TEMECULA, Calif., March 20, 2012 — 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 upgraded Sentinel® Patriot® 9-1-1 call processing system is the first 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 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 comprehensive 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.”
The Sentinel Patriot solution’s IP architecture, designed expressly for NG9-1-1 applications, allows for the sophisticated design of backup, disaster recovery and overflow operations with the assured ability to provide reliable 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.
About Cassidian Communications (www.CassidianCommunications.com)
As the largest and most trusted source of mission critical communications solutions, Cassidian Communications, an EADS North America company, is leading the way in standards-based NG9-1-1 call center applications, notification solutions and services and P25 land mobile radio systems. Headquartered in Temecula, California.
About EADS North America (www.eadsnorthamerica.com) EADS North America is the North American operation of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defense and related services. As a leader in all sectors of defense and homeland security, EADS North America and its parent company, EADS, contribute over $11 billion to the U.S. economy annually and support more than 200,000 American jobs through its network of suppliers and services. Operating in 17 states, EADS North America offers a broad array of advanced solutions to its customers in the commercial, homeland security, aerospace and defense markets.
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Media Contact:
Michael Doerk
Cassidian Communications, an EADS North America Company
Tel: +1.469.365.4989
michael.doerk@CassidianCommunications.com