GUILFORD METRO 911 ONE CALL, ONE CENTER, ONE SOURCE - 2020 AnnualReport - 1903 Midway Street Greensboro NC 27403 - Greensboro-nc.gov
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GUILFORD METRO 911
ONE CALL, ONE CENTER, ONE SOURCE
2020 AnnualReport
1903 Midway Street
Greensboro NC 27403
336-373-2933
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MissionStatement Page 2
Director’s Letter Page 3
Organizational Structure Page 4
AdministrativeStaff Page 5
Boards and UserGroups Page 6
Agencies WeServe Page 7
Agencies with Interoperability Page 8
Administration Division Page 9
Training and QualityAssurance Page 10
Public Relations Page 15
EmergencyCommunications Page 16
Public SafetyIT Page 20
TechnicalServices Page 24
Awards and Recognitions Page 28
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of Guilford Metro 911 is to serve the community and
local government agencies with effective communications services
and to serve as a facilitator of communications for public safety
agencies in Guilford County. To be effective, Guilford Metro 911
utilizes all available resources to support the mission of subscriber
agencies.
We are committed to the priorities, mission, and objectives of those
we support and will partner with those departments and
organizations to accomplish their goals while we adhere to the core
values within the Department of Guilford Metro 911.
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport
2
DIRECTOR’S LETTER
Guilford Metro 911 (GM911) serves as the Primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for
enhanced 911 in Guilford County. The center provides 911, dispatch, and radio services for
other cities, towns, and unincorporated areas in Guilford County, and only EMS dispatch for the
City of High Point.
2020 brought a most challenging year to Guilford Metro. We suffered the loss of an active duty
employee, and suffered the loss of a spouse of an employee. The pandemic created challenges
for the Operations staff, as many new policies were created, and some policies had to be
changed to deal with response during the pandemic. As a Department, we managed to remain
progressive, especially from a technological perspective. A few of the many projects completed in 2020 include:
• GM911 Technical Services Division completed the new Southeast Tower site.
• GM911 Technical Services Division set up several additional talk groups for direct communications for
surrounding agencies.
• GM911 Technical Services Division completed MCM and Genesis databases upgrades.
• GM911 Technical Services Division procured new microwave backhaul equipment to replace at the five
older tower sites.
• GM911 Technical Services Division set up a group of back up talk groups to support the City of High Point
in the event their radio system fails.
• GM911 Technical Services Division allowed the North Carolina VIPER radio system to co-locate at our
Triad Park tower site.
• GM911 Technical Services and PSIT Divisions collaborated with US Digital Designs to begin work on
integrating automated station alerting with the Motorola system and CAD
• GM911 PSIT implemented Workforce Telestaff
• GM911 PSIT completed upgrades for Priority Dispatch
• GM911 PSIT implemented remote work capabilities for eligible staff at Fire, Police and 911 due to the
pandemic
• GM911 Training Section completed over 6,000 Public Information Requests
• GM911 Emergency Communications Division was credited with 48 life saves.
Guilford Metro 911 is progressive and responsive to the needs of our agencies and community. We stand ready
to fulfill our role as the “First, First Responder.” I am very proud of the many accomplishments of the staff of
GM911, especially while dealing with a pandemic. Without their dedication and professionalism, GM911
would not fulfill our mission of high level customer service to the community as well as our users.
