GM911 Annual Report 2022

Guilford Metro 9-1-1 2022 Annual Report

GREENSBORO-NC.GOV/GM911

ONE CALL. ONE CENTER. ONE SOURCE.

Guilford Metro 9-1-1 (GM911) serves as the Primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for enhanced 9-1-1 in Guilford County. The center provides 9-1-1, dispatch, and radio services for other cities, towns, and unincorporated areas in Guilford County, and only Emergency Medical Services (EMS) dispatch for the City of High Point. The past year continued to bring challenges, especially to our Operations Division, which continued to have a critical staffing shortage. As a department, we managed to remain progressive, especially from a technological perspective. A few of the many projects completed in 2022 include: • Technical Services Division completed installation, setup, and testing of the PCTEL system, an interference monitoring system for radios. • Public Safety Information Technology (PSIT) secured a partnership with a consulting firm and completed needs assessment and request for proposal for computer aided dispatch (CAD) and records management systems (RMS) replacements. • PSIT also implemented a robust new backup solution to include unchangeable storage and advanced functionality for increased ransomware recovery capabilities. • PSIT expanded staff to meet the needs of the Greensboro Fire Department. From the Director

• Training Section was recertified through the APCO International Agency Training Program Certification for another three years and completed 6,786 public information requests. • Emergency Communications Division staff were credited with 32 life saves and processed almost 700,000 calls. Guilford Metro 911 is progressive and responsive to the needs of our agencies and community. We stand ready to fulfill our role as the “First, First Responder.” I am very proud of the many accomplishments of the staff of GM911, especially while dealing with a pandemic for a third year. Without their dedication and professionalism, GM911 would not fulfill our mission of high-level customer service to the community as well as our users.

Our Mission

The mission of GM911 is to serve the community and local government agencies with effective communications services and to serve as a facilitator of communications for public safety agencies in Guilford County. To be effective, GM911 uses all available resources to support the mission of subscriber agencies. We are committed to the priorities, mission, and objectives of those we support and will partner with those departments and organizations to accomplish their goals while we adhere to the core values within the department.

Melanie Jones Executive Director

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Index

About GM911

Department Leadership Melanie Jones Executive Director Mark Shepherd Quality Assurance Administrator Christine Moore Emergency Communications Operations Manager Greg Nash Public Safety IT Manager Lewis Cheatham Technical Services Division Manager Tykia Johnson Administrative Fiscal Manager Executive Board City Manager Taiwo Jaiyeoba City of Greensboro County Manager Michael Halford Guilford County 911 Council Sheriff D.H. Rogers Guilford County Police Chief Brian James* City of Greensboro Fire Chief Jim Robinson City of Greensboro Emergency Services Director James Albright Guilford County User Groups EMS Chair: Shift Commander Jeff Hutchens Guilford County Emergency Services Fire Chair: Chief Gary McGee Climax Fire Department Law Chair: Captain Justin Flynt Greensboro Police Department Radio Chair: Technical Services Manager Lewis Cheatham GM911

About GM911...............................3

Agencies Served and Interoperability ...........................4

Administrative Services ...........6

Accreditation................................7

Training...........................................8

Education and Outreach.......10

Telephone Statistics ...............11

Staffing .......................................12

Awards and Honors.................13

Public Safety Information Technology................................. 14

Technical Services....................16

**Retired May 2022

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Agencies We Serve GM911 provides call intake and dispatch for medical, fire and law enforcement agencies throughout Guilford County and manages equipment to provide for radio communications for a wide range of organizations. Colleges & Universities

Municipal Governments City of Burlington City of Graham City of Greensboro General Government and Transit Agency City of Thomasville Guilford County Animal Control, Dive Team, Emergency Services, Facilities/General Services, General Government, Hazmat, Juvenile Detention, Parks and Recreation, Public Health/DSS, Security, and Transportation Law Enforcement Burlington Police Drug Enforcement Agency Graham Police Greensboro Police Department Guilford County Sheriff Other Carelink of Cone Health Systems Cone Health System High Point Regional Hospital Piedmont Triad Airport Authority Piedmont Triad Ambulance & Rescue NC Department of Transportation National Park Service

