FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA, April 9, 2018 — The city of Marion, Iowa, has awarded Federal Engineering, Inc. (FE) a contract to assist with the planning, design and implementation of a consolidated Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

Deputy Chief Douglas Slagle, of the Marion Police Department said: “Federal Engineering recently completed a Feasibility Study for Consolidated 9-1-1 and Dispatch Report for the Cities of Marion and Cedar Rapids and Linn County, Iowa. This report recommended activities and tasks for achieving the goal of consolidated emergency communications for the region. FE is viewed as our trusted advisor and has now been engaged to provide planning and implementation support to decision makers and stakeholders during the next steps toward consolidating public safety communications regionally.”

Mr. Donald Nagel, director at Federal Engineering, explained the services that Marion will receive during this phase of the contract:

• Facilitate decision making meetings with the city’s and county’s key stakeholders relative to organization development and structure, location and physical space, governance and funding mechanisms.
• Organization models depicting how a consolidated center would be structured under an existing city or county infrastructure or as a stand-alone authority.
• Update workload and staffing analysis that validates the space needs of a future consolidated center.
• Support intergovernmental agreement (IGA) development, refinement and finalization.
• Assist with funding model development and implementation.
• Develop a transition plan and work with stakeholders to gain acceptance.