The Airport Emergency Communications Center takes calls that save lives.
MSP Airport’s Emergency Communications Center (ECC) is one of 19 public safety answering points in the Twin Cities' 10-county metropolitan area that receives 911 calls or transfers calls to other public safety agencies. It operates 24/7 to respond to calls made on the airport’s campus and in the surrounding area, and dispatches public safety services as needed. The ECC is responsible for monitoring a variety of systems, such as fire protection, secure card access, perimeter security, and more than 4,000 security cameras.
The ECC is staffed by professional emergency communications specialists and video surveillance specialists who come with a variety of backgrounds and public safety experience. Following national training standards, the ECC conducts a comprehensive 22-week on-the-job public safety telecommunicator training program for new emergency communications specialists, which is tailored to meet the needs of each candidate's experience level.
The ECC is a unique public safety answering point in that it serves an airport community with an ever-changing population of travelers, as well as airport tenants and Metropolitan Airports Commission employees. With a strong focus on aviation security, the ECC also works closely with various federal agencies, such as the Transportation Security Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Secret Service.
Our Mission
To provide the highest level of professional service and support to every customer.
Our Vision
Every responder, every customer, every time ... with pride, excellence, and passion.
Our Values
- Honesty: We take pride in being truthful and direct in our communications, acting with integrity and accountability, and honoring authentic interactions with one another.
- Respect: We value the dignity and opinions of others, are open-minded, embrace diversity, demonstrate compassion for all, and act fairly and ethically at all times.
- Professionalism: We are committed to the highest level of quality, drive for excellence, empower one another to succeed, deliver superior service, and persevere to overcome challenges.
- Teamwork: We demonstrate loyalty to our colleagues through selflessness and support, collaborate to achieve the best possible outcomes, leverage the strengths of all team members, and foster an engaging and fun workplace.
The Airport ECC is both a public safety answering point and a real-time information center. In addition to answering calls for help, dispatching airport police and fire responders, and coordinating emergency medical services, the specialists in the ECC leverage technology to gather information in real-time to enhance the public safety response. In the course of their work, ECC specialists access a variety of public safety and security tools to ensure the safety of MSP Airport visitors and employees.
- Computer Aided Dispatch: CentralSquare Enterprise CAD
- Phone: Intrado-Power 911, VIPER
- Radio: Motorola MCC 7500 Elite Dispatch
- Information Services: (CJIS) Portal XL
- Records Management System: LETG RMS
- License Plate Recognition: 3M BOSS
- Fire Monitoring: Honeywell EBI
- Secured Area Access Control System:
- Alarm Monitoring: Pro-Watch Alarm Viewer
- Badge Management: Pro-Watch Badge Manager
- CCTV: Verint
- Emergency Messaging: Everbridge Mass Notification
- Scheduling Application (web based): Schedule Express
- Pre-Employment Testing:
- CritiCall – Biddle Testing
- Select Advantage
- Variable Message Signs: Digital Content Systems and Venus 1500
- Policy and Procedure Management: PowerDMS
- Training Management (web-based app): PowerReady
The Airport ECC also has the technology and resources in place to accept text-to-911 calls and are prepared to assist callers who are deaf or hard of hearing (TDD/TTY) as well as multilingual callers.
The Airport ECC has a robust training program to ensure that staff are well equipped to provide superior service. The in-house new hire training program is a skill-based curriculum that aligns with proposed Minnesota mandated training requirements for public safety telecommunicators. The ECC also provides ongoing training opportunities, including various professional certifications and continuing education.
Every year during the second full week of April, the ECC celebrates National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, and MSP passengers can be assured that the ECC is providing life-saving services around-the-clock.
In Spring 2023, two members of the Airport ECC team were recognized at the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association APCO NENA state conference for their role in saving a woman’s life during a call received from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Our Award-Winning Team
Under the Airport Police Department, the ECC employs a manager, assistant manager, communications systems administrator, ECC supervisors, emergency communications specialists, and video surveillance specialists. Prior to 1971, police officers staffed the dispatch center located in what is now the Police Operations Center in the baggage claim area of Terminal 1. In the early 1990s, the ECC was relocated to the E Concourse and shared space with Airside Operations. In 2010, the ECC was relocated to the lower level of Fire Station 1.
The ECC deploys and staffs the MAC’s Mobile Command Center. The Incident Dispatch Team members that staff the Mobile Command Center hold various Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency certifications, such as Incident Tactical Dispatcher, Communications Unit Leader, and Communications Technician. The Incident Dispatch Team is a specially trained team intended to support field.
Additionally, members of the Incident Dispatch Team participate in the regional Communications Response Task Force and can serve as a deployable resource to support partner agencies during large-scale events. Task force members are required to attend quarterly training and maintain their communications unit certification status in alignment with the state of Minnesota’s Emergency Communication Networks standards.
Email Airport911recruiting@mspmac.org to request information about working for the Emergency Communications Center.
911 Dispatcher: It’s Your Calling