Cassidian Communications Installs VESTA(R)/Sentinel(R) 4 Emergency Call Taking System for Eight Indiana Counties

TEMECULA, CA--(Marketwired - Aug 19, 2013) - Cassidian Communications, an EADS North America company, has completed the installation of its VESTA^®/Sentinel^® 4 Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) call taking system for eight counties surrounding the Indianapolis, Ind. metropolitan area. The new IP-based system streamlines emergency and administrative communications for the 13 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) that serve the region, which is commonly referred to as the "Indy Donut."

"By combining resources and implementing state-of-the-art 9-1-1 communications technology, we have created the path forward to increase the protection of our communities," said Steve Cooke, 9-1-1 director for Hendricks County.

The VESTA/Sentinel 4 system supports the Indy Donut Consortium across 13 PSAPs and 88 call taking positions. Through its newly designed and highly intuitive graphical user interface (GUI), telecommunicators within the consortium have immediate access to incident-related information, including caller location details and approach instructions, which are essential to emergency dispatch and response.

The Indy Donut consortium encompasses Boone County; Hamilton County, which includes the Noblesville Police Department; Hendricks County; Johnson County, which includes the Franklin Police Department, the Edinburgh Police Department, the Greenwood Police Department and the New Whiteland Police Department; Madison County; Hancock County; Shelby County, which includes the Shelbyville Police Department; and Morgan County, which includes the Mooresville Police Department and the Martinsville Police Department.

Equally beneficial to the Indy Donut PSAPs and the communities they serve is the geo-diverse design of the VESTA/Sentinel 4 NG9-1-1 call taking system. Establishing a single regional network designed to provide true interoperability and greater collaboration, all eight counties are now able to better communicate and act as one when responding to emergencies such as natural disasters and hazardous materials incidents.

The fault-tolerant design of the Indy Donut's VESTA/Sentinel 4 system includes two host sites. For maximum redundancy, each is capable of running the entire network in the event that the other is unavailable.

The Indy Donut counties funded the system through an Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant, which is part of the Homeland Security Grant Program.

"Fortunately for us, UASI typically allocates more dollars to grant applicants that support regionalized programs," said Cooke. "Responsible for upholding public safety in eight counties, we were lucky enough to receive the funds to help support the purchase of the VESTA/Sentinel 4 system for all our PSAPs."

Several Indy Donut counties have also implemented other products and services from Cassidian Communications, including the Aurora^® Management Information System (MIS) and the ORION^™ Vela^® mapping solution to further expand their 9-1-1 operations and capabilities.

Later this year, consortium members Indianapolis Marion County (IMC) and Indianapolis Fire Department (IFD) -- which includes Indianapolis Airport, Speedway Police Department, Lawrence Police Department and the Perry Back-Up Center -- are scheduled to transition to the VESTA/Sentinel 4 system. Collectively, the total number of 9-1-1 call taking positions for the entire consortium will rise to 169.

"This powerful network places the counties associated with the Indy Donut Consortium at the forefront for regionalization in public safety communications in Indiana," said Mike Pavick, vice president of sales for Cassidian Communications. "We are honored to be involved in this project and feel confident that our VESTA/Sentinel 4 system fully supports the continued public safety efforts of these progressive counties."

About Cassidian Communications (www.CassidianCommunications.com)

Cassidian Communications, an EADS North America company, is a global leader and trusted source for mission-critical communications technologies, including NG9-1-1 call-taking systems, emergency notification solutions and services, and P25 land mobile radio networks and LTE. For over four decades, Cassidian Communications has upheld its promise to keep people connected when it matters most, consistently designing solutions with an open mind and creating smarter, more effective ways to ensure communities are safe. For Cassidian Communications, CRITICAL MATTERS^™. The company is headquartered in Temecula, Calif., with facilities located in Richardson, Texas, Franklin, Tenn. and Gatineau, Quebec.

About EADS North America (www.eadsnorthamerica.com)

EADS North America is the U.S.-based operation of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defense, and related services. EADS contributes more than $14 billion to the U.S. economy annually and supports over 225,000 American jobs through its network of suppliers. EADS North America, headquartered in Herndon, Va., offers a broad array of advanced solutions to meet U.S. military and commercial requirements, including fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, homeland security systems, public safety communications, defense electronics and avionics, and threat detection systems.