Adams County officials plan to replace computer-aided dispatch (CAD) software for 911 telecommunicators.
The Adams County Emergency Services Department is trying to switch its current Intellitech software to Tyler Technologies, Inc. of Yarmouth, Maine, but it can no longer meet the agency’s needs, Warren Bladen said.
Adams County Commissioners recently approved a license and services agreement with Tyler Technologies for the use of their CAD enterprise software for $447,000.
Total costs include software, services, third-party products, travel, and other maintenance and support costs of $48,900 annually.
Bladen said the cost includes 10 telecommunicator consoles and mobile CAD for law enforcement.
Tyler Technologies’ CAD software includes dispatch solutions, record keeping, analytics, and mobile software licenses for first responders, according to the Dec. 14 meeting agenda. With analytics, “the software can generate reports on call volume, agency responses, and call types,” he added Bladen.
According to Bladen, Tyler Technologies’ software is used in about two-thirds of Pennsylvania’s 911 centers.
CAD software is “used by telecommunications carriers to process 911 calls and dispatch to the appropriate agency,” says Bladen.
Bladen said he chose Tyler Technologies based on feedback from staff who had the opportunity to use the demo product, as well as recommendations from other 911 centers around the state who use it.
According to Bladen, the goal is to give carriers “the tools they need to effectively and efficiently handle and service calls.”
“One of the great features of the new software is the ability to do CAD-to-CAD call transfers in York County,” says Bladen. This eliminates the need to transfer information by phone or radio, he said, Bladen.
In November, the Commissioner accepted a $46,000 quote from Priority Dispatch Corp. to provide a one-year professional audit of telecommunications carriers using the Priority Dispatch protocol.
Since 2017, emergency 911 calls have been checked using the Priority Dispatch Protocol, which is done internally, Bladen said.
Audits ensure that telecommunicators are asking the right questions, are not skipping or jumping ahead, and review the overall handling of calls. An audit is also an opportunity to ensure that the county’s software is functioning properly. This is to provide you with information to ask your correspondent.
Bladen said the telecommunicator’s questions came from another software package.
“That software package works in tandem with our CAD software,” says Bladen.
About five years ago, the Adams County Emergency Services Department worked with the county’s information technology department to build a new CAD network, Bladen said, adding that Appalachia Technologies was brought in to help with the project.
The three-phase project began with designing a system to meet the county’s needs. Braden said Appalachia Technologies oversaw the process.
According to Bladen, the network is now entirely computer-based, replacing aging systems that are more than seven years old.