MCP Once Again Adds Critical Subject-Matter Expertise—and We’re Not Done

The public safety sector has been evolving rapidly over the past decade, and continues to do so. In fact, the evolution appears to be accelerating. Among the drivers are the implementation of the nationwide public safety broadband network by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and the emergence of Next Generation 911 and text-to-911 service.

Meanwhile, Internet Protocol (IP) broadband communications networks are making new capabilities available that will enhance emergency response and keep responders safer, from real-time streaming video to the leveraging of sensor-driven data. However, the IP nature of these networks makes them exponentially more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

It’s a lot to stay on top of, especially for smaller agencies that have limited resources.

For the past decade, MCP has worked diligently to provide the subject-matter expertise needed by public safety agencies of all types and sizes to take advantage of the opportunities, and to meet the challenges, presented by this changing environment. Our ability to do so has hinged on our own evolution and growth. This effort, which is ongoing, is not solely about adding staff members, but also involves bringing on board consultants who have expertise that aligns with how public safety is evolving.  

Here’s an example: a little more than a year ago, just before MCP began its second decade of existence, the firm purchased Athena Advanced Networks, its first strategic acquisition, to expand its enterprise information technology (IT) expertise. This move has enabled MCP to enhance its ability to offer clients a holistic, third-party view into their entire ecosystems, to enable them to make the enhancements needed to improve emergency-response outcomes.

Now, MCP has done it again. This week the firm announced its acquisition of Black and Veatch Public Safety Services (BVPS), formerly known as RCC Consultants. BVPS brings a long list of credentials to build upon MCP’s existing wireless and broadband communications practice, and is an ideal complement to the expertise that MCP already possesses.

From a micro perspective, our subject-matter experts (SMEs) are more prepared than ever to help clients incorporate wireless broadband technologies into their mission-critical operations and understand how these systems integrate with traditional land mobile radio (LMR) systems. This incorporation is vitally important to improving emergency-response outcomes going forward.

In addition, this integration enables MCP to service secondary and tertiary mission-critical sectors—e.g., utilities, smart and safe communities, transportation, education and healthcare—that often play a pivotal role in emergency response, particularly during large-scale events. That’s good for public safety agencies and the citizens they serve.

From a macro perspective, the BVPS acquisition adds to what already is the public safety’s largest group of vendor-independent consultants who collectively have more than a thousand years of experience in the sector. We have the scale, critical mass, and experience required to help our clients accelerate the public safety’s transformation. A popular commercial for an insurance company has a tag line of, “We know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two.” Well, we can say the same thing.

More than 1,000 agencies across the country have turned to us, and we’re working in more than 80 percent of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas. There are very good reasons for that. One is that no firm in this sector has the depth and breadth of experience and expertise that MCP offers. And we’re not done yet—we are going to keep growing, both organically and inorganically (when and where it makes sense).

Another reason—arguably the most important reason—is that the driving force behind everything we do is our passion for delighting the client. And we never will lose sight of that regardless of how much we grow in the future.

Public safety is evolving rapidly and is heading to a much brighter future that will result in better emergency-response outcomes, with the bottom line being more lives and property saved, as well as safer emergency responders. But there will be challenges and obstacles along the path. You will have questions—and we will have answers. Please reach out.