MCP Gives Lower Rio Grande Development Council Peace of Mind About Its Communications Network

In Summary:

• The Lower Rio Grande Development Council, which is a voluntary association of local governments formed under Texas law as one of the state's 24 regional councils of governments (COGs), serves the region's counties by delivering 911 emergency calls to 18 emergency communications centers (ECCs).
• They operate a Internet Protocol (IP)-based network is generally more vulnerable to outages compared to legacy networks and systems.
• The Council turned to Mission Critical Partners in 2019 to help diminish the risk of network/system failures and keep the 911 network and its supporting systems operating optimally by providing network management and monitoring services.

---

Background: 

MCP Helps Carroll County Move Closer to NG911 by Supporting Its GIS Efforts

In Summary:

• A county in Maryland needed to develop a plan to create and maintain GIS data and continue the migration to Next Generation 911 after a key GIS professional retired.
• GIS plays an essential role in the transition from legacy 911 service to NG911 service, which will rely on GIS-generated geospatial data to locate callers, route calls correctly, and dispatch the appropriate emegency response.
• The county partnered with Mission Critical Partners to assume the duties of the PSAP's departed GIS professional and provide a Model for Advancing Public Safety (MAPS) assessment that would act as a roadmap for implementing NG911 service within its jurisdiction.

Information-Sharing Enterprise in Georgia Supported by MCP Improves Efficiency, Data Quality

In Summary: 

• The State of Georgia's criminal justice community knew that it needed to improve data quality
• While the project started small, it was soon realized that sustainable statewide improvements would significantly improve the flow of data and information throughout the criminal case lifecycle
• The ultimate goal of the program was to enhance and improve the criminal justice process by moving documents and information seamlessly between systems

---

NCT9-1-1 Revolutionizes 9-1-1 Service and Delivery with MCP's Guidance

In Summary: 

• NCT9-1-1 is responsible for 43 PSAPs in 13 counties surrounding the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. They had a vision of leading the 9-1-1 sector with implementation of an Next Generation 9-1-1 system (NG9-1-1) and needed support building a roadmap to get there.
• Together, NCT9-1-1 and MCP created a strategic NG9-1-1 Master Plan that would enable a complete transition to NG9-1-1 while evolving the organization's entire program.
• NCT9-1-1 has made significant progress toward realizing the full benefits of NG9-1-1 technology all while enhancing its organizational culture.

---

Improving Emergency Response & Employee Wellness in Iredell County

In Summary:

• Emergency services in Iredell County, N.C., were faced with disparate, small facilities, aging technology and less-than-ideal working conditions.
• To overcome these challenges, the County made the decision to pursue a new facility that would house the emergency communications center, Emergency Management/Fire Services department, Iredell County Emergency Medical Services and the the Statesville EMS base under one roof, in a state-of-the-art facility.
• Today, the new Iredell County Emergency Communications Center is part of a larger complex that houses additional county agencies and departments, allowing for increased collaboration within public safety and the County at large. The new facility also offers improved working conditions for more than 200 public safety employees.

  ---

  
  

Memphis Police and 911 Communications Enjoys a Rebirth with MCP's Support

In Summary: 

• Memphis Police and 911 Communications was challenged by aging infrastructure, antiquated systems and an understaffed 911 center.
• To help overcome these challenges, the Shelby County 911 District completed two 911 center staffing studies, built a new state-of-the-art 911 center, and an upgraded computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system.
• Today, the situation in Memphis has taken a 180-degree turn. The District has decreased their average time to answer a call from 90 seconds to 6 seconds.

---

National Capital Region CAD2CAD Assessment

In Summary:

• A CAD2CAD initiative within the National Capital Region (NCR) had been successful in reducing response times, a lack of governance structure and no rules or regulations regarding growth kept the model from being sustainable long term.
• MCP helped the participating agencies lay out a detailed plan for the program's future.
• Today, the CAD2CAD program sees continued success following MCP's recommendations.

---

Overview and Agency Challenge

Participants in the National Capital Region CAD2CAD initiative include the City of Alexandria, Arlington County, Fairfax County, Loudoun County and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), which consists of Dulles International Airport, Reagan National Airport and the Dulles Toll Road. They looked to expand the CAD2CAD initiative and establish a clear vision and governance structure, as well as determine how to make the model sustainable long-term.

MCP Helps Florida PSAP Resolve a 911 Staffing Struggle

In Summary:

• The PSAP operated by the Fort Myers Police Department in Florida was dealing with a significant staffing shortage.
• The organization turned to MCP to assess the situation and make actionable recommendations to resolve the issues.
• Today, for the first time in a decade, all call-taker and dispatcher positions are filled with fully-trained personnel.

