MCP Provides Expertise to Lubbock, TX ECD

Today the district has a new emergency services Internet Protocol network (ESInet), new hosted 911 call-routing and call-handling capabilities, and more.In Summary:

• The Lubbock Emergency Communication District (ECD) needed a way to interconnect the eight emergency communications centers (ECCs) it supports, enhance its 911 call-handling capabilities, and position itself well for the transition to Next Generation 911 (NG911) service.
• Mission Critical Partners was hired by the district to support its efforts to replace its call-routing and call-handling systems, implement a fiber-optic network, and build a new administrative center, which houses its data and training centers, and which also can serve as a backup ECC.
• Today the district has a new emergency services Internet Protocol network (ESInet), new hosted 911 call-routing and call-handling capabilities and more.

Background:

The city of Lubbock, Texas, is the seat of Lubbock County. It is located in the northwest part of the state. The city is the 11th-largest in Texas with a population of about 259,000, while the metropolitan area boasts about 327,000 citizens. Lubbock is home to Texas Tech University, and when the university hosts a football game, the city’s population swells by about 50,000. The Lubbock Emergency Communication District (ECD) was formed in 1986 when legacy 911 service arrived in the area. Today it supports eight primary and secondary emergency communications centers (ECCs). Like most 911 authorities across the United States, the district receives its 911 service from the incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) that serves the region, AT&T.

Challenges:

The Lubbock Emergency Communication District (ECD) needed a way to interconnect the eight emergency communications centers (ECCs) it supports, enhance its 911 call-handling capabilities, and position itself well for the transition to Next Generation 911 (NG911) service.

“The district wanted to get out from under the thumb of the phone company. We wanted a solution that was bigger and better, and one that we would have more control over.” said Nathan Kizer, Lubbock ECD.

How MCP Helped:

Mission Critical Partners subject-matter experts assisted the district in developing technical specifications and/or request for proposals (RFP) documents for the following:

• A fiber-optic-based ESInet implementation
• A fiber-optic network
• A new IP selective router (IPSR) capability
• A multiparty conferencing capability , eventually to be provided by the IPSR, that would enable a minimum of a dozen parties to be conferenced into an emergency call
• New IP-based call-handling equipment (CHE) that each ECC would leverage

Results:

Today the district has a new emergency services Internet Protocol network (ESInet), new hosted 911 call-routing and call-handling capabilities—which include multiparty conferencing functionality—fiber-based interconnection of its ECCs, and a new purpose-built, state-of-the-art administrative center. The district also is in the middle stages of implementing next-generation core services (NCGS), which along with the ESInet are essential for providing NG911 service.

“There’s only so much that we can do in-house with a small staff, so being able to draw upon the expertise that MCP offers is huge.” said Nathan Kizer, Lubbock ECD.

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