For the City of Philadelphia, the 9-1-1 system is the primary lifeline for community members in distress. With a population of more than 1.5 million people, the stakes for public safety are immeasurably high. Managing the technology that underpins this critical service for both police and fire departments is a monumental task. It requires not just powerful, reliable systems but a level of support that can anticipate needs, solve problems before they escalate and provide peace of mind.
Dawn Peterson, Assistant IT Director of 9-1-1 Administration for the Philadelphia Office of Innovation and Technology for Public Safety, knows this all too well. She and her small team of five support the police and fire 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) within the city. “We’re like Switzerland,” she jokes. “The neutral territory between police and fire.”
With more than 30 years in public safety, Peterson started out her career as a 9-1-1 call taker. Her experiences give her a deep, firsthand understanding of the pressures on the front line. Today, her focus is on the technology that makes it all possible.
From the VESTA 9-1-1 call handling system to their ASTRO radio network, Motorola Solutions technology is at the core of the City of Philadelphia’s public safety infrastructure. But as Peterson explains, the true value lies not just in the technology itself, but also in the unwavering, proactive service that supports it.
The foundation of trust: a “Motorola Solutions home”
Functioning as both a city and a county, Philadelphia’s operation is understandably immense. For example, the police department, the city’s primary answering point, handles between 170,000 and 210,000 voice calls and up to 3,000 texts each month. Calls are then routed to the fire department for fire or EMS-related incidents, totaling around 25,000 to 30,000 voice calls and up to 40 texts per month. With nearly 350 operators between both agencies, the city’s systems have no room for downtime.
A similar commitment to uninterrupted service and reliable technology is seen in Otero County, where emergency operations depend on seamless system integration and in the Kauai Police Department, where geographical considerations make system resilience paramount.
“Motorola Solutions is integral to our operations, providing our radios and the VESTA 9-1-1 system,” Peterson states. “We like our solutions as they fit our needs, and as long as they continue to do so, we are a Motorola [Solutions] home.”
This deep integration means that system uptime and reliability are non-negotiables. For Peterson and her team, managing the maintenance, monitoring and patching for multiple systems would be an almost impossible task on their own. This is where the partnership with Motorola Solutions managed and support services transforms their operations.
“Motorola Solutions’ services teams are my eyes and ears,” Peterson explains. “All of my operations rely on Motorola [Solutions]; they’re critical for me. I do not have to put a lot of effort into ensuring everything is working because they are doing it for me.”
From monitoring 9-1-1 call handling to servicing radios, Motorola Solutions’ services teams are there and ready to help. They also cover system updates, patches and reboots. “I do not have to do anything other than make a phone call, and usually, those are scheduled for me,” Peterson says.
Motorola Solutions’ customer service manager and operational efficiencies
A significant benefit for the City of Philadelphia is the dedicated support of Motorola Solutions Customer Service Manager (CSM). This partnership ensures the City’s VESTA 9-1-1 system is always supported and running smoothly. Click on the video link to hear Dawn Peterson describe the benefit in her own words. The video podcast is 1 minute, 59 seconds.
A comprehensive support system
For Peterson, the trust she places in the services team is built on a foundation of personal commitment and moments of incredible dedication that go far beyond a standard service agreement.
“I have found that my Motorola [Solutions] managers are always a phone call away and will get me what I need,” she says. “If I did not have the services team to rely on, daily operations would definitely be affected.”
Working on a small team, with two of them doing on-site IT work in the fire center, Peterson doesn’t have much time for monitoring her open service tickets. “We depend on Motorola [Solutions] and their teams to proactively handle issues without us having to do the legwork,” she explains. “They take the thinking out of it, freeing me up to deal with day-to-day operations, projects and contracts. They are invaluable.”
She also shared experiences with her dedicated account representatives and their high level of commitment. “He never ignores my calls,” Peterson says, speaking about her radio service manager. Regardless of their location or ‘out of office’ status, she knows that her service managers will always be there to help when needed.
It’s this human element that provides true peace of mind for Peterson and her team. “I am on call 24/7/365, so if something is broken, my phone rings,” she notes. “It is reassuring to know I can call someone from Motorola [Solutions], and they will immediately address it, regardless of the hour.”
Tangible results: From performance reviews to future-proofing
The impact of this partnership is measured in tangible, meaningful ways. The first is operational continuity and cost avoidance.
“Without them, I would likely have to hire more staff just for monitoring and ensuring patches are done,” Peterson explains. “They ensure I am informed about system issues, potential upgrades and enhancements. They understand the pressure I am under to maintain these systems in a major metropolitan city with a large population, the largest in Pennsylvania.”
The second is achieving the coveted “five 9s” (99.999 percent) of system uptime, a key metric reported to the city’s executive team.
The third, however, is deeply personal and speaks volumes about the success of the collaboration between the City of Philadelphia and Motorola Solutions.
“The other way I gauge performance is through my yearly evaluations,” Peterson shares. “The critical 9-1-1 systems I manage influence my evaluations, and my responsiveness is rated. Because I am kept informed by Motorola [Solutions], my supervisor noted my response ratings were the highest she had ever seen last year. My ratings were all fives, which is excellent. They make me look good.”
This partnership, however, is not just about maintaining the present; it’s about building and preparing for the future. The City of Philadelphia is currently preparing for a series of massive, world-class events, including the FIFA World Cup and the city’s 250th anniversary. These events are predicted to bring an unprecedented influx of visitors, including international guests, making capabilities like Text-to-9-1-1 language translation absolutely essential.
Peterson and her team recently collaborated with the Philadelphia Office of Immigrant Affairs to identify the 10 most-needed languages for translation. When they put out a request, they were pleased to find Motorola Solutions was already ahead of the curve. “It was amazing to see Motorola [Solutions] commit to providing text translation for the 10 languages the city wanted,” Peterson says.
Another part of their preparations is upgrading the ASTRO radio infrastructure, including building an entire new tower site to help eliminate coverage gaps. This forward-thinking collaboration will help the city be ready for the world stage.
The ultimate advice: Trust your services team
When asked what advice she would give to other public safety agencies facing similar challenges of managing critical systems with limited resources, her answer is simple and direct: Trust your service team.
“Trust your Motorola [Solutions] team because they truly care that your agency has what it needs,” Peterson says. “They truly care about our systems and ensuring that everything works optimally. Trust your service managers; they will look out for you.”
In a world where every call matters and seconds count, the technology must be up to the task. But for the City of Philadelphia, the true strength of their public safety ecosystem lies in the connections they’ve made with their service representatives. A partnership built on trust, dedication and the shared mission to be there in the moments that matter.
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