The E9-1-1 Institute and NENA Host
4th Annual 9-1-1 Honors Gala
March 13, 2007
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Outstanding Call Center Award

Rochester-Monroe County, New York

The Outstanding Call Center Award recognizes a state, regional or local 9-1-1 program for its excellence in key emergency communications areas ranging from the handling of emergency situations reported to 9-1-1 to the deployment and management of new technology.  This year, we honor the combined emergency communications center for Rochester and Monroe Counties in New York.

The Mission statement of the Rochester-Monroe County Emergency Communications Department (ECD) reads: “Through our actions, we help save lives, protect property and assist the public in their time of need.”  This department serves as the consolidated PSAP for the entire Rochester and Monroe County area in New York State, an area encompassing some 735,000 citizens, providing dispatching services for 16 Police Departments, 45 Fire Departments, and 32 Emergency Medical Services Agencies.  In 2006 the ECD received more than 1 million calls and processes 1.2 million CAD events for these agencies. 

The ECD serves to integrate police, fire and emergency services, but also operates as an inter-governmental cooperation between Rochester and Monroe Counties.  The ECD is fully complaint with Phase II E9-1-1 wireless technology and is among the first to incorporate the use of Pictometry aerial images along with digital mapping in its response capabilities.  This not only allows for enhanced location verification, it also provides a visual image of the location and surrounding area for first responders.

More than a decade ago, a 9-1-1 call came into this call center from Jennifer Koon, a 16 year old that had been kidnapped and thrown in the trunk of her own car.  Jennifer called 9-1-1 from her cell phone but because of her situation was unable to speak the 9-1-1 operator who answered.   Having no ability to locate Jennifer, the call taker could only listen helplessly to the situation unfolding on the other end of the line.  Jennifer’s body was later found after she had been shot to death by her kidnappers.  This tragedy inspired her father into public service and in 2003, the E9-1-1 Institute recognized NY Assemblyman David Koon as its first government leader of the year for his work on advancing E9-1-1 Issues in New York State.  This same call center is being honored tonight for implementing the necessary technological changes to avoid another tragedy like the one that took Jennifer Koon’s life.

The ECD has embarked on an impressive public education campaign in its community and has reached out and offered assistance to neighboring PSAPs in times of need.  The ECD has also initiated an emergency medial dispatching program, assisting in the birth of over 86 babies.

The Rochester-Monroe Emergency Communications Department has raised the bar for all Public Safety Answering Posts around the country and has successfully overcome budget challenges to transform their facility into a model call center.  It is because of this dedication and the consequent lives that have been saved as a result that we are proud to present the Rochester-Monroe County Emergency Communications Department as the 2007 Outstanding Call Center of the Year.