New North Carolina 911 Call Center Will Meet Next-Gen Demands

Being prepared with adequate call center coverage is critical in the event of an emergency, and state 911 services need to ensure they have scheduled the correct number of agents, have the latest infrastructure and technology in place and most importantly, have the proper number of call centers to handle volume. To meet those demands, North Carolina has announced it will be building a brand new call center, to the tune of $15 million.

The state awarded a $2.2 million grant to Cumberland County, with the new call center slated to be located in a future Emergency Services Building. That allocation will help cover the costs of renovation, hardware, equipment and technology. The new 911 Center will have space for 15 workstations along with five live training workstations, and is slated to open by April of 2021.

Last month, the County 911 system made some important technology updates by migrating to the state’s Emergency Services IP Network and “Hosted Call Handling Solution.” The solution, also known as ESInet, is a managed IP network used for emergency services communications. It may be shared by all public safety answering points and secures infrastructure for Next Generation (NG 911) services. It is currently being used by 13 public safety answering points in North Carolina.

"As communication technology advances, so will the way we handle receiving 911 calls," said Gene Booth, emergency services director for Cumberland County. Cumberland County applied for the new call center grant in response to a growing population and an increased number of emergency calls. The existing 911 Call Center was built in 1974, and the County’s population has increased by around 95,000 people since then. In addition to increased call volume, the County was concerned with needing more space to reduce the risks from natural disasters like flooding as well as hazardous materials traveling on the train tracks located near the existing 911 Call Center. The footprint of the call center will jump from the current 858 square feet to 2,171 square feet.

The future 17,000-square-foot Emergency Services Building was purchased by the county last year, and will house the Emergency Services Department, Fire Marshal’s office, Emergency Management and Emergency Operations Center for the county. The building was renovated by the Department of Defense in 2009 as a secure office and data center, and features a K4 rated security fence around the perimeter.

Edited by Maurice Nagle