, but you do have the power to change how you’ll allow them to influence you and vice versa. So yes, you are a person of influence you must choose what type of influence you’re going to have. Think about it.

Potter County Today

Earlier this year, the Potter County Commissioners contracted with MCM Consulting Group Inc. to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the county’s emergency communications system and develop a technical plan for any recommended enhancements. MCM representatives shared an update on the project this week with the commissioners and staffers of the Department of Emergency Services. A spokesman reported that findings and recommendations are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

MCM has been conducting a multi-phased assessment of the public safety radio system infrastructure, including:

• an inspection and analysis of county 911 towers and related technology;
• a review of the equipment being used by local and regional emergency response agencies to ensure compatibility and functionality with the county’s infrastructure.
• a survey of all emergency responders to determine potential areas of improvement, ranging from equipment functionality and efficiency to dispatching.
• site inspections and interviews with emergency responders.
• preparedness for the deployment of  “NextGen 911,” which provides a faster, more resilient system that allows voice, photos, videos and text messages to flow from the public to the 911 network. It also improves dispatch center management of call overload and transfer of 911 calls based on location tracking.

To pave the way for NextGen 911, Potter County completed a $4 million systemwide upgrade in 2018-19. The project involved 14 communication towers with fiber-optic service, microwave relay technology and other infrastructure. County GIS staff has been building of a database of geographic information system addresses for each property in the county, which is necessary for a functional NextGen 911 system.