The Evolution of the Emergency Communications Ecosystem

In Summary:

• Emergency communications centers are not much different from what they were when they first appeared on the scene a half century ago.

• PSAPs need to jettison the legacy analog call-handling equipment that has existed for the last 50 years, and replace it with new equipment capable of processing calls and data that originates from digital devices.

• The evolution of the emergency communications ecosystem will result in PSAPs and telecommunicators that will look and behave very differently than they do today. 

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The public safety sector and emergency communications has reached an inflection point. Technology has evolved dramatically, and the needs and expectations of the public served by PSAPs have evolved as well. Data has overtaken voice in terms of importance. As a result, PSAPs need systems that are capable of leveraging the enormous amount of data is that already available, yet inaccessible today. Legacy call-handling equipment equipment that has existed for the last 50 years needs to be replaced with new equipment capable of processing calls and data originating from digital, Internet-Protocol (IP)-based devices.

On-Demand Webinar: The Top Strategic Public Safety Trends for 2019

There are several significant, disruptive technology and operations trends that Mission Critical Partners feels will set the stage for the future of public safety over the next three to five years. Public safety agencies must understand these trends, begin preparing for them now, and understand how to adjust their operations in order to adapt. They are trends that cannot afford to ignored.

10 Facts Every PSAP Should Know About Data Integration

The future of data integration: 10 facts every public safety answering point (PSAP) should know.

Critical data is springing up everywhere. This quick read discusses the ten most important elements about data integration every public safety agency should know, ranging from precise location information, smart and safe cities, social media data usage in the PSAP, data sources, supplemental data, as well as GIS data management. 

On-Demand Webinar: Making the Case for 5G in Public Safety Communications

Fifth-generation (5G) wireless communications has the ability to accommodate the fast-growing demand for bandwidth required for the delivery of multimedia content, including video, images and social media, to PSAPs. During this webinar, MCP subject-matter experts discusses how 5G can help improve emergency response and what it means for communities and public safety organizations alike.

Discussion topics during this session include:

• Why 5G is critical to evolving emergency response
• The types of platforms and data 5G will support
• How implementation of 5G will impact municipalities
• Steps you can take to prepare your public safety organization

On-demand webinar length: 45 minutes 

On-Demand Webinar: FirstNet and NG911 Convergence: The New Public Safety Communications Platform

Over the next 5-10 years, FirstNet will deploy the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN). As a parallel process, emergency services IP networks will be built to provide interconnectivity between PSAPs to allow for deployment and utilization of Next Generation 911 (NG911) technologies by PSAPs across the nation. In this session, MCP examines the major issues involved with the transition to this new platform for public safety communications and provide a glimpse into what the emergency communications environment could look like in the next 10-20 years. 

On-Demand Webinar: Radio Interoperability and the Role of FirstNet

This on-demand webinar explores the concept of radio interoperability, which is an essential and fundamental component of effective first responder communications. Topics of discussion include interoperability tools and methods, technologies available on the market today, as well as what agencies should should consider when improving interoperability. Also discussed is how interoperability doesn't stop with technology, and the role that operations, training and planning plays in achieving true interoperability.

In this webinar we discuss:

• Why the industry isn't there yet from an interoperability standpoint
• What has been done to date
• Roadblocks to interoperability
• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Interoperability Continuum
• The role of FirstNet

The Technical Evolution of the PSAP in a NG911 and Public Safety Broadband Environment

In Summary:

• Data inputs that stream into a public safety answering point (PSAP) are increasing significantly, driven by the fact that public safety broadband and next generation 911 systems are Internet Protocol (IP)-based.

• This will raise situational awareness in the PSAP to levels unimaginable only a short time ago.

• Public safety broadband and NG911 must be converged for data to flow seamlessly between these two networks in order to be fully harnessed.

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When public safety broadband networks, such as the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network being implemented under the auspices of the First Responder Network Authority, and Next Generation 911 (NG911) systems are implemented, responding to emergency events will be dramatically different than it is today for the public safety community. Today, the amount of information that telecommunicators and first responders have is severely limited. In the future, the data inputs that data inputs that stream into a public safety answering point (PSAP) are increasing significantly, driven by the fact that public safety broadband and next generation 911 systems are Internet Protocol (IP)-based.

The Nationwide NG911 Transition Requires State-Level Coordination and Vision

In Summary:

• Today's legacy public safety communications systems are ill-suited to handle this increased data flow.

• States that are making the most progress towards NG911 adoption share two main characteristics: strong statewide coordination and a statewide 911 strategic plan.

• There are eight key areas that 911 state leaders should evaluate to identify potential deficiencies of a statewide 911 program.

Next Generation 911 (NG911) represents a significant leap forward for the emergency response sector primarily because it will deliver dramatically improved situational awareness to telecommunicators and field personnel. But the transition from legacy technology to NG911 is a difficult undertaking, especially when states try to go it alone. NG911 will require that state 911 authorities establish an effective leadership structure and then develop a comprehensive strategic plan to execute the migration.

Next Generation 911: A Mission-Critical Transformation for Today's 911 System

In Summary:

• Public safety communications is beginning to implement modern solutions to improve outcomes for 911 callers.

• Next gen 911 is a standards-based, all IP emergency communications infrastructure that enables voice and multimedia 911 communications.

• Failing to implement NG911 in a timely manner will increase costs, risk incompatibility with emerging communication trends and increase security risk for the 911 community. 

Today, access to 911 for most is limited to a voice call; in contrast, Next Gen 911 will enable the ability to transmit photos, videos and other existing and future forms of broadband-enabled data, in addition to voice, to 911 professionals. A coordinated approach must be adopted in the transition to Next Gen 911 to avoid a patchwork deployment and limited interoperability with neighboring agencies.