IP Telephony

Saying it’s providing safeguards in case of emergencies such as natural disasters, a New Jersey-based communications solutions company today is introducing what it calls 911 response technologies of the future.

 

Avaya’s (News - Alert) so-called “Public Safety Communications Solutions” are designed to help 911 centers handle higher volumes of communications quickly and effectively, according to the company.

 

Most 911 systems need upgrades, according to Jeff Robertson, executive director of the 911 Industry Alliance, a lobbying group established in December 2005.

 

“While the 911 system has proven to be a success over the past four decades of its existence, today it stands at an inflection point and being left behind by technological change,” Robertson said. “The typical model today is still one of a small, standalone emergency communications systems using yesterday’s analog technologies.”

 

Specifically, Avaya officials say their 911 solutions are based on IP telephony and designed to allow multiple centers to link into larger communications networks.

 

“This expands the pool of public safety call takers who can field the increasing volume of calls from broadly diverse devices and technologies people use today,” Avaya officials say. “Operators along the network can manage overflow when call volume supersedes the capacity of those in one particular location or when one center is physically inaccessible.”

 

The new systems include advanced call routing that help direct 911 calls to the most appropriate and available place, according to the company. With the solutions, Avaya officials say, 911 centers can communicate with callers using photos, videos, text-messaging and instant messaging.

 

Avaya officials say their solutions already are helping some Texas communities deal with high numbers of 911 calls.

 

According to the company, the Galveston County Emergency Communication District fields nearly 200,000 calls per year over eight “public safety answering points,” all linked into a single IP telephony-based network.

 

District leaders “have Avaya VPN phones to connect to the network from home or non-county locations by simply plugging into any broadband connection,” according to the company. “Since crisis response and recovery begins at ground zero, getting the right communications deployed quickly is critical.”