A previous blog made the case that 911 center evolution is sorely needed. This blog describes how to go about it.The first step is to fully understand the center’s operational environment and how that relates to its facility. This can be obtained via a variety of assessments with the goal of understanding the spatial and technical needs of a future facility. Once a clear picture has been attained, it’s time to start answering some important questions. The first arguably is the most important — should the 911 authority retrofit the existing facility or build new?
Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. The prime advantage of retrofitting is that it likely will be less expensive but that is not always the case. In fact, sometimes depending on the level of effort for a retrofit, it may be less expensive to build new. The biggest disadvantage is that the existing facility inherently has physical limitations — otherwise, a retrofit probably wouldn’t be necessary in the first place. For example, it might seem simple to knock down a wall to create a larger, more open space, but if the wall is load-bearing, that option is a nonstarter.
The biggest advantage of building new is that the 911 authority gets a clean sheet of paper to design a truly purpose-built facility. The biggest disadvantage, of course, is that site-acquisition and construction costs may exceed the costs of a retrofit, sometimes significantly.
The decision could well hinge on whether the 911 authority wishes to combine its center with one or more 911 centers in the area, to take advantage of economies of scale and/or to alleviate staffing shortages. Or perhaps a desire exists to colocate the 911 center with the jurisdiction’s emergency operations center (EOC). We have one client who built a new facility partly because its 911 center was separated from its EOC by several floors in the previous building, which created numerous logistical challenges whenever the EOC was activated.
Regardless of this decision, it’s important that technology implementation is not treated as an add-on, but rather as an integral element of the facility’s design. We often have worked with clients who waited until after the design and programming phase was completed before they thought about the technology they were going to place inside their new or retrofitted facility — and that’s far too late. As unbelievable as it might seem, we even have had clients who failed to consider that their new facility needed a radio tower and a backhaul system!
It's also important to consider the likelihood that the 911 center will want to add new technology or swap out exiting technology that has become obsolete or has reached end of life. Planning for the future is a lot easier and less costly at the design phase. Ensure that the equipment room is large enough to accommodate additional racks and that there’s plenty of room for additional cabling and other infrastructure-related items.
Finally, it’s critical to pay attention to industry standards when selecting and procuring networks, systems, and devices for a new or retrofitted facility. These include standards developed by American National Standards Institute (ANSI), Building Industry Consulting Institute International (BICSI), and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
One standard that often is overlooked, but never should be, is Motorola R56, which specifies grounding of public-safety communications systems. Proper grounding is critical to protect personnel and equipment from electrical surges; for example, radio towers often are struck by lightning, and the electrical surge easily can travel over the fiber-optic backhaul system into the facility, where it can terminate in the equipment room and at workstations.
A future blog will offer strategies for paying for a 911 center evolution, regardless of the form it takes. In the meantime, we would love the opportunity to guide your center’s evolution — please reach out.
Stacy Banker is MCP’s facilities and design manager. Email her at StacyBanker@MissionCriticalPartners.com.