/EINPresswire.com/ -- TEMECULA, CA--(Marketwired - Aug 8, 2017) -   The Okaloosa County Department of Public Safety recently upgraded to Airbus DS Communications' VESTA^® 9-1-1 Call Handling and VESTA^® Router solutions. This transition from traditional analog technology to a completely IP-based system allows Okaloosa County to better manage its 9-1-1 emergency calls and Public Safety communications, while placing it on an accelerated path to Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1). The combined solutions give the County the capacity and technology to accept new forms of 9-1-1 calls, including text, and future forms of data such as images and video.

Okaloosa County, located in northwestern Florida, along the Emerald coast, has 26 total Call Handling positions. Seventeen are based in the county's Emergency Communications Center, which serves as the main Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), among seven PSAPs. Together, they manage 123,000 emergency calls annually.

"Having a partner like Airbus DS Communications makes our transition to NG9-1-1 as seamless and painless as possible," said Christine Cooper, 911 Coordinator for the Okaloosa Department of Public Safety. "We now have the right solutions and team in place to help protect our communities in Okaloosa County, as well as to more easily adapt and grow as Public Safety communications evolve."

Okaloosa County, recently upgraded its Call Handling system to the VESTA 9-1-1 solution, as well as migrating to the IP-based VESTA Router solution. The VESTA Router solution provides advanced call routing to direct incoming emergency calls to the appropriate PSAPs and agencies. This includes Voice Over IP (VoIP), wireless and wireline traffic. IP call routing is a crucial component of NG9-1-1 as legacy selective routers begin to reach end-of-life and end-of-support, putting 9-1-1 communications at risk.

"Next Generation 9-1-1 is on the horizon, and in many respects, it's already here. PSAPs have a tough job in readying their people, processes and technologies for the transition," said Airbus DS Communications' President and CEO Jeff Robertson. "We're thrilled to work with municipalities like Okaloosa County that are meeting the challenge head-on. Together, we're developing a system and network that fits their needs and advances the ways they keep their communities safe."

For more information on Airbus DS Communications and its portfolio of Public Safety solutions, visit www.airbus-dscomm.com.

Airbus
Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2016, it generated revenues of EUR 67 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as Europe's number one space enterprise and the world's second largest space business. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

Airbus DS Communications (www.airbus-dscomm.com)
Airbus DS Communications, Inc. is a global leader and trusted source for mission-critical communications technologies. The VESTA® product suite provides Next Generation 9-1-1 call processing systems, land mobile radio solutions and emergency notification applications, creating smarter ways to keep all our communities safe. Airbus DS Communications was awarded the Frost and Sullivan's 2016 Best Practices Award as the NG9-1-1 Company of the Year. www.airbus-dscomm.com