After two decades using the same technology, the Dane County 911 Center has begun taking steps to implement a new high-tech computer system in the hopes of improving communication between dispatchers and emergency personnel.
According to a statement from Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, the new system will be the “backbone” of the Dane County 911 Center. It said the system will be especially helpful in managing a number of emergency personnel from multiple communities.
Dane County Emergency Operations Manager Gary Bell said this Computer Aided Dispatch system provides the dispatcher the ability to track who needs help and where, status of emergency units responding to calls and full accounting of public safety resources as they arrive on the scenes of fire, emergency medical or police calls.
Bell said the existing CAD system is more than 20 years old and his team is excited about implementing new technology that will modernize the center.
“This will enable us to improve the level of service we can provide to citizens of Dane County and our law enforcement, fire and emergency medical responders,” Bell said.
The Dane County 911 Center came under scrutiny after University of Wisconsin student Brittany Zimmerman was murdered in 2008. The center received a call from Zimmerman’s residence at the time of the murder, but when the dispatcher could not hear anyone on the other end, they took another call. Police were not dispatched to Zimmerman’s residence.
Since then, the center has earned accreditation from the National Academics of Emergency Dispatch for improvements made upon the system.
Dane County 911 Director John Dejung said the need for the new CAD system was most recently identified through a Departmental Audit conducted in 2009.
“Designed by TriTech Software Systems, the new CAD provides innovative, comprehensive public safety solutions for law enforcement, fire and EMS agencies,” said Dejung.
Dejung said the company is one of the largest public safety software companies in the world, with more than 2,200 agencies across the world.
Bell said each communicator would receive 5 days of training, which was proposed by TriTech. He said TriTech has managed multiple successful implementations of CAD installations at centers similar to that of Dane County.
The management team included the new CAD system, which will cost $4.2 million, in the 5 year Capital Improvement Plan, requesting the initiative be funded. The County Board approved the request.
Dejung said there was thorough evaluation of proposals and demonstrations in selecting the software. He said the software chosen “features a user-friendly interface that is easily configurable to suit law, fire and EMS agency preferences.”