---

Overview and Agency Challenge

These are challenging times for public safety answering points (PSAPs). Many are dealing with funding shortfalls, others are wondering where they will find the money to implement Next Generation 911 (NG911) technology. Given this, it should come as no surprise that the PSAP operated by the Fort Myers Police Department in Florida has been dealing with a significant staffing shortage of its own. The PSAP operated by the police department in Fort Myers handles more than 200,000 emergency calls annually. Low employee morale and a high staff turnover rate were impacting the PSAP’s performance significantly and compounding existing 911 staffing issues. Other challenges they face included:

Pennsylvania Region 13: A Holistic Approach to Network Management for Less

In Summary:

• Region 13 Task Force in Southwestern Pennsylvania covers a population of 3 million people and 713 public safety agencies.

• The Region needed a cost-effective, yet reliable, network maintenance solution to monitor its IP-based emergency services Internet Protocol (IP)-based network (ESInet).

• MCP's provides the region with network maintenance and monitoring services from MCP to help them realize single-sourced, proactive and reliable network monitoring and maintenance, triage and support from one partner at the fraction of the cost of working with multiple vendors.

---

Overview and Agency Challenge

Region 13 designed and implemented a regional, interoperable Emergency Services Internet Protocol (IP) network (ESInet) in 2012 with the help of Mission Critical Partners (MCP). A robust and complex network constructed of dark-fiber meshed from multiple vendors and microwave hops on a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) router platform, the ESInet serves all 9-1-1 public safety answering points (PSAPs) and emergency operations centers (EOCs) in the region, as well as public safety radio and video applications. The ESInet’s mission-critical nature requires a network management and oversight solution that ensures the highest level of reliability and uptime while keeping operating costs manageable.

New EOC Facility Improves PEMA’S Operational and Administrative Capabilities

In Summary:

• A Pennsylvania statewide EOC agency suffered from a lack of space at an aging facility that prevented them to introduce new technology and replace antiquated systems.

• MCP and its partner, SCHRADERGROUP, worked together to help PEMA build a new state-of-the-art facility and ancillary building that opened in July 2016.

• The new facility is considered a crown jewel that dramatically enhances PEMA's operational and administrative capabilities

---

Overview and Agency Challenge

An Emergency Operations Center (EOC) facility located in Harrisburg, PA is home to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), a cabinet-level agency that is tasked with coordinating prevention, preparedness, response and recovery activities related to natural and man-made emergencies in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Lack of space and age prevented them from serving the needs of a statewide EOC and limited their ability to introduce new technology and replace aging systems.

Butler County, PA Maximizes the Value of its P25 Radio System While Boosting Coverage, Capacity and Interoperability

In Summary:

• Butler County, PA's existing public safety land mobile radio system was facing end-of-life and had begun to experience reduced reliability.

• They County worked with MCP to develop a road-map that would replace the system with one that would meet their future needs.

• MCP provided a detailed assessment and implementation support and eventually, helped Butler County realize 43 percent cost-savings and long-term maintenance savings.

---

"MCP has played a key role in helping us meet our project goals by managing multiple vendors on our behalf—holding them accountable for meeting project milestones, managing project risks and ensuring that they meet schedule deadlines and requirements."

Steve Bicehouse, director, Butler County, Butler County

Overview and Agency Challenge

Located 20 miles north of Pittsburgh, PA, Butler County serves nearly 200,000 people across 800 square miles. Their existing radio system was facing the need for end-of-life support and had begun to experience reduced reliability. The ten-site, eight channel system operated in a frequency band that had be reallocated by the Federal Communications Commission as mandated within the Middle-Class Tax Relief Act of 2012.

Florida County Gains 911 Network Visibility with MCP's Co-Managed IT Platform

In Summary:

• Lee County, Florida 911 officials were not satisfied with the network maintenance they were received from their technology vendors
• MCP provides ongoing IT support for Lee County via an online dashboard that is intended to provide a real-time network diagram and information on active alarms and ticket status, as well as reporting capabilities.

---

Overview and Agency Challenge

Maintaining network up time during large-scale disasters like Hurricane Irma and during normal operations was top of mind for Lee County, Florida officials. Despite several 911 vendors providing 911 network monitoring services, Lee County officials weren’t satisfied with the level of service they were receiving. They sought greater clarity on network activity, more customization (instead of an off-the-shelf solution), and a mechanism for identifying current and historic network activities.