Guilford Technical Community College Fire Curriculum, Fire Station 99 and Police High Point University North Carolina A&T State University University of North Carolina at Greensboro Fire Alamance Fire Department Burlington Fire Department Greensboro Fire Department Fire District 13 Incorporated Fire District 28 Incorporated Gibsonville Fire Department Graham Fire Guilford County Fire Marshal Guil-Rand Fire Department Julian Fire Department Kimesville Fire Department McLeansville Fire Department Mt. Hope Fire Department Northeast Fire Department Oak Ridge Fire Department Pinecroft Sedgefield Fire Department Pleasant Garden Fire Department Southeast Fire Department Stokesdale Fire Department Summerfield Fire Department Whitsett Fire Department Climax Fire Department Colfax Fire Department

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Agencies with Interoperability GM911 systems can communicate with the following agencies. Colleges & Universities Alamance Community College Elon University High Point University

Municipal Governments City of Thomasville Davidson County Randolph County Rockingham County Stokes County Town of Cary

Emergency Management Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services NC Office of Emergency Medical Services Thomasville Rescue Triad Regional Advisory Committee Urban Search & Rescue Fire

Town of Gibsonville Town of Kernersville Wake County Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Law Enforcement Alcohol Law Enforcement (ALE) Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) Elon Police Federal Bureau of Investigation Gibsonville Police High Point Police Department Lexington Police Department NC Department of Probation and Parole NC Department of Public Safety NC State Highway Patrol NC Criminal Investigations Division State Bureau of Investigation US Courts Probation and Parole US Marshal Middle District US Secret Service Other NC DMV License & Theft Bureau NC Forestry Service NC State Parks NC Wildlife Resources Commission Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Denton Fire Department Faucette Township Fire Department Hasty Fire Department Healing Springs Fire Department High Point Fire Department Horneytown Fire Department Lexington Fire Department Liberty Fire Department Midway Fire & Rescue NC Office of State Fire Marshal Randolph County

Reeds Fire Department Tyro Fire Department Wallburg Fire & Rescue Municipal Governments Alamance County

Caswell County City of Archdale City of Durham City of Fayetteville City of High Point City of Salisbury

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Administrative Services

About the Division The Administration Division creates and manages department goals and objectives. It provides day-to-day and personnel management, project oversight, and planning for all other divisions and oversees the department’s $22.2 million budget. This division also oversees the Training and Quality Assurance Section.

Quality Assurance & Training Section

About the Section

The Quality Assurance and Training Section has an administrator,

two emergency communications

specialists, and a part time roster employee. Altogether, the team has more than 86 years of experience in the 911 and public safety system. It oversees accreditation compliance, department wide training, and is the point of contact for Guilford County Department of Social Services and public information requests. Preparing record requests expends approximately 70 hours per month.

2022 Public Records Data

2021

7,426

2022

6,786

0

1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000

40 300

Requests by Type

SUBPOENAS

RADIO TRAFFIC

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Accreditation Compliance

GM911 is an Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) in two call-take disciplines – Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) and Emergency Fire Dispatch (EFD) through the International Academies of Emergency Dispatch (IAED). The agency must meet and maintain 20 points of accreditation.

Emergency communications specialists receive feedback on a monthly basis. The reporting and feedback process is a crucial part of the Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement Program, as it helps to enrich the services GM911 provides to the residents and agencies served.

Accreditation The section is responsible for compiling and maintaining

• Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) for Emergency Medical Dispatch and Emergency Fire Dispatch • APCO International Training Standards for Public Safety Telecommunicators • DCI Service Agreements and Compliance • Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies • Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services • Insurance Services Office documentation to meet the 911 communication requirements for the following:

2022 Compliance Levels

Compliance Level

Minimum Standard

EMD

EFD

EPD*

Non-Compliant

7%

7%

11%

7%

Low Compliance

3%

2%

2%

10%

Partial Compliance

8%

7%

10% 10%

Compliant

30% 21% 25% None

High Compliance

52% 63% 51% None

*GM911 is not ACE accredited in EPD, and therefore is not required to meet the minimum standard compliance in this area. Regardless, we strive to meet that goal.

