CAPCOG’s 9-1-1 Network Project Finishes Early, Brings Added Resiliency

CAPCOG completed the construction of a secondary, independent fiber-optic line, or a backup network, into every public safety answering point location within the ten-county region. The project was started in mid-2016 and finished a year early.

The exception is Hays County since it’s currently constructing a new combined emergency communications center; the backup line to be installed in that facility will be done during its construction.

Installing the additional fiber network creates redundancy for the region’s emergency communications system. Before its installation, a network outage could cause 9-1-1 calls to automatically be rerouted to neighboring PSAPs.

This reroute process would lose a caller’s location information, which is beneficial in dispatching emergency responders if a call is dropped. Outages are often due to construction sites cutting a fiber-optic line.

The back-up network established two routes for the fiber lines to enter the PSAPs. The backup network also allows for shorter downtimes for network maintenance.

The $6.4 million project had been a major priority for the Strategic Advisory Committee and was recommended for funding to CAPCOG’s Executive Committee, acting in its role as the Capital Area Emergency Communications District Board in 2016.

Learn more about the Emergency Communications Division.