Catalyst for change

• Published in: Urgent Communications
• Main Author: Soukup, James
• Format: Trade Publication Article
• Language: English
• Published: Littleton Informa 01.08.2012
• ISSN: 1946-4384

In 2009, the DECC was notified by its database-services vendor that it would no longer provide maintenance or support for the agency's automatic location information (ALI) database. The ALI database - stored at the DECC since 1999 - was reliable but now was more susceptible to data loss or failure, because of the lack of much-needed maintenance and monitoring. An alternative solution for the ALI database had to be found to prevent the loss of caller-location information at the time of an emergency, which could affect response times and incident outcomes. In July 2011, we activated the DECC NextGen 911 Network - the first of its kind in the state of North Carolina - with minimal impact on DECC operations. Call-takers and dispatchers have been able to incorporate this new technology, including text messaging to 911, into their existing workflows. We are now able to route 911 calls to other participating PSAPs in case of an outage or call overflow; respond to text messages; and more efficiently update and effectively maintain our ALI database. The DECC is also better-positioned to incorporate evolving communications technologies and standards.