Melanie A. Neal
Executive Director
3
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport 4
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Administration Division
Melanie Neal, Executive Director
Tykia Johnson, Administrative Fiscal Manager
Mark Shepherd, Quality Assurance Administrator
Jessica Hutchens, Emergency Communications Training Specialist
Robert Katana, Emergency Communications Training Specialist
Emergency CommunicationsDivision
Christine Moore, Emergency Communications Operations Manager
Paige Cummings, Emergency Communications Supervisor II
James Greer, Emergency Communications Supervisor II
Angela Mitchell, Emergency Communications Supervisor II
Kimberly Williams, Emergency Communications Supervisor II
Public Safety Information TechnologyDivision
Greg Nash, PSIT Manager
PeterAllison, HelpDeskServicesAnalyst
ChristaBoswell, PSIT Supervisor
CamilleBosworth, SystemAdministrator
Kristi Dean, Network Services Analyst
JohnGlosson, HelpDeskServicesAnalyst
ChanceKelly, HelpDeskServicesAnalyst
Clay Kennedy, Systems Administrator
CelesteOwens, SystemsAdministrator
Thomas Shiminsky, HelpDeskServicesAnalyst
Lori Slone, GISAnalyst
Technical Services Division
Lewis Cheatham, Technical Services Manager
Wendy Autry, Technical Services Supervisor
Andy Harvey, Electronic Process Supervisor
Tony Evans, Electronic Process Specialist
Devin Jones, Electronic Process Specialist
Carlie Luck, Systems Support Specialist
Jennifer Mallory, Work Management Technician
Stacey Wilson, Electronic Process Specialist
Guilford Metro 911 2020 Annual Report
5
GUILFORD METRO 911 BOARDS AND USER GROUPS
EXECUTIVE BOARD
County Manager Marty Lawing City Manager David Parrish
Guilford County City of Greensboro
911 COUNCIL
Sheriff D.H.Rogers Chief Brian James
Guilford County Sheriff’sOffice City of Greensboro Police Department
Chief Bobby Nugent Director James Albright
City of Greensboro Fire Department Guilford County EmergencyServices
USER GROUPS
Law User Group EMS User Group
Captain Daryl Loftis– Chair Shift Commander, Jeff Hutchens – Chair
Guilford County Sheriff’s Guilford County EmergencyServices
Office
Radio User Groups (RCC and TRON) Fire User Group
Tech. Services Mgr Lewis Cheatham –Chair Chief Gary McGee – Chair
City of Greensboro – Guilford Metro911 Climax Fire Department
Guilford Metro 911 2020 Annual Report 6
AGENCIES WE SERVE
Alamance Fire Department Guilford County Security
Carelink of Cone Health Systems Guilford County Sheriff
City of Burlington Fire Department Guilford County Transportation
City of Burlington General Government Guil-Rand Fire Department
City of Burlington Police Department GTCC Fire Curriculum
City of Greensboro Fire Department GTCC Fire Station 99
City of Greensboro General Government GTCC Police
City of Greensboro Police Department High Point Regional Hospital
City of Thomasville High Point University
Climax Fire Department Julian Fire Department
Colfax Fire Department Kimesville Fire Department
Cone Health System McLeansville Fire Department
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Mt Hope Fire Department
East Coast Protective Services Inc. National Park Service
Fire District 13, Inc. NC A & T University
Fire District 28, Inc. NC Department of Transportation
Gibsonville Fire Department Northeast Fire Department
Greensboro Transit Authority Oak Ridge Fire Department
Guilford County Animal Control Piedmont Triad Airport Authority
Guilford County Dive Team Piedmont Triad Ambulance & Rescue
Guilford County Emergency Services Pinecroft Sedgefield Fire Department
Guilford County Facilities/General Services Pleasant Garden Fire Department
Guilford County Fire Marshal Southeast Fire Department
Guilford County General Government Stokesdale Fire Department
Guilford County Hazmat Summerfield Fire Department
Guilford County Juvenile Detention University of NC - Greensboro
Guilford County Parks and Recreation Whitsett Fire Department
Guilford County Public Health/DSS
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport 7
AGENCIES WITH INTEROPERABILITY
Alamance County NC DMV License & Theft Bureau
Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) NC Forestry Service
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) NC Criminal Investigations Division
Caswell County NC Department of Probation and Parole
City of Archdale NC Dept. of Public Safety
City of Durham NC State Highway Patrol
City of Fayetteville NC Office of Emergency Medical Services
City of High Point Fire Department NC Office of State Fire Marshal
City of High Point General NC State Parks
Government Randolph County
City of High Point Police Reeds Fire Department
City of Salisbury Rockingham County
City of Thomasville State Bureau of Investigation (SBI)
Denton Fire Department Stokes County
Davidson County Thomasville Rescue
Elon Police Town of Kernersville
Elon University Triad Regional Advisory Committee
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Tyro Fire Department
Gibsonville Police US Courts-Probation and Parole
Hasty Fire Department US Marshal Middle District
Healing Springs Fire Department Wake County
High Point University Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
Horneytown Fire Department Wallburg Fire & Rescue
Lexington Police Winston-Salem/Forsyth County
Lexington Fire US Secret Service (USSS)
Mecklenburg EMS Urban Search & Rescue (USAR)
Midway Fire & Rescue
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport 8
The Administration Division, with 5 full-time employees, creates and
manages the department goals and objectives. The division provides
executive management for Guilford Metro Emergency Communications,
Public Safety IT, and Technical Services divisions, including day-to-day
management, project oversight, planning, and personnel management.
