Honoring the Commitment

Tim Fuller tells us why public safety needs to be at the forefront all industry players’ plans.

“Advancements in technology are coming at a rapid pace, and budgets are tighter than ever”
-Tim Fuller

INFRA. Is the economic environment affecting public safety communications?
Tim Fuller. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.  During these difficult economic times, we are all living out that old adage. The public safety market is certainly not immune from the continuous challenge of funding resources, nor the operational need to stretch the value of a dollar. Yet we must all still provide the highest level of service possible to the public, whether as an emergency service agency or a vendor participating in the industry.

Everyone at PlantCML and EADS understands the severity of these hard times, as well as the economic impact. But, at the end of the day, our collective commitment to our customers is to deliver operational benefit to their agency. This is the value we bring with our E9-1-1, emergency notification and professional mobile radio solutions.

INFRA. How is technology evolving in public safety?
TF. Advancements in technology are coming at a rapid pace, and budgets are tighter than ever. How do you move your call center into the next generation of public safety communications both affordably and assuredly? You trust the knowledge, expertise and experience of an industry leader, PlantCML, whose solutions are deployed in two out of three Public Safety Access Points (PSAP’s) in North America. 

The PlantCML team is continually researching and developing new technologies. We are also actively participating in key organizations like NENA, APCO and the 9-1-1 Industry Alliance (9IA) to design and implement new crisis communications standards. We are listening to our customers as they offer invaluable insight into the real-life demands, both economic and operational, of public safety.

We understand the need to make purchasing decisions wisely. We also know the world of technology is a complex and ever-changing one and our suite of solutions is uniquely designed to provide a full- and open-migration path, helping every PSAP achieve the highest level of efficiency possible.

INFRA. What is Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1)?
TF. As we all know, technology is evolving and is now more mobile than ever. First cell phones, and now Voice Over IP (VoIP), text messaging, imagery and video have changed everything, from how the general public makes an emergency call, to the way in which PSAPs field the calls and respond.  NG9-1-1 addresses the evolution of emergency call taking in a technology-saturated world centered on Internet Protocol (IP). IP will be the staple of NG9-1-1 for years to come, however, we must not lose sight of the present. Every PSAP has unique needs and some are able to transition to full IP solutions now, while others will start this new chapter at their own pace. 

INFRA. How is the promise of improved public safety realized in the NG9-1-1 PSAP environment? 
TF. NG9-1-1 will provide the foundation for the evolutionary improvement of public safety.  PlantCML solutions meet the needs of today and tomorrow through a common IP infrastructure promoting interoperability; Next Gen modules facilitating non-traditional communications handling; the advantage of open standards and most importantly, flexible solution design architecture

We know technology, in and of itself, does little to augment public safety. Yet other elements considered key to improvement, such as operations and ergonomics, are not receiving sufficient attention. Little consideration is being given to vital subjects such as avoiding sensory overload (intelligent data displa”), Standard operating Procedure (SoP) modification, telecommunicator training (technology/data utilization) and operational collaboration (true interoperability).

The answer is that NG 9-1-1 is only achieved through a balanced marriage of technology and operation, and next-generation solutions must be selected and implemented in such a way as to enhance the public safety agency’s overall operational effectiveness.

Tim Fuller is CEO of PlantCML, an EADS North America company, where he oversees all aspects of the business and maintains professional relationships with public safety industry associations, channel partners, customers and key suppliers. He, in concert with the Executive Management Team, sets the long-term vision of the entire organization, providing strategic direction, issue resolution and familiarity to PlantCML’s 600+ North American employees.