Local 911, first dispatch in the state to install new on-site database
By Lizz Harold

Left, Kala Headley answers an emergency call at the Cherokee County 911 Dispatch office. Above, Ben Adams, 911 Communications director, displays The Sentinel Alley, which is the newest in 911 database technology.

On May 22th, the Cherokee County 911 communications office paved the way for the rest of North Carolina by being the first dispatch office in the state to install the newest in database technology.

The two-server, virtually fail safe 911 database called the Sentinel Alley has been put into operation in Cherokee County since the beginning of last week.

"The onsite database is almost failure proof," said Ben Adams, director of 911 Communications in the county.

The machine houses a database of home addresses and phone numbers, information assessible within milliseconds in the time of an emergency.

The Sentinel Alley is made up of two identical servers, providing a backup of all information if the first server was to go down. Most dispatch offices have such database technology kept off site and often out of state.

Keeping the technology onsite has allowed the office to eliminate the worry of fibers of communication being cut by power outages or any such event.

LIZZ HAROLD/Sentinel photo The Sentinel Alley was the first 911 dispatch database of its kind in North Carolina. It was newly installed last week. The Sentinel Alley is complete with two servers, which are identical and make the machine almost fail proof.

The 911 dispatch office has continued to provide quality safety to locals by staying on the forefront of the upgrade revolution.

The Positron VIPER phone system is another valuable new tool that the 911 office treasures, as it is only one of two in the state. VIPER stands for Voice Over IP for Emergency Response and is an enhanced 911 Controller.

Now being used across the nation, the VIPER can be used for eight hours without power and can be the difference between life and death in a critical situation.

The Cherokee County 911 dispatchers have responded to over 25,000 calls last year alone. The community has turned to those trusted individuals at a rate that has risen over the past three years. It is only expected that with the latest in technology at their finger tips, emergency responders can provide faster, more efficient service to those of Cherokee County.