New 911 System In Chester County

CHESTER COUNTY —The Chester County Department of Emergency Services transitioned Thursday its Emergency Communications Center to Next Generation 9-1-1, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency’s statewide network.

Next Generation 9-1-1 is a faster and more efficient way for the 9-1-1 call center – to receive emergency calls and transfer them to other call centers.

Chester County Commissioners Chairman Josh Maxwell said the new system allows the county's emergency telecommunicators to seamlessly transfer calls and a caller’s vital information to another 9-1-1 call center in the state.

The call center completes more than 500,000 dispatches for emergency personnel and equipment every year, providing support to 53 police agencies, 40 fire/rescue agencies, and 26 emergency medical services agencies.

Bill Messerschmidt, director of the Department of Emergency Services, said: “Until now, 9-1-1 calls have been routed to 9-1-1 centers using infrastructure that is decades old.”

He said the new system is fast, secure, and accurate. In addition, the new system can adapt to future 9-1-1 technologies, including receiving multimedia, such as photos and videos.