Accomplishments

System Stability: In Fiscal Year 2023, Denco completed the software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) platform, a milestone project which increases stability by establishing multiple layers of connectivity in the 9-1-1 network. Infrastructure replacements and upgrades were completed throughout the district, including routers, power supplies and servers at Denco and emergency communications center facilities.

Public Education & Outreach: Over the course of the fiscal year, Denco participated in dozens of events throughout the district, including in-person attendance and support requests from partner agencies. Staff reached thousands of citizens with 9-1-1 messaging, such as Text-to-9-1-1 functionality and educational tips for families. Denco social media accounts saw increased activity, with tracking and planning measures implemented. Outreach activities strengthened Denco’s relationships with key partners, including police departments, fire departments, school districts and chambers of commerce.

Back-to-School Campaign: For the start of the 2023-24 school year, Denco initiated a Back-to-School 9-1-1 campaign working with ten independent school districts across the county.  The campaign focused on Text-to-9-1-1 awareness and a message: “9-1-1 is here to help — Call if you can, text if you can’t.” The Back-to-School project was not only successful in reaching educators and students of all grade levels, but strengthened relationships between Denco and school district staff, supporting future impactful projects.

Training: Denco’s training program once again attracted public safety staff from throughout the state, with 123 courses and 19,019 total training hours conducted in 2023. Denco successfully completed the annual assessment from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. Denco launched a training webpage to provide an online training alternative for certain initiatives, such as the Indoor Mapping and AED Registry projects. In less than 15 minutes, dispatchers can learn what a 9-1-1 tool has to offer, without the need for an in-person course.

 

Testing: The Denco-operated pre-employment testing program brings in local dispatch candidates for a slate of aptitude tests. If a candidate’s scores exceed certain thresholds, Denco sends their information to partner agencies for review and consideration. This program directly provides the 9-1-1 centers with high-quality candidates, saving managers time and effort as they seek to fill open telecommunicator positions.

Indoor Mapping Project: In Fiscal Year 2023, Denco’s GIS indoor mapping project passed a major milestone: 100% completion of public schools. Dispatchers can now view detailed floor plan information for each public school in their service area, allowing them to better pinpoint a caller’s location and enhance the location information provided to emergency responders. With all public schools completed, the project is currently focused on other high-traffic buildings, including private schools, government buildings and apartment complexes.

PulsePoint AED Registry Project: The PulsePoint AED Locator tool, which provides 9-1-1 dispatchers access to enhanced data on defibrillator locations, was successfully installed at several emergency communications centers in Fiscal Year 2023. During a cardiac emergency 9-1-1 call, Denco-provided software scans the caller’s location for nearby AEDs, automatically displaying the closest devices within 100 yards.