Administration staff is also responsible for managing and monitoring the
department’s budget of $18 million dollars, including GeneralFund expenses,
grant money, and revenue.
The Administration Division keeps the department informed of federal and
ADMINISTRATION DIVISION
state legislatures affecting 911 service delivery.
This division also oversees the Training and Quality Assurance Section, which
is responsible for training all new Emergency Communications employees
through an in-house Rookie School and providing continuing in-service
training to all existing employees. The Training and Quality Assurance Section
also randomly reviews calls to ensure the highest quality of service to the
public and compliance with all standards regarding the call intake and dispatch
process, along with public education and 911 outreach.
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport 9TRAINING AND QUALITYASSURANCE
SECTION
The Quality Assurance/Training Section has a QA/Training Administrator, two (2) Emergency Communication
Training Specialist , and a part-time roster employee. Altogether, the team has 80+ years of experience in the
911 and public safety system.
Credentials held by the QA/Training Team include but not limited to the following:
EMD, EFD, EPD certifications
EMD-Q, EFD-Q, EPD-Q (Quality Assurance)
Division of Criminal Information (DCI) and DCI Instructor
CPR and CPR Instructor
Emergency Telecommunicator (ETC) and ETC-Instructor
General Instructor Certification
APCO CTO Version 5 and APCO CTO Version 5 Instructor
FEMA – 100, 200, 700
Guilford Metro 911’s training curriculum meets the APCO ANS 3.103.2-2015: Minimum Training Standards for
Public Safety for Public Safety Telecommunicators and is designated to carry “APCO International’s Agency
Training Program Certification”. This certification validates the agency’s training curriculum to ensure it
provides trainees with both the required content and focuses on the demonstration of decision and
psychomotor skills cited within the standards.
GM911 is a 911 Call Center Partner with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
since 2012. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® is the leading nonprofit organization in
the U.S. working with law enforcement, families and the professionals who serve them on issues related
to missing and sexually exploited children.
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport 10The Quality Assurance/Training Section is responsible for compiling and maintaining documentation to
meet the 911 communication requirements for the following:
EMD/EFD Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE)
APCO ANS 3.103.2-2015 – Training Standards for Public Safety Telecommunicators
Division of Criminal Information (DCI) – Service Agreements and Compliance
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), for (Greensboro Police and
Guilford County Sheriff’s Office)
Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS), for Guilford County EMS
Insurance Services Office (ISO) for Greensboro City Fire and Guilford County Fire
This section is responsible for the training of all new Emergency Communications employees through an in-
house Rookie School, and providing continuing education on a monthly basis to all existing Emergency
Communications employees. In 2020, GM911 conducted one Rookie School with seven Emergency
Communications Specialists. Although, in-person training was limited in 2020 due to the COVID19 Pandemic,
GM911 employees received, as a whole, approximately 6,025 training hours.
Training hours accrue through In-Service Training, Rookie School, Multimedia Education, Local Administrative
Meetings, State and National Conferences, as well as on-the-job training.
