Pottawattamie County adds mobile command vehicle for public safety use.
The statewide, fiber optic network and a cellular connection give public safety personnel in Pottawattamie County the ability to connect on-the-go. ICN recently connected Pottawattamie County’s primary dispatch center and their backup mobile command vehicle, making this the newest public safety connection using the ICN.
Pottawattamie County established two distinct connections, initiating one for their primary public safety answering point (PSAP) in September 2024, followed by the activation of a connection for their mobile vehicle a few weeks later. Since its activation in October, the mobile command vehicle has not yet been deployed for any actual incidents in Pottawattamie County. However, officials are enthusiastic about the flexibility that this unit offers.
Captain Sam Arkfeld at Pottawattamie County’s Communications Center explains that the unit will be used for large events such as parades, concerts, fireworks displays, etc. “We plan on having a dispatcher assigned to the mobile command vehicle to assist with these events in the future. We will have four positions capable of taking 9-1-1 calls and the ability to dispatch from those positions,” added Captain Arkfeld.
As the primary network provider, ICN connects traditional PSAP buildings using fiber optic cable from a 9-1-1 network aggregation router to the building. To connect the mobile command vehicle, ICN deployed the Network’s aggregation router to a cellular device for an encrypted connection using the FirstNet cellular network.
ICN’s partnership with FirstNet to deploy a secondary backup service gives PSAPs the ability to have an alternative backup wireless service in the event that the primary 9-1-1 traffic route fails. To date, ICN has deployed backup FirstNet connections to 79 PSAPs.
In Pottawattamie County, the FirstNet connection provides the capability to deploy their mobile command vehicle to various sites within the coverage area of FirstNet towers. This vehicle is utilized to facilitate the coordination of emergency response operations and represents Iowa's second vehicle outfitted with the ICN and FirstNet's cellular backup service.
With external agreements up for renewal, Pottawattamie County explored the State of Iowa’s shared services program with the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM). This 2017 program provides PSAPs the opportunity to take advantage of a State contract and share the costs of implementing and maintaining some services commonly used in PSAPs.
Captain Arkfeld highlights that the citizens of Pottawattamie County can benefit from the shared services program, which will help lower expenses while providing a resource exclusively focused on serving the residents of Pottawattamie. The mobile PSAP connection is paid for by Pottawattamie County, but sponsored by Iowa HSEM.
Today, 78 PSAPs participate in HSEM’s cost-saving initiative by utilizing shared technology across centers. The remote equipment of the PSAPs is connected to the State's central equipment via the ICN.