E9-1-1 Institute, a non-profit organization which assists in promoting public education on E9-1-1 and emergency communications issues, honored George Heinrichs (News - Alert), president and co-founder of Intrado, a provider of emergency communications infrastructure and services, with the Industry Professional Award as part of the 8th annual “9-1-1 Honors Gala” in Washington D.C.

The award was presented in association with the National Emergency Number Association, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials, the National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators, the 9-1-1 Industry Alliance, National Academies of Emergency Dispatch, 9-1-1 For Kids, and the Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus.

“George Heinrichs is a great entrepreneur and legend in the 9-1-1 field,” Gregory L. Rohde, executive director of the E9-1-1 Institute said in a press release.

“His leadership over the years has truly become a large part of the American 9-1-1 success story,” Rohde added.

The E9-1-1 Institute provides informational support to members of the Congressional Caucus. NENA serves the public safety community and is solely focused on 9-1-1 policy, technology, operations, and education issues. APCO International serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide-and the welfare of the general public as a whole-by providing complete expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy and outreach. NASNA promotes information sharing amongst those states with programs dedicated to implementing 9-1-1 emergency telephone systems. The 9-1-1 Industry Alliance represents the industry voice of the public safety industry. The NAED is a non-profit standard-setting organization promoting safe and effective emergency dispatch services world-wide. 9-1-1 for Kids is the official public education organization for all countries where "9-1-1" is the universal emergency response phone number.

The Industry Professional Award honors individuals in the commercial sector who make exceptional contributions towards the advancement of emergency 9-1-1 communications.

Heinrichs is said to have thirty years of experience in the industry and he is said to have worked tirelessly as an advocate for the industry, particularly in regards to the development and implementation of Next Generation 9-1-1. Heinrichs claims that he is acutely aware of the need for government and industry leadership to keep 9-1-1 at the forefront of rapidly developing consumer telecommunications technology.

Recently TMC reported on the launch of Intrado’s (News - Alert) new Positron VIPER SE which is said to have been designed for PSAPs with up to five positions and is the latest addition to Intrado's portfolio of VIPER emergency call processing equipment.