Training in 2020 included, but was not limited to, the following:
Rookie School:
International Academy of Emergency Dispatch Courses: Emergency Telecommunicator Course (ETC),
Emergency Police Dispatch (EPD), Emergency Fire Dispatch (EFD), Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD),
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and Division of Criminal Information (DCI).
Additional training taught in-house or by other sources:
On-the-Job Training, Protocol updates and review (EMD, EPD, and EFD). TDD&TTY Operations and Text
Translation, Wellness/Fitness, and HR updates. Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), Leadership and Professional
Development, CPR, Crisis Intervention, Geography, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
(NCMEC), Customer Service, Fielding Multiple Calls for the Same Event, and Emerging Infectious Disease
Surveillance (EIDS) Tool for Coronavirus.
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport 11The QA/Training Section is the point of contact for Agency, DSS,
and Public Information Requests. Preparing requests expends
approximately 50-60 hours per month:
Requests 2019/2020
2019 5,558
2020 6,065
5,300 5,400 5,500 5,600 5,700 5,800 5,900 6,000 6,100 6,200
Number of Requests by Type
21,020
25,000 328
20,000 3,701
15,000 1,598 884 766
1,337 12
10,000
5,000
0
1
DSS Public (Attorney/Citizen/Media) Documents reviewed/redacted
Redacted Phone Calls Agency (Law, EMS, Fire) Radio Traffic
Unredacted Phone Calls Subpoenas
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport 122020 Annual Training Information
Guilford Metro 911 is an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) in two call-take disciplines
through the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED). Emergency Fire Dispatch
(EFD) was achieved in 2009 and Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) in 2010.
An accredited agency must meet and maintain Twenty Points of Accreditation.
The 20 points range from maintaining monthly compliance levels set by the International
Academy of Emergency Dispatch, to providing ongoing continuing dispatch education, and
oversight committee participation, which provides guidance and approval of policies and
procedures.
The Quality Assurance/Training Team must randomly audit 3% of the annual call volume for
medical calls on a monthly basis and 12 fire calls per week. The center must maintain at a
minimum, overall quarterly compliance levels as indicated below:
Emergency Communication Specialists receive feedback on a monthly basis. The reporting and
feedback process is a crucial part of the Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement program, as it
helps to enrich the services GM911 provides to the citizens and agencies in which we serve.
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport 13COMPLIANCE LEVELS 2020
EMD 2020 EFD 2020
2% 6% 1% 3%
3%
4%
19%
24%
64% 74%
High Compliance Compliant High Compliance Compliant
Partial Compliance Low Compliance Partial Compliance Low Compliance
Non-Compliant Non-Compliant
EPD 2020
4%
3% GM911 implemented Emergency Police
Dispatch (EPD) Protocols to process Law
10% 52% Enforcement calls in 2018.
The QA team conducts random law call reviews
using ACE standards in all categories with the
exception of auditing 3% of the annual call
volume. Currently the QA/Training Section does
31%
not have enough staff members to meet and
maintain this particular ACE requirement for the
High Compliance Compliant EPD discipline.
Partial Compliance Low Compliance
Non-Compliant
14PUBLIC RELATIONS
Guilford Metro 911 is dedicated to fostering strong relationships throughout the community, as well
as educating the general public about 911, our organization, and other public safety topics. Through
the Red E. Fox program and other outreach efforts at local schools and youth centers, GM911 staff
teaches the importance of 911 to area youth. Department members from all divisions participate in
various public relations events and gatherings throughout the year. This allows for members of the
community, local businesses, and partner agencies to fortify bonds with GM911 in ways that cannot
be achieved through other means.
2020 Public Relations Events
RACE Meetings with Moses Cone Hospital
GMA Meetings
Northern Guilford High School Public Safety Program
GPD Chief Swearing-In Ceremony
911 Goes to Washington
City of Greensboro Blackout Tuesday Zoom
City of Greensboro Racial Inequities in the Workplace Zoom
City of Greensboro Success and Personal Adversity Zoom
IT Is For Girls Camp
Who Makes Up the Latino Community Zoom
NOTE: GM911 participated in no PR Events in April, May, July, September, and November
due to COVID-19
Tours
o 22 Tours
o 29 Attendees
o NOTE: GM911 did not have any tours in April, May, July, Aug, September, October,
November due to COVID-19
GM911 depends on feedback from both agencies and citizens in order to provide the best customer
service in the community. We view all feedback as an opportunity for growth and evolution as a
department. The tables below show a comparison of the last two years of feedback.
