Oregon 9-1-1 System Innovations to be Tested in Stayton Lab Before Deployment

By Diane Megaw On Feb 13, 2025

Statewide 9-1-1 Manager Frank Kuchta stands next to 9-1-1 Dispatcher Loren Hall who was working at a 9-1-1 emergency call taking position at the State 9-1-1 Testing Lab. The stations are fully functioning dispatcher stations that, when not being used to take actual 9-1-1 calls, serve as a space to test new software functionality. | Courtesy: Oregon Dept. of Emerg. Management

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management revealed yesterday that the state’s 9-1-1 Program is being launched in its Stayton, Oregon, testing lab. The lab facilitates the testing of new 9-1-1 system capabilities in a simulated environment before deploying them in a live setting.

Stayton Facility To Test Oregon 9-1-1 Software

Developed in partnership with the Marion Area Multi-Agency Emergency Telecommunications (METCOM 911 ) and Willamette Valley Communications Center (WVCC) Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) serving Marion County, the Stayton testing stations are fully functioning dispatcher stations that provide space to test new software functionality when not being used to take actual 9-1-1 calls.

In the past, operators tested new 9-1-1 technology solutions live in Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), but this is generally not considered an industry best practice as it presents a significant risk to Oregon PSAPs, which could affect real-time service availability and compromise the evaluation process.

MECOM Executive Director John Thompson said, “As new technologies in 9-1-1 continue to emerge, the space and newly installed equipment can be utilized in an environment and tested thoroughly without interrupting operations in other primary ECCs.”

Serving Marion County as a backup center, ensuring 9-1-1 call services are available if the primary Willamette Valley Communications Center (WVCC) or METCOM PSAP goes down, the Stayton facility will be expanded to support enterprise technology pre-deployment 9-1-1 lab testing capabilities.

The lab replicates the entire infrastructure necessary to support emergency calls from the public.

It uses the same network and equipment currently used by primary PSAPs throughout most of the state. In addition, it provides security access controls, facility monitoring, power management, staff facilities, and the delivery of automatic location information (ALI).

Having evolved from a mostly vacant building with a few radios and limited access to a fully capable dispatch center, METCOM’s back-up ECC can also give ECCs from across the state the option to relocate and access the technology to continue providing call-taking services to their citizens in the event of center evacuation, a disaster, or other circumstances.

Statewide 9-1-1 Manager Frank Kuchta is excited about the new partnership with METCOM 9-1-1 and WVCC and said, “ This significant modernization of the statewide 9-1-1 emergency communications system is invaluable.”