BRANDON, Manitoba, October 11, 2018 — A public safety answering point (PSAP) that handles 9-1-1 calls for most of the province of Manitoba has switched to an advanced call handling and answering system from Solacom. By replacing its end-of-life system with Solacom’s Guardian 9-1-1 Call Handling solution, Manitoba’s Provincial 9-1-1 in Brandon is equipped for new and evolving Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) features and functionality.

Solacom’s Guardian 9-1-1 Call Handling solution is the most flexible, user-centric voice, data, and video emergency call management solution for PSAPs. At the desktop, the solution is fully customizable, allowing call takers to see and manage every leg of an active call, and transfer calls with the click of a button. Behind the desktop, the Guardian 9-1-1 Call Handling solution is powered by Solacom’s full-featured, configurable IP-based call control system, which provides a simple, evolutionary path to NG9-1-1.

“Solacom helped us take a massive step forward towards being NG9-1-1-capable,” says Robert Stewart, director of Emergency Communications, City of Brandon. “We chose the best system you could get that would work for us. The staff love the single logon and the one-button transfer. And I now have very detailed reports that allow me to pinpoint the hours of the day that my staff are busier. The only way I could tell that before was by standing on the floor and watching them.” 

The Solacom system comes with Guardian Management Information System (MIS), which enables Manitoba’s Provincial 9-1-1 to collect ongoing, real-time critical data, which it can use at any time for a variety of actionable administrative reports. 

That reporting is crucial for Manitoba’s Provincial 9-1-1, which serves almost 500,000 residents in Brandon and across the province, taking calls and dispatching for fire and police for 225 communities, and transferring to other PSAPs and agencies as needed. 

Solacom installed the system on July 30, 2018, which includes nine positions at the main PSAP and three at a fully geo-diverse backup center. Each Solacom solution is configured, built, and tested at Solacom’s factory staging center to ensure a smooth integration of new technologies and capabilities on cutover day.