Commendations 2020 2019 Complaints 2020 2019
Citizen 12 20 Citizen 4 5
Other Agencies 19 20 Other Agencies 31 30
Internal 65 35 Total 35 35
Total 96 75 Founded 31 27
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport
15Guilford Metro 911 Emergency Communications is a consolidated 911 Public Safety
Answering Point (PSAP) serving all of Greensboro and Guilford County. The
Communications Center maintains trained staff to process calls for service without
prejudice and using all available resources. This division provides citizen support by
answering calls for service for emergencies and non-emergencies on a 24-hour basis
During the course of the last year, the Emergency Communications Division
EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
processed 704,357 calls.
Justice Complex Primary PSAP
In the event of a natural or man-made disaster, or during maintenance and
upgrades, Emergency Communications employees can evacuate the Justice site
and continue operations at the fully equipped backup center. GM911 has the
ability for the two sites to seamlessly operate as a 44 position center or as two
completely separate sites in case of disaster.
Meadowood Site Backup PSAP
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport 16TELEPHONE STATISTICS
The NC 911 Board utilizes the Emergency Call Tracking System (ECaTS), a statewide reporting system
for the 911 industry. The ECaTS call answering reports have consistently shown GM911 as a top leader
in the state on answering 99% of calls within 10 seconds.
2020 2019 % of change
911 Calls Received 324,493 330,354 1.8% decrease
10 Digit Calls Received 194,392 210,991 7.9% decrease
Outgoing Calls 185,472 107,550 42% increase
Total Telephone Transactions 704,357 649,095 7.8% increase
We experienced a decrease in the number of landline 911 calls. Our 911 wireless calls have
increased from 80.74% to 83% of our call volume this year. The center experienced a significant
decrease in abandoned calls.
General Telephone Statistics 2020 2019 % of change
Monthly average of 911 calls received 27,041 27,530 1.8% decrease
Daily average of 911 calls received 889 905 1.8% decrease
Monthly average of Wireless 911 calls received 22,448 22,184 1.2% increase
Monthly average of Residential 911 calls received 649 718 9.6% decrease
Monthly average of Business 911 calls received 906 1,208 25% decrease
Monthly average of Abandoned 911 calls received 522 1,347 61.2% decrease
Monthly average of VOIP 911 calls received 2,577 2,612 1.3% decrease
Monthly average of TTY/TDD/Text-to-911calls 172 60 65.1% increase
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport 17DISPATCH STATISTICS
GM911 Emergency Communications dispatches EMS calls for all of Guilford County. Our
center provides 911 dispatch and radio services for other cities, towns, and unincorporated
areas in Guilford County, excluding the City of High Point. GM911 experienced an
overall decrease in calls for service, with a great percentage of those being Guilford
County Fire and Greensboro City Fire calls, due to their response plan changes for the
COVID-19 Virus.
2020 2019
Agency % of Change
Total Calls Total Calls
EMS 83,614 86,178 3% decrease
Guilford Co. Fire 13,965 15,826 11.8% decrease
Guilford Co.Sheriff 62,708 70,041 10.5% decrease
Greensboro Fire 32,661 40,516 19.4% decrease
Greensboro Police 203,717 213,354 4.5% decrease
Grand Total 396,665 425,915 6.9% decrease
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport 18EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS STAFFING
The actual staffing of the Emergency Communications Division in 2020 was 80 Emergency
Communications Specialists (ECS). The authorized ECS staffing was 92 positions, including
supervisors. The average vacancy per month for this year was 8 ECS positions. Seven new
Emergency Communications Specialists were hired in 2020.
In 2020, twelve Emergency Communications Specialists resigned. We have ended the calendar
year with twelve vacancies.
