PlantCML releases upgraded VESTA Pallas, Communicator! NXT solutions
PlantCML, an EADS North America company, announced the latest release of its VESTA Pallas call-processing solution, which provides next-generation-911 functionality for emergency call centers with up to 24 call-taking positions. It is an IP-ready and fully deployable solution designed for single sites working independently, call centers that are part of a multi-site county organization, or those using remote positions at satellite facilities, according to the company.
VESTA Pallas is NG 911–ready and provides for computer telephony integration combining IP/PBX capabilities, integrated voice and data, Voice over Internet Protocol and Quality of Service data routing, and management information system features into a single, consolidated workstation. Other features include the availability of a private emergency network (PEN) and the high-availability framework. The PEN, available for interconnected call centers, enables voice calls to be established between an external caller and call takers at more than one location. A transferred call includes call party number, location information, call history, supplemental information, call notes and TTY. Each call also includes PEN call information and a unique PEN Call ID, according to the company.
The system was recently deployed by the Putnam County (WVa.) Office of Emergency Management inside its new 911 telecommunications center. The facility houses the Putnam County Fire Service Board, the 911 telecommunications center, the county’s emergency operations center, EMS Station 20 and the county garage. It is equipped with seven call-taking positions that field emergency and administrative calls from a county population of approximately 55,000 residents. The center also serves as dispatchers for the county’s police, fire and EMS agencies.
“Our recent move to the 911/EMS/garage facility gave us the opportunity to not only increase the size of our current call center, but also to provide our call takers and dispatchers with a NextGen system…,” Frank Chapman, director of Putnam County Office of Emergency Management, said in a statement. “We wanted a system that would grow with us and integrate with other systems and with surrounding agencies.”
In other product news, the company released version 4.2.0 of The Communicator! NXT emergency notification solution with enhanced functionality, including a cascade calling feature that lets users execute priority-based notification through tiered sequencing of contacts. It is offered as an on-premise, hosted or hybrid deployment and provides automatic, list-driven communication, according to the company. Once activated, the Web-based application distributes messages containing event-related information via a wide variety of voice and text methods, including telephone (landline and cellular), SMS, e-mail and fax.
