FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Regional Resiliency Initiative Ensures Uninterrupted 911 Services
June 13, 2024, Everett, Washington - Two of Washington State's largest 911 centers, Snohomish County 911
(SNO911) and Valley Com 9-1-1, have formed an innovative partnership to assure continuity of emergency
communications services during disruptions or system outages. This Regional Resiliency Initiative combines
Next Generation 911 (NG911) capabilities with a custom cloud-based Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD)
solution called CAD-L.
On June 5th, the two centers successfully conducted a live 911 call re-routing drill that validated this
groundbreaking vision over four years in the making. It is believed to be the first resiliency solution of this
magnitude introduced in the United States.
Ensuring Seamless Dispatch During Outages
While NG911 has enabled 911 call re-routing between centers since 2012, effectively dispatching responders
in another jurisdiction with different policies and protocols has remained a challenge. SNO911 created CAD-L,
a cloud-hosted backup CAD system accessible via browser, to maintain dispatch capabilities during planned
downtimes.
CAD-L operates independently from the primary CAD and supports essential features to initiate and manage
emergency responses. It was designed for partner centers to easily localize and use with minimal training.
"Snohomish County residents have faith that 911 will be available whenever needed, without fail. To meet
that expectation, we continuously evaluate risks our ECC may encounter, and plan in advance to prepare and
maintain services," said Kurt Mills, Executive Director of SNO911.
A Perfect Partnership
SNO911 and Valley Com 9-1-1 were ideal partners, being consolidated multi-discipline 911 centers of similar
size, call volumes, and staffing levels. Both have dedicated backup facilities to rapidly relocate operations if
needed.
"We are a large ECC, but not an LA or NYC who have the resources to simultaneously staff and operate two
geographically diverse ECCs," said Andie Burton, SNO911 Director of Operations.
The centers' locations over forty miles apart proved inconsequential, as the partnership could effectively
operate across the state.
Overcoming the "Then What?" Challenge
Derek Wilson, SNO911 Operations Manager, explained, "It was clear we had a duty to work on this, to make
sure that if we needed to evacuate, there was a process to continue service, both answering calls and
dispatching responders."
While NG911 addressed re-routing calls, the complex task was developing an effective backup CAD solution.
Unable to find a commercial product, SNO911 commissioned a software firm to create CAD-L.
"Since it was possible, we felt we had to do it," said Wilson.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Robust CAD Capabilities
CAD-L provides core CAD functionality localized for each agency, including geo-validating locations,
identifying jurisdictions and beats, designating incident types and priorities, assigning and tracking units, and
seamlessly integrating with RapidSOS.
As a secure, Elastic web application hosted on AWS GovCloud, CAD-L dynamically scales to meet peak
demands while minimizing costs during inactivity.
Successful Live 911 Drill
After months of collaboration, training, and procedure development, the partnership underwent a live 911 drill
on June 5th, 2024, re-routing actual calls between centers and using CAD-L for real-time call-taking and
dispatch.
"We had several simulations and table-top drills, but at some point, we knew we needed a live exercise," said
Burton. Despite some technical and operational learnings, the system and partnership exceeded
expectations.
SNO911 Board President Jon Nehring praised this milestone in collaboration: "On behalf of the SNO911
Board of Directors, I want to extend my congratulations to the entire team at SNO911 and our partners at
Valley Com 9-1-1 on this first in the nation achievement. This partnership fortifies the resiliency of the 911
system for over 1.5 million residents in a way that will save lives when minutes matter most.”
About SNO911
Snohomish County 911 is an integrated emergency services team providing the vital lifeline between public
safety responders and our community. Located in Everett, Washington, SNO911 serves communities
throughout the Snohomish County, dispatching Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical Services to a population
of 840,000. https://sno911.org
About Valley Com 9-1-1
Located in Kent, Washington, Valley Communications Center provides emergency communications services
to communities of South King County. Valley Com is responsible for answering emergency 9-1-1 calls and
dispatching Police, Fire Departments and Emergency Medical Services to citizens requiring
assistance. https://valleycom.org/
Media Contact and Inquiries:
Nic Wildeman
[email protected]425-285-2902
PIONEERING 911 RESILIENCY SOLUTION
Ensures Uninterrupted Emergency Response
Two of Washington State’s largest Emergency Communications Centers (ECCs) formed a
partnership to assure service continuity during scheduled or unscheduled downtime.