Experience
Authorized Resignations/ % of
Calendar Year GreaterThan
Strength Terminations Turnover
1 Year
2016 93* 11 11.83 8
2017 93* 19 20.43 15
2018 93* 4 4.3 4
2019 93* 4 4.3 4
2020 93* 12 13.9 8
* Includes Operations Manager position
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport 19PUBLIC SAFETY INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
The Public Safety Information Technology (PSIT) division is responsible for research and
data analysis for multiple City and County departments. PSIT also manages special
projects and the acquisition, maintenance, and operation of all hardware and software
supporting the operations of Guilford Metro 911, Greensboro Police and Fire
departments, and an array of networks and computer systems, with the exception of
the radio system. Technologies supported by PSIT include the Computer Aided Dispatch
(CAD), 911 phones, recording system, Windows Servers, Linux Servers, Mobile
Communications Terminals (MCT) and Records Management Systems (RMS), as well as
connectivity for external agencies. PSIT also supports and maintains the GM911
website, security cameras, cellular telephony, data replication and disaster recovery
solutions, and NetMotion Mobility servers. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and
Master Street Address Guide (MSAG) maintenance is also an essential function PSIT
provides for GM911 and other agencies.
2020 was a difficult year for IT departments throughout the world. In March, many local
governments established lockdowns throughout cities across the country with an
unprecedented number of people suddenly being forced to work remotely. A limited
number of Public Safety personnel had the means to work remotely, however, a large
portion were not equipped. PSIT staff made a tremendous effort to quickly supply
qualifying Public Safety personnel with the equipment and software needed to work
remotely. The efforts of PSIT were successful and all public safety agencies were able to
operate during the initial lockdowns and beyond. Since March of 2020, PSIT has
replaced desktop PCs with laptops, supplied microphones and cameras to personnel,
trained and assisted with Zoom and Microsoft Teams meetings, and expanded VPN
connectivity. Additionally, the impact of the pandemic has been significant across all
departments and PSIT is no exception. Operating in a work-from-home/onsite scenario
between quarantines and bouts with COVID, PSIT has managed to adequately support
all public safety agencies thus far in the pandemic.
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport 202020 Highlights
US Digital Designs Phoenix G2 Station Alerting
TrackIt Help Desk system for Police IT
Workforce Telestaff implementation
Priority Dispatch upgrades
Crowdstrike security software implementation
Implemented remote work capabilities for eligible staff at Fire, Police, and 911
Zerto Disaster Recovery upgrade
Police District 2 move to new facility
Implementation of new Windows file server to replace aging Synology storage
Replacement of aging DIMS server utilized by Police and Fire
Windows 10 upgrades from end-of-life versions to supported versions
Implementation of EIDS tool for COVID screening prior to arrival of responding agencies
TrackIt Help Desk system for Fire Logistics
IA Pro software suite upgraded
Wireless bridge replacement to GM911 auxiliary lot
Future Projects
Gunshot detection platform for Police
Asset Management platform implementation
License Plate Reader system for Police
Camera system upgrade for Police personnel at Swing Rd. and Soabar St.
RapidSOS CAD integration
Next Generation 911 enhancements and integration
Fire server migrations
SCCM endpoint implementations
Radio console upgrades
System uptime is critical for the 24/7/365 emergency operations center. PSIT strives for high availability,
steady performance, and data integrity. Excluding planned downtime, GM911’s CAD and Phone systems
uptime did not fall below 99.99% for 2020.
System Uptime Percentage
100
50
0
1ST QUARTER 2ND QUARTER 3RD QUARTER 4TH QUARTER
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport
21Help Desk/Work Orders
In addition to project completion and equipment rollout, in 2020, PSIT completed well over 7000 work
orders from internal and external users, with many being completed within 24 hours of submission.
