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MCP Helps NCT911 Improve Its Crisis Communications

MCP and NCT911 partnered to develop an enhanced crisis communications plan to better prepare the organization to respond to crises.

Whitepaper: ESInet Deployment: Unlocking the Power of the ESInet

In Summary: 

  • This whitepaper examines the advantages and the disadvantages of three approaches to provisioning an emergency services Internet protocol network—which not only provides the foundation of a Next Generation 911 system, but also performs other important functions.
  • Three ways exist to implement an ESInet: contract with a commercial entity or self-provision. A third model is a hybrid ESInet model.
  • The path an agency uses can take two very different tasks, and each has its unique advantages and disadvantages. The path an agency chooses will depend heavily on its financial and IT resources, whether it can be coalesce regional support, and the level of commitment it can and is willing to lend to the project.

Background 

Next Generation 911 (NG911) systems represent a quantum leap forward for the public-safety community and the citizens that it serves. Internet Protocol (IP)-based and broadband-enabled, such systems are capable of considerably more than legacy 911 systems—which is why many emergency communications centers (ECCs) from coast to coast are clamoring to implement them.

MCP's Helps Manatee County, FL Replace Aging AV System

In Summary:

  • Manatee County's audiovisual system that served the county’s public safety complex was experiencing significant issues concerning reliability, lack of flexibility and difficult-to-view screens.
  • The county partnered with Mission Critical Partners to provide subject-matter expertise and to guide and support the procurement process.
  • The new system is extremely flexible, even allowing users working remotely to access it, which has been an important benefit during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background

Manatee County is located along Florida’s Gulf Coast. It is bordered by the cities of Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg to the north, Hardee and DeSoto counties to the east, the city of Sarasota to the south, and the Gulf of Mexico to the west. 

On-Demand Webinar: A Panel Discussion on 911 Crisis Preparedness Planning

In this on-demand session, MCP and regional and state-level 911 directors to learn best practices for mitigating major 911 service interruptions, including:

  • Continuity-of-operations planning (COOP) at state and regional levels
  • The importance of a crisis preparedness plan
  • The use of tabletop exercises to assess the organization’s preparedness

Infographic: The Biggest Trends That Will Impact Public Safety in 2021

The new year—2021—has arrived with a “new normal,” but also with tremendous opportunities to improve emergency response. In this infographic, we highlight the trends that we predict will shape the new normal and public safety’s future.

Topics: Infographics

On-Demand Webinar: The Biggest Public Safety Trends That Will Impact Public Safety in 2021

The year 2020 was fraught with challenges and their effects will be long-lasting. Now, 2021 has arrived with a “new normal,” but also with tremendous opportunities to improve emergency response. In this on-demand webinar, we highlight the trends that we predict will shape the new normal and public safety’s future.

Episode 6: Data-Driven Criminal Justice

MCP's informational podcast series features the firm’s subject-matter experts and other industry leaders exploring a wide range of timely topics pertaining to mission-critical communications.

The sixth episode on the MCP Podcast Network is entitled “Data-Driven Criminal Justice.” This episode explores how data integration can improve the criminal justice process and result in better information and more effective and data-driven decision-making. Every criminal justice agency is dependent on its partners, whether it be courts, prosecutors, corrections, law enforcement, or any other partners for information to be there in a timely manner. Additional topics of discussion include:

Client Success Story: Tennessee Emergency Communications Board

In Summary

  • The Tennessee Emergency Communications Board (TECB) provides management and operations support to Tennessee's 100 emergency communications districts (ECDs), which in turn provide emergency communications services to the state's citizens and visitors via 119 primary and 24 secondary or backup emergency communications centers.
  • Because of cybersecurity threats, the TECB decided that it needed a baseline security and cybersecurity assessment of Tennessee's 911 environment, and the Board partnered with Mission Critical Partners to conduct the assessment.
  • As part of the project, each ECC received a report that identified and prioritized the risks associated with its unique 911 network and system environment, as well as strategies and tactics that each ECC could use to improve its physical security and cybersecurity posture.

Background

The TECB is transitioning to a statewide emergency services Internet Protocol (IP) network (ESInet) that will provide the transport architecture necessary to deliver 911 calls to Next Generation 911 (NG911)-compliant ECCs. NG911 is an advanced broadband communications system that enables the transmission of real-time text, images and video, in addition to voice, to help improve emergency response. 

Episode 5: Alert and Warning Systems: A Primer

MCP's informational podcast series features the firm’s subject-matter experts and other industry leaders exploring a wide range of timely topics pertaining to mission-critical communications.

The fifth episode on the MCP Podcast Network is entitled “Alert and Warning Systems: A Primer.” This episode explores the varying types of alert and warning systems available in today's market, as well as:

  • The most important factors agencies should consider when deploying a system
  • Red flags to be aware of when implementing a new system
  • FEMA's IPAWS system and how agencies can implement it
  • The pros and cons of onsite versus on-premises solutions
  • The most common mistakes agencies make when implementing an alert and warning system

An edited transcript is available below.

Episode 4: Solid Governance Strategies that Deliver Results

MCP's informational podcast series features the firm’s subject-matter experts and other industry leaders exploring a wide range of timely topics pertaining to mission-critical communications.

The fourth episode on the MCP Podcast Network is entitled “Solid Governance Strategies that Deliver Results.” This episode explores best practices for a solid governance strategy.

An edited transcript is available below.

Panelists include:

  • Nancy Pollock, MCP senior consultant, applies her in-depth knowledge of public-safety communications, legislative, governance, policy, operations, and technology developed over her 35-year career to client engagements.
  • Karyn Henry, J.D., an MCP communications consultant that brings years of wireless and telecommunications group leadership towards legal and regulatory initiatives. She brings policies and procedures expertise to MCP projects to develop for innovative solutions.
  • The episode is moderated by Glenn Bischoff, MCP content specialist and former editor of Urgent Communications and Fire Chief magazines.

MCP's Support of Iowa CJIS Helps to Make the Program 'Irreplaceable'

In Summary

  • The State of Iowa Criminal Justice Information System (Iowa CJIS) is a system of systems designed to enable the integration and sharing of information between the state’s criminal justice organizations, seamlessly and securely, in real time.
  • URL Integration, who became part of Mission Critical Partners in 2020, built the Iowa CJIS from the ground up and today, continue to support the program, which is providing incalculable benefits
  • The program has increased the amount of information being shared across the state’s criminal-justice community and has improved the data of accuracy being sent, among other benefits