Press Release
Adams County has transitioned to Next Generation 911 (NG911), becoming the first public safety answering point (PSAP) in Ohio to go live with NGA’s NEXiSConnect on the state’s 911 system, bringing advanced emergency communications technology to the rural Ohio community. The new system was tested and operational in just 53 minutes, representing one of the most significant technological advancements for Adams County in more than a decade.
NG911 is a significant shift from traditional 911 technology. It can provide more precise caller location information and support new ways to reach and communicate with 911, including Text-to-911. The technology also lays the foundation for additional capabilities, such as Real-Time Text (RTT), allowing 911 telecommunicators to see text as it’s being typed, as well as photos, video and other digital content that can provide more information about an emergency as it unfolds.
Adams County’s new system is built on NGA’s NEXiSConnect, a cloud-native NG911 call-handling solution designed to support current and emergency communication capabilities. The transition moves Adams County beyond the legacy technology still used by many 911 centers across the country and puts more advanced emergency communications capabilities in place today.
“This has been a huge project for our Communications Center and for Adams County,” said Jennifer Smith, 911 coordinator for Adams County. “As the 911 Coordinator, I have been very pleased with the new system and how the transition has gone. Our goal through all of this has been to give our dispatchers better technology to help them serve our community, and I’m very proud of everyone who helped make this happen.”
The move from Adams County’s legacy environment to an entirely new NG911 system required months of planning, implementation and rigorous testing involving the county, state stakeholders, and technology partners NGA and Comtech. The work leading up to go-live was designed to minimize disruption and ensure the 911 center remained ready to serve the community throughout the transition.
“A lot of time, testing and work went into getting us to this point. Being the first in Ohio to go live with NGA is something I’m very proud of. We knew there would be some things to work through with a change this big, but NGA has been very responsive,” added Smith.
“Going live is an important milestone, but the real value is what Adams County can do from here,” said Don Ferguson, founder and CEO of NGA. “A community’s size or location shouldn’t determine the capabilities of its 911 system. Adams County shows what’s possible when a rural 911 center has a system designed for today and built to evolve for what comes next.”
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