Troy, Mich. — On Friday, May 31, 2013, a large storm brought high winds and tornado-like conditions to Madison County, Ill. As the storm caused significant damage to power lines, trees and homes, New World Systems’ Aegis Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) solution provided Madison County telecommunicators and first responders with essential communications and response coordination capabilities. Telecommunicators at the City of Edwardsville Police Department Communication Center, one of the County’s 16 Public Safety Answer Points (PSAPs), took their system down for a short period of time to seek shelter as the storm intensified. Even though Edwardsville does not currently use the New World Software, The Madison County Sheriff’s Department and Glen Carbon Police Department, through a combination of New World’s CAD and the County’s fiber-optics network kept communications and operations up and running for emergency and non-emergency calls.

“We have a hosted 9-1-1 system that connects nearly all of our PSAPs with fiber optics,” said Terry McFarland, 9-1-1 Director for Madison County. “Our self-contained system, up-to-date maps and the ability of the CAD software to handle an increase in activity enables the agencies using New World’s CAD to keep operations running flawlessly for 9-1-1 throughout the County and take over for another center in these situations. Thankfully, the situation lasted a short time, but the level of confidence in the two systems working in conjunction with each other provides peace of mind and service with minor interruption.”

New World’s software handled the extremely high volume of calls and offered a CAD messaging system that proved vital in keeping track of officers and addressing emergency situations quickly and effectively. Because Madison County maps are up to date and embedded in New World’s CAD, telecommunicators in Glen Carbon and the Sheriff’s Office were able to access maps and critical location information for Edwardsville as well.

“Without a doubt, New World’s software played an instrumental role in our success by allowing us the accessibility and versatility to handle a large-scale incident,” said Coleen Schaller, Glen Carbon Telecommunicator. “The transition from handling one department to interlinking three was seamless, and the company should be commended on their development of such high-performance software.”

While it was a busy and chaotic time for the County communications centers, fast thinking and the right technology kept emergency operations running smoothly. No lives were lost during the storm.