Solacom system to host second Alberta Health Services dispatch center
Gatineau, QC, Oct 17, 2012 — Solacom Technologies announced that the Guardian Public Safety call taking system installed over a year ago by Alberta Health Services is being expanded to host a second Emergency Medical Services (EMS) public safety answering point (PSAP) in Peace River to serve the northern region of the province.
The Solacom system was first installed in a data center in Edmonton to support 16 call taker positions at an EMS PSAP in the same city. The planned expansion will see an additional 11 positions, installed at Peace River and hosted by the data center in Edmonton. The AHS dispatch centers are part of a province-wide network of secondary public safety answering points that handle about 400,000 calls a year for emergency medical services.
The Guardian public safety platform allows AHS to transition PSAPs from circuit switched phone lines to IP-based next generation 9-1-1 and provides a cost effective model where back office equipment in Edmonton can host call taking workstations in multiple locations around the province – simplifying operations and minimizing the amount of equipment required at each PSAP.
“We wanted a system that is specifically designed for handling emergency communications. The improved technology enables us to more efficiently use resources for coordinating and dispatching all emergency medical services offered within the EMS portfolio,” said Stu Williams, AHS Central Communications Center director.
The Guardian intelligent workstations are designed for faster call handling with features such as touchscreen answer, one-button transfer and quick conference capability. The new workstations also allow AHS telecommunicators to use a single headset for both phone calls and radio dispatching.
“AHS provides emergency medical services for 3.5 million people over a geographical area of more than 660,000 square kilometers, so having a scalable, cost-effective solution for 9-1-1 calls is vital for them” commented Tony Parrott, vice president of sales at Solacom. “The Solacom solution is ideal for hosted PSAPs and a flexible, staged deployment,” added Parrott.
About Solacom
Solacom Technologies builds some of the world’s most reliable critical communications systems that integrate Voice, Video and Data to deliver advanced IP-based interoperability solutions for public safety 9-1-1, military command, security and other mission critical applications. With a legacy of innovation in air traffic control and public safety, our engineers have pioneered many industry advances over the past 25 years.
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