GM911/Fire Closed Tickets for 2020:
GPD Closed Tickets for 2020:
*PSIT at GPD went Live with TrackIt Help Desk in 2020. Additional 374 tickets
were closed prior to going Live*
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport 22GIS
Internally, the PSIT division has GIS staff that is responsible for updating geographic information for
emergency and non-emergency responses. This data is crucial in helping to identify a caller's location and
recommending the proper response by specific agencies. This key component drives our CAD system and
allows for responders to navigate efficiently to emergencies. PSIT staff works with various agencies to
ensure that we have as current and accurate information as possible. In 2020, GIS staff made the following
significant changes:
Annexations – 39
Street Segment Additions – 667
Street Segment Edits – 32,579
Address Point Additions/Edits – 21,409
Polygon Edits – 3,904
Map Updates – 15
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport
23The Technical Services Division of Guilford Metro 911 operates a full-service,
customer owned and maintained (COAM) 800 MHz Trunked wireless radio
system. We also program, support, and offer accessories for subscriber
equipment.
The division strives to provide excellent customer service by producing
professional results in our maintenance, repair, and programming of our
radio system and end-user subscriber equipment for voice, data,
emergency, and non-emergency communications.
We also provide consultation, order processing, and project management for
our customers to help them best meet their needs in communications.
TECHNICAL SERVICES
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport
242020 was another busy year with continued installation and configuration of the P25 core and site
network. System 7.17 version hardware and software optimizations and enhancements were
continually performed, which are required to maximize the performance of these systems and keep
the network functioning to specification. Continual software and security enhancements allow us to
maintain a state of the art communications system that is both secure and robust enough to meet
the needs of our public safety users. We also continued to attend national and state meetings,
conferences, trainings, workshops for NC Emergency Management, FIRSTNET, APCO, NENA,
MTUG, NCSIEC, NCFIRSTECH and other organizations. With the Covid19 pandemic, most of these
meetings were held virtually this past year.
This year marks the end of our Migration Assurance Plan (MAP) as we finished up our final MAP
project which was our Southeast tower site. The Southeast tower site has greatly enhanced our
system coverage in that corner of the county and into Alamance County. Through our MAP project
we have been able to fully upgrade our system to the latest industry standards of P25 compliance,
increase our system RF coverage throughout the county with additional RF and data tower sites,
upgrade our system security levels to fend against network attacks, enhance audio quality and
strengthen the redundancy of the system.
Our users consist mainly of public safety and public works agencies on the local, state, and federal
levels throughout the cities of Greensboro, High Point, Thomasville, Burlington and Winston Salem
that encompasses Guilford, Alamance, Davidson, Randolph and Forsyth Counties.
NCDOT, 71 Thomasville, 331 UNCG, 85 A&T Unv., 84
PTAA, 62
PTAR, 56 Carelink , 35
High Point Unv., 104 NPS, 18
Cone Health, 42
High Point Reg. Hosp., 3 Burlington, DEA, 60
488
Guilford County, 2,342
Greensboro, 2,736
GTCC, 79
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport 25The Technical Services Division delivers ongoing management and assistance with projects and daily
operations to both internal and external customers. Outstanding customer service and efficiency is always at
the top of the priority list for our division. Below are just some of the completed projects for 2020, as well as a
few of our future projects.
2020 Projects
• Collaboration with USDD for the installation of the new Fire Alerting System that utilizes our house set
setup for automated alerting redundancy for the entire City of Greensboro Fire Dept.
