Iowa’s statewide Next Generation 9-1-1 Shared Services Program serves as a model for economically transitioning legacy Public Safety Answering Point technologies to newer systems
Redmond, WA – October 12, 2022 – Zetron, a global leader in integrated mission critical communications technology, announced today that the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD) has awarded a new contract to Zetron for the continued delivery and management of the statewide Next Generation 9-1-1 Shared Services Program.
Since 2018, Zetron has successfully advanced Iowa’s Next Generation 9-1-1 Services, enabling regional emergency communications centers statewide to realize significant cost savings while migrating to new technology. To date, more than 70 of Iowa’s 112 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) have successfully migrated to Zetron’s hosted solution for emergency call taking, and other shared services. Zetron’s Max Call Taking Next Generation 9-1-1 system is hosted in geo-diverse, environmentally hardened facilities in multiple sites within Iowa.
In addition to call taking, Zetron’s statewide program also includes other services to Iowa PSAPs, including:
- Text-to-911 – to respond to emergencies reported via text messages
- Map Viewer – plotting the location of calls on a map
- Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) – automatically capturing and sharing critical incident information with first responders in real time
- Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) – providing standardized emergency medical instruction protocols to public safety telecommunicators
- Recording – centralized logging
“Emergency services are constantly inundated with different types and sources of critical incident data, so our goal is to make the telecommunicator’s job as streamlined as possible,” said Blake DeRouchey, 911 Program Manager, Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “The partnership with Zetron to deliver a statewide Next Generation 9-1-1 Shared Services Program provides the most current and efficient tools available to our Public Safety Answering Points at a fraction of the taxpayer cost it would take for them to upgrade on their own. It’s really been a win-win proposition for our counties that have joined the program so far.”
Zetron’s MAX Call Taking is the centerpiece solution of the statewide Next Generation 9-1-1 Shared Services Program. It offers PSAPs a flexible, user-friendly and highly interoperable system for receiving and efficiently managing the many forms of disparate data that bombard emergency communications centers. MAX Call Taking is part of a full MAX Solutions emergency response communications platform or can be delivered as a point solution, directly integrating with other existing PSAP communications technologies. So ‘forklift upgrades’ aren’t necessary for Iowa PSAPs utilizing other systems to take advantage of the shared services model.
With over a hundred PSAPs located across the state and a robust set of emergency response solutions available through the shared services program, having regional on-site service and support managed by RACOM Corporation, a Zetron Premier Partner headquartered in Iowa, has been a key element of the program.
“The state of Iowa Next Generation 9-1-1 Shared Services Program’s success and new contract award has been the result of a remarkably collaborative partnership between public and private entities at the state and local levels,” said Scott French, President and Executive General Manager of Zetron. “Since the beginning, Zetron and HSEMD have maintained hyper focus on one thing – providing Iowa emergency response teams with the best technology and services available to more efficiently serve their constituents. And in a way that serves as a model for overcoming the all-too-common financial challenge of transitioning our nation’s most critical communications functions off of the 20+ year old technology systems that an alarming number of them are still forced to rely on.”
To learn more about the Iowa Next Generation 9-1-1 Shared Services Program, including a short video, visit the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management site.
About Zetron
Zetron, a Codan Company, is a trusted provider of mission critical communications systems worldwide, it’s ALL we do. With a comprehensive portfolio of technology solutions, including integrated next generation call taking, dispatch, CAD, mapping, fire station alerting, logging/reporting, Land Mobile Radio (LMR) communications and more, Zetron is relied on by customers in federal/state/local government, public safety, transportation, utilities, healthcare, and other markets on all seven continents of the world. Zetron’s relentless pursuit of quality, durability and interoperability has made it one of the most enduring and consistently trusted brands in mission critical communications for decades. Our solutions are backed by world class technical support, training, project management and professional services, as well as a global network of highly capable partners and system integrators dedicated to exceeding the unique needs of Zetron customers. For more information, visit: www.zetron.com.