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Case Study: Marshall County E-911 Communications Center

Changing the Public Safety Landscape in Kentucky

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Marshall County E-911: A New Way for Emergency Communications

When Chris Freeman, Director of Marshall County E-911, was first planning the county's new emergency communications center, his goal was clear: to create a dynamic space that can change and grow with the community while also serving surrounding towns and counties as a Regionalized Communications Center.

Marshall County E-911, located in Benton, Kentucky, serves as the hub of emergency response in the county. The center dispatches for nine fire departments, three police agencies, Emergency Management, Rescue, EMS, Animal Control, Marshall County First Responders, Red Cross, and CIMAP.

Keeping Families and the Community Safe in Marshall County

Marshall County E-911 serves a growing population of 30,000, fluctuating to 34,000 from tourism in the summer months. Thousands of people travel to the area in summer drawn by many activities including boating and fishing. Due to this influx in population and the need to serve the existing residents, it was crucial for the center to be able to handle any type of emergency, and if needed, several at once.

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How did Evans Help Marshall County Improve its Emergency Services?

Learn how Evans and Marshall County E-911 came together to design, build, and install this new Emergency Communications Center. This case study includes testimonials from Marshall County E-911 Director Chris Freeman and Evans Regional Sales Manager Brian Fitzpatrick.

Use these quick links to jump to each section of this case study:

  1. 911 Director visits Vienna Experience Center
  2. Chris Freeman Testimonial Quote
  3. Control Room Designed & Built to Fit
  4. Manufacturing & Staging
  5. Installation at the New Facility
  6. Public Safety in Kentucky Changes Forever
  7. Chris Freeman Testimonial Video
  8. Control Room Conversations with Brian Fitzpatrick
  9. Good Design Makes a Lasting Impact

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Director of Marshall County Visits Experience Center in Vienna

Evans approaches each project from the ground up. Consultative discussions, conceptual designs, detailed project planning, construction, console production, installation, and preventative maintenance are all part of the Evans process. With Evans, each aspect of the room is individually designed and molded by our entire team of subject matter experts. The consoles, technology, video walls, sightlines, and room acoustics, are all collectively designed together in order to create a seamless Emergency Communications Center.
 
Chris Freeman heard about Evans and decided to contact Brian Fitzpatrick for a tour of the Vienna Experience Center to get a first-hand look at what Evans could do for Marshall County. Impressed with what he saw, Chris engaged Brian for his expertise in designing the dispatch room at the new Marshall County E-911 location.

Future Vision for Marshall County for Emergency and Disaster Response

Chris' vision for the new center was to be able to accommodate 911 calls from different counties and be able to work together in the space seamlessly. The center has the technology to include any region from across Kentucky and answer 911 calls for any other county.
Chris also wanted to ensure that other counties can rely on his center in the event of a natural disaster or cases of extreme emergency. The new center has the space to accommodate larger groups for Emergency Operations readiness and response should an extreme emergency ever happen. 
This was exactly the case on December 10th, 2021 when a tornado moved across Western Kentucky producing severe damage across the region. The space was already built and was able to be used as an emergency response center for various organizations to respond to the devastating events of that day.
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Partners Share Their Experience

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Working with Evans was a dream. They saw my vision for the center and enabled us to accomplish exactly what we needed for the ‘people in the seat’. Evans presented us with innovative solutions when we ran into problems and helped us implement them into our new E-911 center.

Chris Freeman
Director at Marshall County E-911

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Control Room Designed to Fit Marshall County

Brian took the vision and worked with the Evans team to design a solution that would best accommodate Chris' needs. After collaboration and discussion, Chris decided on the Strategy Air product line, as well as some construction features for the room.
 
The Strategy Air consoles allowed for the most efficient use of space, allowing for 6 telecommunicator positions, as well as a supervisor console at the back of the room. Chris was able to customize the Strategy Air consoles to his liking, adding blue accents throughout the console to complement the room colors.

Construction Build for Technology Accessibility & Acoustical Treatments

The Evans team complete design-build included raised flooring for cable and technology management. This raised flooring allows for a clean look with the flexibility for other vendors to access their technology easily without disrupting operations. Space management was important to Chris, and the raised flooring made the space easier to navigate around the technology and allow operators to work and move comfortably around.
 
Acoustical treatments throughout this space make for a quieter and less distracting environment for telecommunications. With acoustic panels strategically placed throughout the room, it prevents noise from echoing. This is especially needed if the room is working at full capacity allowing operators to focus on their jobs. You can see in the following renders how the sound would bounce throughout the room, the second photo below shows how the acoustic panels were installed:
 

Control Room Designed to Fit Marshall County

Brian took the vision and worked with the Evans team to design a solution that would best accommodate Chris' needs. After collaboration and discussion, Chris decided on the Strategy Air product line, as well as some construction features for the room.
 
