Falmouth co. takes over E-911 service
The contract to maintain emergency response service in seven of Maine's 26 emergency dispatch centers formerly held by a Boston firm has been awarded to a Falmouth company.
For about a month now, Communication Technology Inc. has been responsible for maintaining the E-911 phone networks in Portland, Lewiston-Auburn, Augusta, Penobscot County, state police barracks in Gray, Cumberland County and the criminal justice training academy in Vassalboro, according to FairPoint spokesman Jeff Nevins. The North Carolina-based telecommunications company has overall responsibility for Maine's emergency call service since taking over Verizon's landline operation in 2008. For several months following the switchover, emergency call service was problematic in Cumberland and Penobscot counties, earning FairPoint a $25,000 fine from the Maine Public Utilities Commission for those delays.
John Eon, FairPoint's senior manager of E-911, says the company approached CTI for the E-911 contract because it wanted a Maine-based provider, and because CTI has a specialty in the type of communication equipment in use in the seven centers.
"The level of service is key," says Eon. "When you have a contractor far removed and a location needs service, it's an issue. (CTI's) team can offer experience, as well as expedience."
CTI is responsible for maintaining the connection between incoming emergency calls to dispatch centers and the automated computer displays showing the caller's location, time of the call and other information needed by the dispatcher.
Timothy Hiltz, president and CEO of CTI, says the company hired two additional employees because of the FairPoint contract, bringing its work force to 31. The company has three trucks throughout the service area on call with repair components to handle service disruptions. Since taking over the E-911 service, there's been one service alarm tripped, which was resolved in 11 minutes, says Hiltz.
CTI has hospitals and other clients with emergency service communication needs, he says, giving it a solid background in the equipment and networking requirements of those calls. According to its website, CTI serves more than 2,000 business customers throughout northern New England and partners with telecommunications companies such as Avaya/Nortel, ShoreTel, Cisco and Adtran.
Neither he nor Eon would disclose the value of the contract, nor its length.
Evelyn deFrees, a spokeswoman with the Maine Public Utilities Commission, says FairPoint transferred its E-911 contract from Shared Technology Services Group of Boston on Aug. 2. State regulators are not required to approve the new contract, she says, and FairPoint can either provide that service directly or outsource it to a subcontractor.
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