ECaTS Successfully Concludes Real-Time 9-1-1 Demo with DHS & CALOES

Following a successful Super Bowl 50, Direct Technology’s ECaTS Division announces the successful completion of the demo phase of the Communication Infrastructure Monitoring System (CIMS), which has been in use since June of 2015 by the California Department of Emergency Service (Cal OES) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  The CIMS was built for public safety agencies to monitor communications between 911 callers and the Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) processing the calls.   The goal of the system is to act as a real-time alarm for any potential cellular jamming or telephone denial of service attack (TDOS), which could affect the public’s ability to reach first responders.

The CIMS is deployed throughout the State of California and uses a series of sensors located at each PSAP to monitor wireless and wireline calls.   The CIMS is able to provide real-time alerting when it detects drops in calls from one or more of the carriers, thus providing a first line view of any potential disruption to call delivery that could preclude the public’s ability to reach a 911 call center.   During the recent San Bernardino terrorist attack on December 2nd, the CIMS was able to show that the attackers lacked any sophistication and did not cause any disruption of the communication infrastructure, which was one of the reasons first responders were on site within minutes of the first shots fired.  Successes during the San Bernardino event lead Cal OES and DHS to request the use of a specialized CIMS for Super Bowl 50.  The specialized system was tuned for the vicinities in and around Levi stadium, running in tandem with the statewide CIMS system; both Cal OES and DHS were able to monitor all emergency communications in and around the stadium using a constant stream of intelligence as to the health and functionality of the 911 system.  According to Christopher Duxler, Operations Director for ECaTS, “Monitoring the 911 call infrastructure against cellular jamming and telephone denial of service attacks is crucial to ensuring that the public can reach first responders; knowing the real-time health of these communication systems and being able to respond quickly to any disruption is critical for maximizing public safety.”

Since June of 2015, the CIMS has been in use by both DHS and Cal OES through an active Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement between the two agencies.  With the Super Bowl now concluded, the demo period for the technology has also ended.  ECaTS will begin decommissioning the Communication Infrastructure Monitoring System in California and at the federal level until funding can be procured to move this program into the next phases, though current customers with ECaTS that already have the CIMS will continue to receive the benefit that the real-time communications monitoring tool offers.  For more information about ECaTS, or about the CIMS itself, please contact Christopher Duxler at ECaTS at 916-367-5315 or by mail at 3009 Douglas Blvd Suite 300, Roseville CA 95661.