The Regional Resiliency Initiative is a major innovation combining Next Generation 911 (NG
911) with Washington State’s Emergency Services IP Network (ESInet) and CAD-L, a
custom-built cloud-based CAD solution designed for ECC resiliency preparedness. On
June 5th both ECCs conducted a live 911 drill that was successful and validated a vision that
is more than four years in the making.
PROJECT FOCUS Most ECCs operate a back-up location and this
initiative is focused on continuity of operations
Re-routing incoming calls has been a feature of while staff relocate to their back-up locations.
ESInet since 2012, enabling ECC to redirect calls
to another ECC anywhere in the State. However, SNO911 has formed a partnership with Valley
effectively managing incidents beyond Com 9-1-1 in Kent, WA. Valley Com 9-1-1 is is also
answering the 911 call in another center with a consolidated multi-discipline ECC with call
different systems and protocols is typically not volumes similar to SNO911.
feasible or possible. By making CAD-L available to Valley Com 9-1-1
Everett Washington’s Snohomish County 911 and creating streamlined call-taking
(SNO911) team set out to create a backup procedures in the event of a disruption of
Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD system, initially operations in either center, a complete
intended to cover periods of unplanned or resiliency framework has been built to assure
planned system downtime, for upgrades and responses to emergencies in both jurisdictions.
patching in their own center. On June 5, 2024, a successful real-time test of
Nicknamed CAD-L, the cloud-hosted solution is the partnership proved the planning,
securely accessible via a browser, operates technology, and partnership between the two
independently of the primary CAD, and 911 centers deliver highly reliable service to
supports essential dispatch features necessary both communities. We are unaware of any
to initiate and manage emergency responses. other similar initiative of this magnitude
CAD-L was deliberately designed for partner anywhere in the United States.
ECC’s to be able to localize and easily put to use
with minimal training. 1
SNO911 – Valley Com 9-1-1 Regional Resiliency Initiative
RESPONDING, NO MATTER WHAT
SNO911 & Valley Com 9-1-1 have been adopters of
Next Generation 911 advanced technology to
expand access and accelerate responses to
everyday emergencies.
As of mid-2020, all 86 of Washington State’s 911
emergency call centers completed their upgrade
to NG911 and are managing call routing on the
backbone of the statewide ESInet.
The importance of readiness is taken very seriously
by ECCs everywhere. Preparedness for major
regional catastrophes like earthquakes or wildland
fires is important, but smaller everyday incidents
pose the greatest likelihood of disruption to
operations.
Needing to evacuate the ECC is more likely to
come from unexpected emergencies. SNO911
experienced their own close call when roofers
caught a section of the roof on fire and smoke was
pulled into the building. ECCs need a plan on how
activity is managed while telecommunicators
relocate to their back-up center.
Deepening the strategic use of ESInet, Everett Washington’s SNO911 formed an alliance
with Valley Com 9-1-1, a similar-sized ECC located in Kent, WA, about 40 miles from
SNO911’s base in Everett. Establishing pre-configured alternate Policy Routing Functions
(PRF) within ESInet allows supervisors in either of the centers to quickly initiate re-routing
of 911 to another ECC.
Both teams now know that even in the event of the unexpected, callers in their
communities will reach the 911 lifeline so they can get the help they need.
“CALLS ARE RE-ROUTED…AND THEN WHAT?”
To put it simply: ESInet re-routing of 911 traffic so callers can reach a trained dispatcher is
only part of the equation. Once the location and crucial details are gathered, police and fire
must be alerted, and responses managed and that was ultimately the challenge.
911 centers everywhere plan for unplanned CAD outages, typically with a systems of cards
for each emergency and written notes for tracking units responding, and runners who
deliver the cards/paper to the appropriate dispatcher.
Some centers add magnet boards to track the status of responder units, and some have
innovated with the use of LEGO® blocks to represent movements of response vehicles.
Although these manual processes are necessary and exist in most ECCs, they are inefficient
and prone for delayed responses. These manual methods have been common for years,
but with advances in technologies and solutions like CAD-L, better ways exist.
