Vermont picks Mission Critical Partners to assess emergency communications

The state of Vermont’s Public Safety Communications Task Force has selected Mission Critical Partners (MCP) to conduct an assessment of the communications capabilities at each of the 38 emergency communications centers (ECCs) in the state.

“The Public Safety Communications Task Force is pleased to be working with MCP,” said Jennifer Morrison, Task Force Co-Chair and Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Public Safety.

“The firm’s integrity and quality of work speak for themselves.”

MCP says its subject-matter experts are working closely with the task force to conduct the following assessments:

• Performance evaluation of all networks and systems used in each ECC, including land mobile radio, computer-aided dispatch, records management, mobile data, logging recorders, backhaul and grounding
• Coverage testing to determine whether any gaps exist
• A study to determine whether each ECC’s staffing aligns with its needs — particular emphasis is being placed on each center’s hiring, training and retention strategies and tactics, especially those pertaining to emergency communications professionals’ well-being
• Evaluation of cybersecurity strategies and tactics in place at each ECC, with an emphasis on determining whether they align with standards and best practices
• Evaluation of each center’s continuity-of-operations and disaster-recovery plans, including whether adequate backup facilities exist, as well as the current state of each network and system regarding redundancy, resiliency and diversity

An important step

In addition, MCP is evaluating the potential for statewide public-safety communications and is developing preliminary models for achieving it.

The effort includes models pertaining to cost and governance, as well as a plan for communicating with affected stakeholders and collecting their input.

All assessments are based on MCP’s Model for Advancing Public Safety (MAPS) proprietary methodology, which leverages the collective expertise of 200 subject-matter experts, industry standards and best practices, and accreditation programs.

“Emergency communications centers represent the hub of emergency response,” said Darrin Reilly, MCP’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

“We applaud the state of Vermont for taking this important step toward ensuring that its ECCs are performing optimally, and we’re honored to be part of a project that will help shape the future landscape for public-safety communications.