Morgan County deploys GD’s NextGen-911 emergency service system

General Dynamics (GD) Information Technology has deployed its NextGen-911 emergency service system for Morgan County in Ohio, US.

The new system enables Morgan County to accept emergency information from several sources and then offer first responders with faster, accurate information to aid in response.

Complying with the National Emergency Number Association’s (NENA) i3 architecture standards, the NextGen-911 system replaces the already existing Enhanced 911 (E911) call-handling system.

Morgan County NextGen911 coordinator David Bailey said: "Morgan County has fully moved to NextGen-911 service and has removed all legacy E911 equipment from the PSAPs.

"The highly organised planning, implementation and testing provided by General Dynamics created an extremely smooth cut-over to the live system.

"We are elated with the system’s performance and reliability, geospatial mapping and routing capabilities and ease of operation."

The new IP-based NextGen-911 system allows emergency service requests from the public networks through a range of communication methods and devices, such as text, VoIP, as well as video and assures meeting public safety requirements.

In addition to offering improved Geographical Information System data that exactly maps the caller’s location information, the new system enables transferring calls and corresponding data to the most suitable emergency response division.

General Dynamics Information Technology IT Solutions sector vice-president and general manager Charlie Plummer said: "Morgan County is paving the way for multiple counties and the state of Ohio to benefit from the efficiency and accuracy of NextGen-911.

"We have the right experience to help state and local first responder agencies transition from aging 911 call-handling systems to modernised systems that recognise the multitude of technologies capable of delivering emergency information – including IP-based communications, text messages, photos and video."

General Dynamics built the system on a secure cloud architecture, which provides superior reliability, redundancy and sustainability, and can be scaled to accommodate emergency communications for neighbouring counties.

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