2
SNO911 – Valley Com 9-1-1 Regional Resiliency Initiative
A PERFECT PARTNERSHIP
Located in Everett, From the beginning, it was important that the two partners have
Washington, similar characteristics: similar capacity to handle heavy call
SNO911 is one of the volume, experience in consolidated multi-discipline call-taking
state’s busiest 911 (Police, Fire & EMS) and dispatching, and the immediate
centers. Their availability of a backup center in the case of emergency.
dispatch staff of 123
answered nearly 750,000 requests In 2017 Snohomish County Washington consolidated two PSAP
for service in 2023. SNO911 is a operations into what became SNO911 a consolidated,
consolidated ECC dispatching 43 multidiscipline PSAP managing police, fire and EMS emergency
different Law Enforcement and responses. In a forward-looking decision by the Board of
Fire/EMS responders in Directors, the second 911 center in Mountlake Terrace was
Washington’s third largest county
preserved as a backup center, kept ready to take over operation
of over 850,000.
immediately.
SNO911 is known for innovations Policies were put into place to rapidly evacuate the Everett center
which continuously enhance and transport staff to the backup location, however there was
services to the public and support never a good solution to manage activity while dispatch staff
of emergency responders.
relocate to the back-up.
A culture of vision for the future During the intense challenges of the COVID pandemic, SNO911
and proactive change was able to maintain physical distancing by scheduling a
management are at the core of percentage of the staff complement to work in each center,
SNO911 values. protecting the health of staff. At the time, splitting operations was
useful, however it carried its own challenges and was not a
permanent option.
“We are a large ECC, but not an LA or NYC who have the
resources to staff and operate two geographically diverse ECCs.”
Valley Com 9-1-1 is a consolidated
PSAP coordinating emergency Andie Burton, SNO911 Director of Operations.
responses from Law Enforcement
and Fire/EMS agencies in southern
King County, immediately south of Like SNO911, Valley Com 9-1-1 is a busy center, accustomed to
Seattle. handling peak demand volumes. Like SNO911, Valley Com 9-1-1 is a
Located in Kent, Washington, multi-jurisdictional 911 center providing emergency
Valley Com 9-1-1 provides communications for police, fire & EMS. Valley Com also has a
emergency communications dedicated backup facility in the King County Sheriff’s Office
services to 23 emergency response dispatch center, equipped and ready to be operational rapidly.
agencies.
Both backup centers keep a high-availability ‘mirrored’ instance
Valley Com 9-1-1’s staff of 103 of their critical systems using virtualization and geographically
answered 660,117 requests for
diverse networking. The only thing that is needed is the staff. The
service in 2023.
similarities between the alliance partners make for a perfect
match with capacity to support each other during unanticipated
operating interruptions. For each center, downtime is likely to be
very brief – roughly 30 minutes to relocate dispatch teams and
restore nominal operations. The question was: “How do we
manage activity during the time teams are relocating?”
Notably, proximity of the partners has proved unimportant. The
cities of Everett and Kent are more than 40 miles apart, separated
by the densely populated city of Seattle and several suburban
communities. SNO911 and Valley Com 911 do not share a border.
Effectively, the partners in the Regional Resiliency Initiative could
be on opposite sides of the state.
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SNO911 – Valley Com 9-1-1 Regional Resiliency Initiative
AN AUDACIOUS IDEA
Derek Wilson, Operations Manager summed up the inspiration for CAD-L and developing this level of
redundancy: “It was clear to us that we had a duty to work on this, to make sure that if we need to
evacuate (bug-out), there will be a process to continue service, both answering calls and
dispatching responders.”
It's easy to imagine the massive emergencies that would interrupt 911 services, but operating
disruptions are more likely to be caused by commonplace accidents like a roof fire, or an HVAC
failure. While operating in ‘backup mode’ for long periods is feasible, the partnership is intended to
cover brief periods when staff relocates during an evacuation.
Wilson went on to say: “Given the rerouting control of ESInet and capacity to manage call routing,
combined with contemporary cloud software engineering, we can address both workloads. We saw
an obligation to make sure we are ready, no matter what.”
Initiating ESInet call re-routing is rapid and in the control of an on-duty supervisor. Washington
State’s NG911 contractor Comtech enabled each ECC with a secure ability to access the Comtech
Policy Routing Function (PRF) table and re-route their 911 traffic to their backup partner ECC. Once
an ECC is ready to take their own 911 calls back, they can simply log back into that same secure
system and take back their own 911 calls.
This is one example of software-driven next generation technology for critical
infrastructures like 911 making a difference. Comtech is pleased to support the
forward thinking of both Sno911 and Valley Comm 911.”
