Case Study: METCOM 911, OR
- Population: 315,000
- Tyler Client Since: 1991
- Agencies Served: 29 (Police, Fire, EMS)
- Solutions Used: Enterprise CAD, Enterprise Law Enforcement Records, Enterprise Law Enforcement Mobile, Enterprise Law Enforcement Field Mobile
- Square Miles Served: 1,194
The Marion Area Multi-Agency Emergency Telecommunication Center (METCOM) is located in Woodburn, Oregon. It provides emergency dispatching services to 36 communities located within Marion County and portions of Linn and Clackamas County.
METCOM provides emergency call taking and dispatch services to seven law enforcement agencies, 17 fire districts, two private ambulance districts, Marion County Public Works, the Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forest Service for Willamette National Forest and Siuslaw National Forest.
Marion County is the fifth-most populous county within the state of Oregon with more than 315,000 residents across 1,194 square miles. METCOM also provides dispatching services for more than 4,500 square miles of dense forest land.
In keeping this population safe, METCOM uses Tyler Technologies’ Enterprise CAD, Enterprise Law Enforcement Records, and Enterprise Law Enforcement Mobile solutions.
CHALLENGE
Like many public safety answering points (PSAPs) in the country, the two dispatch centers in Marion County were consolidated into one to form METCOM. At the same time, these dispatch centers were already in the process of upgrading their CAD software.
This upgrade was a result of a need for a CAD system with modern functionality that could meet the needs of METCOM and improve deficiencies with the current CAD software, which included:
- All routing was done using paper maps, which lacked real-time information and updates
- Inability to make response recommendations for fire emergencies or create response groups
- Mission-critical data from different jurisdictions was difficult to manage and access
SOLUTION
In 2011, METCOM upgraded to Enterprise CAD to meet the needs of the community and improve response times.
This upgrade took METCOM from a DOS-based system with minimal functionality regarding mapping, routing, data and information sharing to a user-friendly, Windows-based technology with embedded Esri mapping technology, which helps dispatchers view available resources for better responses.
What’s great about our CAD system is that it already knows what ladder truck is the closest, which units are available and what stations can respond to any incident. This system can go deep within itself to pull more and more resources out so that any emergency gets the proper response. This prevents us from having to get on the phone and call other agencies and departments when an emergency is taking place.
Gina Audritsh
Director, METCOM 911
RESULTS
By implementing Enterprise CAD, METCOM now experiences the following benefits:
- Dispatchers send responses faster with access to robust mapping capabilities.
- With automatic vehicle location (AVL) functionality and proximity dispatching capabilities, dispatchers can send a faster and smarter response.
- Continuously updated estimated time of arrival (ETA) data helps dispatchers and first responders know where all rescue units are located and when they will arrive on the scene of a call for service.
- All addresses are geo-verified, ensuring that what dispatchers see in CAD is the same as what first responders see on the road.
- Help gets units to where it is needed most when it is needed most.
- Built-in fire response plans and preplans help METCOM send a faster response to fire emergencies.
- System modifications in CAD can be applied universally within seconds, saving time for dispatchers and helping fire crews route to the scene faster.
- The CAD system is capable of making almost unlimited fire response recommendations by drawing from mutual aid and agencies dispatched by METCOM.
- Response plans can be matched with incident types and calls for service.
- Data is easily accessed, managed, and shared.
- Multi-jurisdictional data from different agencies and departments is available instantly, providing dispatchers with mission-critical information that can be shared with first responders.
- Having all data in one location helps increase efficiency among staff and end users.
“Enterprise CAD is a forward-thinking piece of technology that meets the needs of our agency,” METCOM director Gina Audritsh said. “Its flexibility, mapping capabilities, and ease of use help us streamline workflow and processes so that we can send a faster, better response to those in need.”