Local 9-1-1 Center Now Has Data-Rich System that Speeds Emergency Response
CAMBRIDGE, Ohio, March 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Residents and visitors in Guernsey County, Ohio are now protected by one of the most technologically advanced 9-1-1 systems in America after the Communications Division of the Guernsey County Sheriff’s Office went live with Next Generation 9-1-1 call management software from Carbyne.
The value of the new Carbyne APEX system was dramatically illustrated just two hours after it went live when a 9-1-1 call taker was able to communicate via a live smartphone video feed with a frantic mother whose son had collapsed. The call taker was able to see that the son was breathing and to guide her through pre-arrival instructions until the ambulance arrived. Without the video connection, the incident could have turned out tragically.
While the county’s old system was based on pre-internet, analog technology – limiting 9-1-1 calls to two-way voice conversations only – the new Carbyne APEX solution is a cloud-native platform that is digital and smartphone-friendly, enabling the 9-1-1 center to speak with callers via video and obtain more accurate location information and other rich data automatically.
The new system is especially notable because it did not require the County to be previously connected to an Emergency Services IP Network, or ESInet, a specially engineered network capable of carrying voice plus large amounts of data using internet-protocol standards and technology.
Until now, the most commonly accepted technology standard for Next Generation 9-1-1 – the National Emergency Number Association‘s “i3” standard – required emergency call centers to be connected to an ESInet to be considered a compliant NG911 system.
However, the Carbyne APEX solution enables 9-1-1 agencies to deliver i3-compliant NG911 services without first investing in expensive new infrastructure. Carbyne was able to help Guernsey County bring internet access into the center specifically to support the APEX installation. If and when the County decides to invest in more robust ESInet connectivity in the future, the transition will be seamless with APEX. Carbyne provides over 99.999% availability for voice calls. In the event of a data center failure, whether due to a natural disaster, human error, or attack, the Call Center’s data is stored in a secure Government cloud so the County can relocate its team without hassle. A world-class network infrastructure is implemented by Carbyne APEX and carefully monitored and managed, with built-in protective controls to provide end-to-end security.
“APEX is a tremendous step forward for 9-1-1, because emergency centers in regions that have not yet adopted ESInet infrastructure can still be part of the Next Gen 9-1-1 journey,” said Alex Dizengof, Chief Technology Officer of Carbyne.
“Like Guernsey County, many of these areas now have the opportunity to have a cloud-native solution that is i3 compliant and has all the rich media components without requiring a regional ESInet in place first. Now they have a way around those upfront technical and financial challenges,” Dizengof added.
“Carbyne’s professional operations team has mastered ESInet and legacy deployment. We are consistently able to deploy 100% faster than other vendors. We build automation and tools to train and prepare the site for cutover fully remotely, thanks to our cloud capabilities. We go live in days and are able to do it with zero downtime in the transition from the legacy CPE,” said Eyal Oron, VP of Global Operations.
The new system also offers cost advantages. Under the old system, Guernsey County had to pay for a yearly contract to maintain an on-premise data center and the associated 9-1-1 call-handling software. By switching to the APEX cloud platform, the county eliminated the hardware costs and consolidated several operating costs.
Kenny Mathews, director of IT for Guernsey County, said, “The biggest hesitation that I see, moving forward, is everyone is afraid of the cloud. But with Carbyne, the engineering behind this solution is so robust, we can have failures on multiple comms lines and still have multiple paths to the Internet.”
“Ohio does not yet have an ESInet, so we still are operating on traditional legacy CAMA trunks. But our new Carbyne system is performing flawlessly,” Mathews added.
“We’re just a small-sized 9-1-1 office, with two dispatchers on at all times,” said Guernsey County Sheriff Jeffrey D. Paden. “We thought there was no way we were going to be able to adopt NG911 anytime soon. But I’m happy to say we’re one of the first counties in Ohio to have it, or maybe the first. I would like to see all counties have this system.”
Carbyne made the county’s transition easy and painless through several measures:
- Site survey: making sure there were enough trunks to make the site viable;
- Project management: making sure that all third-party vendors, including the local phone company, communicated with one another;
- Site configuration and integration: for example, making sure calls can be recorded, and caller data is transferred into automated systems;
- A speedy deployment: 3-hour cut-over to Go-Live.
- On-site staff training: providing both virtual online training in advance and on-site, in-person training during the cutover.
Says Dave Wilson, President of the Guernsey County Commissioners: “It’s going to lead to better services and greater safety for the citizens of Guernsey County.”
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About Carbyne:
Carbyne (Headquartered in New York, NY) is a leading global provider of cloud-native mission-critical contact center solutions. Carbyne is one of the largest rich-data providers for emergency response centers, delivering over 250M data points per year, all in a unified platform. Our technologies enable emergency contact centers and select enterprises to connect with callers as well as connected devices via highly secure communication channels without needing to download a consumer app. With a mission to redefine emergency collaboration and connect the dots between people, enterprises, and governments, Carbyne provides a unified cloud-native solution that provides live actionable data that can lead to more efficient and transparent operations and ultimately save lives. With Carbyne, every person counts. Learn more at www.carbyne.com
SOURCE Carbyne