Whitney Maxfield, Sr. Technical Program Manager, Comtech
BETTER THAN CARDS
The CAD-L concept began to take shape in 2018 as SNO911’s leaders evaluated how to ensure up-
time and leverage the re-routing capabilities of the ESI-net. Then came the challenging question of:
“then-what?” Unable to find a commercial solution, the agency set forth creating their own tool by
commissioning one of Seattle’s top software development firms.
The more complex task was developing a streamlined but effective mission-critical CAD resource. 911
centers use an array of CAD systems, and every jurisdiction localizes their system to match their own
has unique protocols and event codes. To ensure ease of use for the covering ECC, six generic type
codes were developed. Once narrative info is reviewed at the home agency, a final coding is
assigned and resources dispatched.
Duplicating two exact data frameworks and system user experiences, is unreasonable at several
levels, not the least being an expectation that a dispatcher could develop proficiency with two very
different systems.
“The magnitude of this operational functionality between ECCs in different
counties must be appreciated. Through innovative collaboration and
improved technology, this endeavor allowed us to add another level of
continuity to better serve the public, our communities, and partner agencies
without interruption or delay. “
- Angee Bunk, RPL, CPE, Deputy Director, Valley Com 9-1-1
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SNO911 – Valley Com 9-1-1 Regional Resiliency Initiative
FORMULA FOR CAD-L CAPABILITIES
SUCCESS The application provides an impressive suite of core CAD
Success in this Regional functionality, localized for each ECC, and includes:
Resiliency solution involves • The ability to geo-validate locations and common places against
three major components: the home agency GIS
1. A partnership between two • Identify jurisdictional boundaries and beats
ECC’s with similar operating
scope and resources, ready
• Designate incident types and priorities
to immediately provide • Provide assignment recommendations,
backup for each other and • Assign and track units
form a collaboration to
establish and practice • Add narrative and filter views by jurisdiction.
procedures for diverse It includes a command-line, integration with RapidSOS, and the
emergency situations. ability to send alerts to responders. The application can operate on
a single monitor or span across multiple. These capabilities and
2. Pre-configuration of the ability to localize make it easily adaptable for each ECC.
Policy Routing Functions
to activate call re-routing
via ESInet
3. Adoption, training and
practice of CAD-L to manage
call and dispatch operations
CAD-L screen grab
An Elastic web-application securely hosted in the cloud; the
solution dynamically scales based on workload which ensures the
system can meet peak demands at any moment. This also keeps
costs minimal when the application isn’t being used and ensures
the system can adapt and increase resources automatically during
use.
The application is hosted in the highly secure Amazon Web
Services GovCloud (AWS GovCloud), an environment designed for
sensitive workloads.
Snohomish County residents have faith that 911 will be available
whenever needed, without fail. To meet that expectation, we
continuously evaluate risks our own ECC may encounter, and plan
in advance to prepare and maintain services.
Kurt Mills, Executive Director, SNO911
5
SNO911 – Valley Com 9-1-1 Regional Resiliency Initiative
TESTED AND PROVEN
The Regional Resiliency Initiative is designed for brief temporary
activation however there is no reason the capabilities couldn’t
be sustained for longer periods of time. Several iterations of
CAD-L were tested, improved and iterated by the SNO911 team
before introducing it to Valley Com 9-1-1.
Over the course of several months, there were continued
improvements, staff-wide training and drills of both call routing
and CAD-L. This was a major investment in the collaborative
effort by both ECC’s.
At 8:00AM on Wednesday, June 5th, 2024, the partnership and
technologies were tested in a live operating mode. This was no
simulation.
“We had several simulation and table-top drills, but at some
point, we knew we needed a live exercise,” said Andie Burton.
911 calls were re-routed from each center to the other and CAD-
L was used in real-time call-taking and dispatch.
As with all testing of new procedures, there were technical and
operational learning opportunities for all. However, the system,
staff at both ECC’s, and partnership itself exceeded expectations
even during a busy mid-week commute.
Executive Director Mills summed up his congratulations to
both teams:
“The collaboration between VCC and SNO911, two of the
largest Emergency Communications Centers in the state,
which do not even share a border, is a testament to the
conscientious effort and teamwork displayed by all
involved. This accomplishment is a significant
achievement and helps increase the 911 resiliency for our
combined populations of more than 1.5 million.”
