Emergency Help 9-1-1

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Statement of Function

The Communication Center was established as part of a statewide effort to provide a single, primary threedigit emergency number (“911”) through which emergency services can be quickly and efficiently obtained thus shortening the time required for a person to request and receive emergency aid. The “911” services include call taking, location verification, call transfer, wireless technology and data base management. The “911” wireless funding provides for a 911 Mapping Technician position as support staff to the 911 Database Coordinator. The responsibility of the position is the collection of field data within a GIS environment to support development and maintenance of the 911 county base map. Wireless technology requires a 911 GIS coordinate mapping system for use at all Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP’S) for the implementation of Wireless Phase 1 and Wireless Phase 2.

What is 9-1-1?

Nine-one-one is the number most people in the U.S. and some in International countries call to get help in a police, fire or medical emergency. A 9-1-1 call goes over dedicated networks to the appropriate 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for the caller's location, and trained personnel then send the emergency help needed.

Enhanced 9-1-1, or E9-1-1, is a system which routes an emergency call to the appropriate 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for the caller's location, and automatically displays the caller's phone number and address. The 9-1-1 call taker will typically ask the caller to verify the information, which appears on his or her computer screen. In most areas, phone number and location information is available for 9-1-1 calls made from a cellular/wireless phone.

Dispatch Mapping

Accurate GIS data is crucial to locating 911 callers during emergencies. The E-911 Division of Emergency Services is responsible for development of the county's 911 Geographic Information System (GIS), and the GPS and mapping needs for all Public Safety Answering Points in the county. Other responsibilities include the coordination of technology upgrades as well as identifying and resolving issues associated with GIS and the county's 911 system.

• Support and maintain 911 mapping component in all Indian River County Dispatch Centers. By connecting our GIS and the 911 System we are able to automatically locate the 911 call and place a point on the map for easy view by a dispatcher or responder. Surrounding streets and important locations are displayed which allows emergency responders to easily locate the emergency.
• Key GIS layers used by Dispatch include street center lines, Law Enforcement Zones, Fire Zones, Station Response Areas, Mobile Home Parks, Subdivisions, Fire Rescue Station Locations, School Locations, City Boundaries, Hydrant Locations, Evacuation Routes, and aerial photography.

MSAG - Master Street Address Guide

The Master Street Address Guide (MSAG) is a database of address information for Indian River County, utilized for the purposes of 9-1-1. MSAG Coordination provides an important part of the Emergency 9-1-1 system. When a 9-1-1 call is placed, time is of the essence, and accurate information will assist in expediting the appropriate responders to emergency situations. The MSAG is updated and maintained by the 911 Services Division at the Indian River County Emergency Services Office.

The MSAG contains every street located within Indian River County (including all of the Indian River County municipalities). The addresses contain the following information:

• Street Direction - North, South, East or West (if applicable).
• Street Name – Indian River
• Street Suffix - Av, Blvd, St, Cir, etc.

All new streets and address assignments are provided to the 911 Services Division in the planning stages. The Indian River County Community Development Department provides the information needed for MSAG changes or additions for the unincorporated areas of Indian River County. All municipalities in Indian River County work directly with the 911 Services Division to implement any changes or additions to the MSAG. Usually new street addresses are added with new developments, whether residential or commercial. It is the responsibility of the 911 Services Division 911 Database Coordinator to check the current database to make sure that the new street names submitted, are not currently in use, thus creating duplication of street names and/or "sound alike" street names. The 911 Database Coordinator also assigns the correct Emergency Service Number (ESN). The ESN routes a 9-1-1 call to the correct Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), also known as a 9-1-1 Call Center.

As development and annexations occur, the 911 Database Coordinator may have to increase an address range, change the name of a street, and change the name of a community or an ESN.

The 911 Services Division works as a liaison between the PSAPs and the telephone companies to assure all street addresses and information is correct so that when a 9-1-1 call is placed, the caller's telephone number and correct address appears on the 9-1-1 Operator's computer screen. If incorrect information or no information is displayed, the 9-1-1 Operator submits a 9-1-1 Inquiry Form to the 911 Database Coordinator. The 911 Services Division then works with the appropriate telephone company, government agency and/or citizen to correct the information.

Emergency Operations Center Back-Up PSAP

The 911 Services Division maintains a back-up 911 Communications PSAP facility, equipped with Interact/Zetron CTI 3200 workstations, MA/COM 800 MHZ trunked radio system, Replay Recording System, and computer aided dispatch workstations as provided by agency. This facility will be activated in case of an emergency that causes the affected PSAP to be evacuated and is available 24/7. This back-up PSAP also provides an excellent opportunity for any of the Public Safety Answering Points in Indian River County to utilize the site for training their staff on a regular basis.

2020/2021 Goals and Objectives

• Continued collection of field data within a GIS environment to support Wireless Phase 1 and Phase 2.
• Continue improvement to current database and mapping.
• Provide efficient maps for emergency responders.
• Maintain schedule for collection of field data on open subdivision projects.
• Continue development and maintenance of the centerline map with additional layers to aid emergency response in Indian River County.
• Coordinate and provide the 911 mapping interface for use with New World System CAD.
• Provide maintenance of call taking equipment to all four PSAPs.
• Continue statewide implementation of Text to 911 feature.
• Engage with local, regional, and state Public Safety groups and associations.
• Provide 911 software education and training for PSAPs.
• Replace 911 logging recorder to that which is compatible with the P25 standard.
• Replace MIS with new vendor.
• Create redundancy on the 911 network via a microwave system and additional fiber ring.