The Strategy Air consoles allowed for the most efficient use of space, allowing for 6 telecommunicator positions, as well as a supervisor console at the back of the room. Chris was able to customize the Strategy Air consoles to his liking, adding blue accents throughout the console to complement the room colors.

Construction Build for Technology Accessibility & Acoustical Treatments

The Evans team complete design-build included raised flooring for cable and technology management. This raised flooring allows for a clean look with the flexibility for other vendors to access their technology easily without disrupting operations. Space management was important to Chris, and the raised flooring made the space easier to navigate around the technology and allow operators to work and move comfortably around.
 
Acoustical treatments throughout this space make for a quieter and less distracting environment for telecommunications. With acoustic panels strategically placed throughout the room, it prevents noise from echoing. This is especially needed if the room is working at full capacity allowing operators to focus on their jobs. You can see in the following renders how the sound would bounce throughout the room, the second photo below shows how the acoustic panels were installed:
 

Manufacturing the Consoles & Production Staging

Once the design was finalized, the Evans production team got to work. Each console is made from the ground up, checked, measured, and looked over after every stage. For Marshall County, we wanted to ensure the consoles were built to the drawings accurately to the client's approved design.

Once the consoles were built, we went into staging. We stage every project as part of our promise for quality and accuracy commitments to our clients, and the consoles for Marshall County were no exception. We staged the consoles on our manufacturing floor to make sure there were no defects in the manufacturing process. It was also a chance for us to see the console in action! The quality check is an integral part of the Evans process. View our staging and shipping photos:

Installation at the New Marshall County E-911 facility

Installation went smoothly, and we were so excited to see these consoles in place. With the raised flooring and grey patterned carpet tile, and the beautiful blue accent theme throughout the consoles, this room really came together wonderfully. Combined with the black millwork, this room provides a unique and sleek look. Chris was there with us during installation and was able to oversee everything as we put the room together.

Chris was completely satisfied with the attention to detail, from the construction build to the integration of technology within the consoles. Installation went well, screens not installed just yet:

Public Safety in Kentucky Changes Forever with Regionalization

With the new build of the Marshall County E-911 Center, Chris Freeman has a lot more authority and freedom to make the 911 experience in Kentucky more standardized and accessible. With the new center, Chris is able to host other smaller counties in order to provide a better response in cases of emergency. With the added positions, and more operators working simultaneously, he is able to better serve the needs of the region. Regionalization of smaller counties into larger, more equipped PSAPs, will help improve emergency response in Kentucky.

Video: Changes for Telecommunicators in Marshall County

Chris Freeman spoke with Evans about the new center and how 911 emergency response will be changing in the region. This communications center was set up for regionalization which is a big win for the county and improves how they collaborate with others in the state of Kentucky.

This video case study covers 8 sections from the benefits of regionalization to why Chris chose to work with Evans. Watch here:

Control Room Conversations Video with Brian Fitzpatrick

Evans Subject-matter Experts are unmatched in their expertise in control room design. Brian Fitzpatrick worked with Chris Freeman closely to ensure all of Chris' ideas were implemented in the final design with care.

Watch the video below to learn more about Evans' process and how we helped Chris achieve his vision in the Marshall County Emergency Communications Center.

A Good Design Makes a Lasting Impact on the Community and Telecommunicators

This Evans project came together beautifully. We could not be happier to see this project to the end! The pop of color in every console, along with the custom acrylic panels, really brings this room to life. Huge thank you to Chris Freeman and the Marshall County KY E-911 team for trusting us in building this room for you!

Check out the final pictures of the center:

Marshall County E-911 Room Features

  • Complete construction plan and design drawings
  • Raised flooring for electrical components
  • Acoustic Wall Treatments
  • Custom backlit magnetic wall-mounted map boards
  • Specially designed software for Evans LumiLinc systems
  • Matching millwork credenzas
  • 24/7 intensive use ergonomic chairs

The Evans Team is Ready for your Project

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Thank you for reading about Marshall County and how we helped them design their dream control room. If you would like Evans to assist you in your next project, contact us. Our team of experts is always ready to help guide you on your control room design and build. Let us make the complex, simple.

 

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View all of our Case Studies or read about the Holbrook Regional Emergency Communications Center by clicking the image below. Thanks for visiting Evans Consoles and have a great day!

 

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