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November 21, 2016

Public Safety Answering Center Project in the Bronx Receives IT Collaboration Award

DDC, DoITT, FDNY, NYPD Praised for Cooperation on City’s New 911 Intake and Dispatch Center


Contact:
Ian Michaels
718-391-1589

Long Island City, NY—The publication Government Technology has given the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC2) project in the Bronx its award for “Best IT Collaboration Among Organizations,” citing work by the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC), the New York City Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications (DoITT), the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), and the New York Police Department (NYPD) to support the infrastructure and various IT subsystems that are the backbone of the center’s call taking and dispatch operations.

“Cooperation among City agencies is crucial when completing quality public projects that fully meet the needs of DDC’s client agencies,” said DDC Commissioner Feniosky Peña-Mora. “We are very pleased to share this honor with our partners and to contribute to the enhancement of the City’s public safety infrastructure.”

"Two years ago the City committed that PSAC 2 would take its first call in June 2016 and we made good on that commitment," said DoITT Commissioner Anne Roest. "I could not think of a better award, one for collaboration, to acknowledge this milestone. The level of coordination and cooperation achieved to deliver this program is testament to the professionals involved at all levels of our partner agencies, and the de Blasio administration’s commitment to deliver an updated 911 system for all New Yorkers."

The $691 million, 500,000-square-foot PSAC2 is a highly secure facility designed to be a second emergency communications 911 call intake and dispatch center for the City, functioning as a parallel operation to the existing PSAC I in downtown Brooklyn and augmenting and providing redundancy to the current emergency 911 response service. DDC managed construction of the building and DoITT coordinated the center’s massive information technology systems, which integrate over a dozen public safety systems, in constant collaboration with FDNY and NYPD.

The facility provides redundancy to current 911 services, strengthening the City’s ability to maintain communication in the event of a natural disaster or large-scale emergency. When fully staffed it can accommodate 400 911 operators and 150 administrative personnel. Over 1,600 miles of copper and fiber cables were installed to handle data.

The building is also designed to LEED Gold standards. Sustainable features include drought-resistant landscaping, which uses less potable water for the site irrigation; low-flow fixtures and stormwater collection for toilet use, which conserves potable water throughout the building; and low-emitting materials which help maintain healthy interior air quality. An “Active Modular Phytoremediation System” (AMPS) green feature wall in the building lobby uses plant material to filter and clean the air, and provide a more relaxing environment for the staff.

About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor de Blasio’s lenses of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, new or upgraded roadways, sewers, water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $15 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative, and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to city projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.