• Completion of our new Southeast tower site on Dusty Road in Liberty
• Continued radio codeplug building and programming for changes to the High Point and Thomasville
Radio Systems to maintain interoperability
• Continued alignment and optimization of radios to manufacturer specifications for safety and
optimum performance
• MCM database upgrades
• Procurement of the latest software platform for our MCM database (Motiondeck)
• Genesis database upgrades
• Continued agreement with Motorola for system maintenance and SUA
• Continued maintenance of the City of Thomasville’s public safety and non-public safety radio system
and radio units
• Setup of several additional talk group patches for direct communications for surrounding agencies
• Allowance and setup of backup talk groups to support the City of High Point in the event that their
radio system fails
• Setup and configuration of units for Graham Police and Graham Fire in anticipation of them joining our
system January 2021
• Setup and configuration of units for Alamance Community College in anticipation of interoperability
with our system users January 2021
• Procurement of new microwave backhaul for our five older tower sites
• Co-location of North Carolina VIPER radio system at our Triad Park tower site
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport
26Future Projects
• Adding customers to GM911 Regional Network
• Upgrading our MCM database to Motiondeck
• GPS location services for radios
• Genesis Database Upgrades
• Ability to connect our P25 system to other P25 systems
• Public Safety Grade Wireless LTE Data (FIRSTNET)
• Continued Radio Codeplug Building and Programming for users to maintain interoperability
• Continue to Install modern security camera systems at tower sites
• Continue pursuit of Radio Management System to move toward wireless radio programming
• Continued alignment and optimization of field radios to manufacturer specification for optimum
performance and user safety
• Training to assist with ever changing R56 standards compliance
• Update Conventional backup Repeaters to a new platform
• Upgrade our five older tower sites to newer microwave backhaul
• Replace current console dispatching equipment with the latest technology (MCC 7500E)
• Continue support for the City of Thomasville’s radio system’s maintenance and subscriber
alignments for optimum performance and user safety
• System upgrade from 7.17 to A2020 platform
Guilford Metro 911 2020 Annual Report 27Guilford Metro 911 prides itself on being able to support the community and provide a
safer place for citizens to live, work, and enjoy. Employees are recognized throughout the
year for their hard work and dedication to service and community. Without their support
and diligence, the department would not be what it is — a center of excellence.
2020 NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATOR WEEK AWARD RECIPIENTS
Telecommunicator Rookie Support Person
of the Year of the Year of the Year
Nicole Childress Leslie Rhodes Steven Harvell
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
Master Telecommunicator ACE Award 2020 Life Saving Awards
Achievement Award
Nicole Childress – EFD, EPD Bernadette Ngetich – x4
Jeri Phillips Paige Cummings – EFD, EPD Robin Grassi – x3
Kellie Zimmerman – EFD, EPD Dana Hall – x3
Michael Huntoon Tracye Hall – EMD Jennifer Batson
Michael Taylor – EPD William Daniel
Gregory Cobb – EFD Robin Maness
Kristina Shaver – EPD Breanna Edwards – x2
Michael Justin Davis – EFD Jessica Eason – x3
Performance
Breana Edwards – EPD Stay Wallace
Standard Awards Ray Kivett – EFD Kellie Zimmerman
EMD Chris Champagne – EMD Ashley Hand
James Gemperline Charlena Hogue – EPD Tammy Matherly
Jennifer Batson – EFD, EPD James Gemperline
EFD Cheryl Hodges – EFD Kristina Shaver
James Gemperline Alexandra Carroll – EPD Cassie Jobe – x2
John Fanning Casey Grant – EPD Michael Huntoon
Corrie Wagoner – EFD, EPD Jeffery Harrison
Kenya Kitchel James Gemperline – EPD Janecia Harris – x4
Kris Riley Justin Jones – EFD, EMD Sheila Mayo
Matthew Wall Shanice Scott – EFD, EPD Michael Justin Davis
Justin Sugalski – EPD Chris Champagne
Yolanda Graham – EPD Heather LeQuire
Christina Miller – EPD James Greer
Michelle Miller – EPD Alina Simmons
Mindy Medford – EMD Leslie Rhodes
Misty Ritchie – EFD Kenya Kitchel
Evelyn Kabler – EFD, EPD Gregory Cobb
Jeri Phillips – EFD, EPD Corrie Wagoner
John Fanning – EPD Angela Mitchell
Kenya Kitchel – EPD Bobby Westmoreland
Kimberly Williams – EMD Paige Cummings
Sunserey Wilson
Cindy Little
Casey Grant
Guilford Metro 911 2020 AnnualReport 28For more information about Guilford Metro 911
and the material in this report, please contact
our Administrative Office at 336-373-2933 or
visit us at www.greensboro-nc.gov
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