- a004P000013Vh46_Potter Randall 911 - APR2021 - OTT
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POTTER RANDALL COUNTY

EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS DISTRICT

911 logo TRANSPARENT EDGE- WHITE LETTERS

Terminology

 

 

9-1-1 (Nine-One-One) -  A designated easy-to-remember, easy-to-call, three-digit emergency telephone number developed to provide citizens with a reliable, fast and convenient way to access fire, police, or medical service in the event of an emergency.

District (Potter-Randall Emergency Communications District) - The entity that provides enhanced 9-1-1 service in Potter and Randall Counties. A board of managers, appointed by participating jurisdictions, governs the District. The District serves Potter and Randall Counties and its member cities Amarillo and Canyon as well as the Villages of Lake Tanglewood, Timbercreek Canyon, and Palisades.

 

E9-1-1 (Enhanced 9-1-1) - The system that is operational in with the District providing SR, ANI and ALI (defined below).

 

GIS (Geographic Information Systems) - The technology used to develop and display the mapped data used to locate 9-1-1 callers.

 

PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) - The location of the equipment used to answer 9-1-1 emergency calls. The following are the four (4) PSAPs that are currently capable of answering 9-1-1 calls in the Potter-Randall 9-1-1 District:

City of Amarillo Emergency Communications Center - (AECC)

Potter County Sheriff’s Office – (PCSO)

Randall County Sheriff’s Office – (RCSO)
West Texas A&M University Police Department – (WTPD)

 

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) - The technology that provides telephone services over computer networks.  The service may not provide any or all of the features of E9-1-1.  Subscribers should check with their vendor to determine the level of 9-1-1 services available.  In many cases, it is the responsibility of the subscriber to enter correct address information, for 9-1-1 purposes, on the service provider’s website.

 

SR (Selective Routing) - Selective Routing provides automatic routing of 9-1-1 calls, based on the caller's location, to the appropriate PSAP. The caller is not required to determine which public safety agency to call. Callers using wireless or VoIP telephones should know their location because the routing technology is not as accurate for these services.

 

ANI (Automatic Number Identification) - ANI is the feature that provides the caller's telephone number, referred to also as a callback number, on a console at the PSAP.

 

ALI (Automatic Location Identification) - ALI provides the caller's name and address on a computer monitor at the PSAP along with the name of the correct police, fire, and emergency medical services designated to respond to the caller’s location. Callers should always know their location in the event the ALI information is not available due to limitations of location technology.

 

Database - The 9-1-1 Database is the information accompanying a 9-1-1call at the PSAP. The information provided is the caller's name, address, and telephone number, as well as the emergency service providers designated to respond to the caller's address. The database information is not always available from wireless and VoIP callers.

 

Public Safety Telecommunicator - The individual answering the 9-1-1calls; trained to communicate with persons seeking emergency assistance and with agencies and individuals providing such assistance.

 

Phase I - Wireless Phase I Enhanced 9-1-1 is the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) mandate to the wireless telephone industry and to 9-1-1 requiring the routing of wireless 9-1-1 calls to appropriate PSAPs and the provision of the callers’ ANI to the telecommunicators.

 

Phase II - Phase II provides the approximate geographic location of wireless callers, in addition to the FCC’s Phase I enhancements.

 

IWS (Integrated Workstation) - The computerized 9-1-1 answering equipment provided by the District that gives telecommunicators, in addition to the 9-1-1 function, additional tools such as computer-aided dispatch, paging, mapping and radio communications. The District provides and maintains 32 integrated workstations at its 4 PSAPS.

 

NG9-1-1 (Next Generation 9-1-1) - The future technology that will provide E9-1-1 services in the Potter-Randall 9-1-1 District.  The system will be a secure, digital network that will access routing and database instructions from a centralized source outside the traditional telephone system.  Technical standards for NG9-1-1 are currently under development.  Denco is currently in the procurement process for NG9-1-1 services to be deployed over the next two years. Much of the cost for this project is included in this financial plan.

© 2025 Potter Randall County Emergency Communications District

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