Brian Gehring, Bismarck Tribune

The Burleigh County Commission has approved plans to replace its 9-1-1 communications with a system known as “next-gen 9-1-1.”

The change would upgrade the system to improve emergency communications in an increasing wireless and mobile society.

Mike Dannenfelzer, communications director for the Bismarck/Burleigh Combined Communications Center, said it’s not known exactly what the new system will cost, but it could be in the neighborhood of $500,000.

Dannenfelzer said the county will begin reviewing bids sometime next month to replace the system that has been in place since 2002.

The next-gen 9-1-1 lets calls and information be rerouted through other communication centers in case of problems.

Another advantage, Dannenfelzer said, will be the ability to pinpoint locations of 9-1-1 calls from cellphones more quickly.

It also will allow users to communicate via text messaging and possibly video streaming.

Dannenfelzer said when the existing system went into service 12 years ago, the cost was about $370,000.

Last year, he said, the combined communications center handled about 180,000 calls, including both emergency and non-emergency calls.

Of that volume, he said, 29,385 were 9-1-1 calls. Of that number, 21,713 were calls made from wireless devices like cellphones.

“That has changed our world significantly,” he said.

Bismarck/Burleigh will work with the state’s information technology department as its first user, Dannenfelzer said.

Multiple agencies will be able to connect with the system to allow for faster response times during emergencies, he said.

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