In Summary:

• The public safety radio system used by county, city and university agencies was near end of life and was experiencing significant performance and maintenance issues.
• The county partnered with Mission Critical Partners to support its efforts to procure a new radio system.
• Some users have operated on a temporary bridge system since February 2020; the migration of all users to the full system is expected to be complete by mid-2021.

Background

Story County, Iowa, is located in the center of the state and has a population of about 98,000. Its largest city is Ames, which is home to Iowa State University (ISU), the state capital and is is located about 30 miles north of Des Moines.

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.

In today’s evolving emergency communications environment, public safety agencies are often expected to do more with fewer resources–smaller budgets and fewer people. This reality means that strategic planning, and determining how best to leverage the available resources, is more crucial than ever before. In this webinar, MCP subject-matter experts Chris Kelly and Bonnie Maney discuss the benefits of strategic planning for public safety agencies and different approaches to development.

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.

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