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Cassidian Upgrades Geo-Diverse 9-1-1 Call Processing Solution in Virginia's Tidewater Region
Mar 23, 2012 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) --
Cassidian Communications, an EADS North America company, together with channel partner Verizon Business Solutions, has successfully upgraded the 9-1-1 call processing solution at the Newport News, Va., Police Department Communications Division.
The Company said the upgraded Sentinel Patriot 9-1-1 call processing system is a geo-diverse emergency call processing solution in the Tidewater Region.
"When looking to upgrade our existing equipment, we wanted to ensure that the solution we chose would meet the demands of today's technology advances as well as those of the next generation of 9-1-1," said Lt. Jill Daszkowski, Newport News Police Department Communications Division Commander. "We also took into consideration that our jurisdiction is geographically unique -- it is connected by a series of tunnels and bridges along the coastline. A next generation, IP-based solution that provides maximum survivability, along with the fastest response time, is just what we need to serve our community."
In addition to upgrading the primary 9-1-1 call center, Cassidian Communications noted that it completed an equipment upgrade at a remote facility with ten call taking positions, adding additional redundancy and back-up capabilities in the event of a natural disaster, mass emergency or power outage at the main facility. Newport News also upgraded to the Aurora management information system (MIS), a tool that enhances the user's ability to gather, organize, data-mine and report on call center metrics, increasing efficiencies in staffing and information management. A suite of Managed Services is providing Newport News with around-the-clock direct and secure connectivity to the Cassidian Communications Service Management Center, ensuring the integrity and reliability of its solutions.
"A test scenario was successfully completed in early February--the main facility was 'shut down' and the back-up facility was immediately activated--demonstrating a seamless transition as call takers began to answer calls from the remote location," said Darrin J. Reilly, chief operating officer, Cassidian Communications call center applications and notification solutions. "We are pleased that the system performed as expected and now provides the call takers with more caller information to communicate to the first responders."
According to a release, the Sentinel Patriot solution's IP architecture, designed expressly for NG9-1-1 applications, allows for a design of backup, disaster recovery and overflow operations with the assured ability to provide service under unexpected conditions. The geo-diverse deployment model provides maximum system survivability, and the efficient network architecture design minimizes data traffic and bandwidth usage for ongoing cost savings.
In 2011, the Newport News Police Department Communications Division, equipped with 18 call taking positions, handled 383,140 emergency calls from residents and dispatched 296,703 calls to the appropriate response agency, including the Newport News Police Department, the Newport News Fire Department, and several other city agencies.
Cassidian Communications continues to serve clients ranging from public safety operations to Fortune 1000 corporations to federal agencies. Collectively, the company has more than 40 years of experience deploying 9-1-1 call processing solutions, notification solutions and first responder digital trunked radio networks.
EADS North America is the North American operation of EADS, a global company focused on aerospace, defense and related services.
More information:
www.CassidianCommunications.com
www.eadsnorthamerica.com
((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))
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