EFFINGHAM, S.C., December 20, 2017 — Florence County 911 has switched to an NG9-1-1-compliant call handling and management solution from Solacom for its new 9-1-1 center. The four-time South Carolina 9-1-1 Center of the Year chose Solacom’s Guardian 9-1-1 Call Handling solution to ensure its PSAP would be on the cutting edge of new technology.

Solacom, with partner AT&T, installed 14 emergency and four administrative positions in time for staff to move into its new 13,000-square-foot Emergency Operations Center on Nov. 14. The changeover included complete on-site training for 48 staff including call takers, dispatchers and administrative staff.

“Solacom has been outstanding,” says Mitch Fulmore, Florence County 911 Central Dispatch manager. “They installed all the back-end software into the new building and set up the workstations the way we wanted them. All we had to do was move in. And the new system is easy to use. Our team really took it. If you can make it easier for them with no added stress, they’re able to learn quickly and get the job done better than before.”

Fulmore especially likes the one-button transfer and speed-dial buttons to over 20 dispatch agencies. Guardian 9-1-1 Call Handling features user-centric, customizable desktop screens where call takers can respond to emergency and administrative calls, perform call distribution functions, transfer calls with the click of a button, provide unlimited conferencing, and see and manage every leg of an active call.

Behind the desktop, Solacom’s IP-based call-control system provides a simple, evolutionary path to next-generation emergency call-management requirements and enables future enhancements without replacing the underlying infrastructure. Florence County 911 is excited to add text-to-9-1-1 capabilities next year with Guardian Text, an integrated, full-featured SMS function. Florence County has also chosen worry-free performance monitoring by adding Solacom’s Guardian Managed Services, which ensures the complete Solacom solution is always operating at its peak.

“Solacom is thrilled Florence County 911 decided to upgrade to a Guardian solution for emergency call handling,” says Tony Parrott, Solacom’s vice president of sales. “Florence County’s commitment to excellence was recognized in 2005, 2011, 2016 and 2017 by being named South Carolina 9-1-1 Center of the Year. Its approach is to always look forward to see what can help call takers do their jobs more efficiently. With the Solacom system, this PSAP will continue to provide top-notch emergency response for its community.”