PUBLIC (ATTORNEY/ CITIZEN/MEDIA) 2,969

1,110 1,116

3,817 30,845

UNREDACTED PHONE CALLS

REDACTED PHONE CALLS

DSS

DOCUMENTS REVIEWED/REDACTED

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Training Training Responsibilities

This section is responsible for the training of all new emergency communications employees through an in-house Rookie School, and providing continuing education on a monthly basis to all existing employees. GM911’s training curriculum meets the APCO International’s Minimum Training Standards for Public Safety Telecommunicators and is APCO International’s Agency Training Program Certified. This certification validates the agency’s training curriculum to ensure it provides trainees with the required content and focuses on the demonstration of decision and psychomotor skills cited within the standards.

EMD, EFD, EPD certifications EMD-Q, EFD-Q, EPD-Q (Quality Assurance) Division of Criminal Information (DCI) and DCI Instructor CPR and CPR Instructor Emergency Telecommunicator (ETC) and ETC - Instructor APCO International Communications Training Officer Version 6 FEMA - 100, 200, 700 Training Team Credentials

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• Conducted three Rookie School sessions with nine emergency communications specialists. • Reaccredited as the world’s 12th Fire ACE in January 2022. • Reaccredited as the world’s 134th Medical ACE in February 2022. • Reaccredited under APCO International’s Agency Training Program Certification in November 2022. GM911 will be recognized at APCO’s 89th Annual Conference and Expo August 2023. • Maintained partnership with National Missing and Exploited Children. 2022 Training Highlights

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Communications Division Education & Outreach

GM911 is dedicated to fostering strong relationships throughout the community, as well as educating the public about 911, our organization, and other public safety topics. Through the Red E. Fox program and other outreach efforts at local schools and youth centers, GM911 staff teaches the importance of 911 to local children. Department members from all divisions participate in various public relations events and gatherings throughout the year. This allows members of the community, local businesses, and partner agencies to fortify bonds with GM911 in ways that cannot be achieved through other means.

2022 Public Relations Events

Feedback from Public & Partners

Elder Justice Committee 9-8-8 Coalition 9-8-8 Crisis Learning Community Jam Cultural Orientation for Afghan Refugees Wiley Elementary School Career Fair Guilford Metro 9-1-1 Telecommunications Banquet Friends Home West Summit Rotary Club National Refugee Day Greensboro Day School Summer Camp National Forum for Black Public Administrators Hub 4 Hope Job Fair Crescent Rotary Club Guilford Merchants Association Kiwanis Club Public Safety Event and Career Fair at High Point Rockers Stadium Greensboro Police Basic Introductory Course Northern High School Career Fair City of Greensboro’s City Academy North Carolina Hometown Hero Event

Commendations

2022

2021

Residents

8

9

Other Agencies

19

20

Internal

84

57

Total

111

86

Complaints

2022

2021

Residents

1

3

Other Agencies

27

23

Total

28

26

Founded*

19

21

*Founded complaints were those determined to be valid upon review.

TOURS ATTENDEES 41 133

911 Communications Center Tours

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Telephone Statistics Call Volume

2022 Telephone Statistics* 27,512 ALL CALLS 2.3% decrease from 2021 WIRELESS CALLS 2.7% decrease from 2021 23,183

In 2022, the Emergency Communications Division processed 691,667 calls. The NC 911 Board call answering reports have consistently shown GM911 as a top leader in the state, answering 99.4% of 911 calls within 10 seconds. 911 Calls Received 337,838 10 Digit Calls Received 195,685 Outgoing Calls 172,671 Total Telephone Transactions 706,194

911 Calls Received 10 Digit Calls Received

330,146 194,950 166,571 691,667

Outgoing Calls

Total Telephone Transactions

Chart Title

166,571 OUTGOING CALLS

172,671 OUTGOING CALLS

-3.5%

330,146 911 CALLS RECEIVED

337,838 911 CALLS RECEIVED

911 Calls Received

ived

194,950 10 DIGIT CALLS RECEIVED

195,685 10 DIGIT CALLS RECEIVED

-2.3%

-0.4%

2022 Call Volume Total Telephone Transactions: 691,667

911 Calls Received 10 Digit Calls Received Outgoing Calls 2021 Call Volume Total Telephone Transactions: 706,194

2,823

Types of Calls GM911 experienced a decrease in the number of landline calls. Wireless 911 calls have decreased slightly from 84.6 percent to 84.2 percent. VOIP calls have increased from 9.5 percent to 10.2 percent of all calls. The center experienced a decrease in abandoned calls. There were an average of 904 calls per day in 2022, a decrease of 2.4 percent.

VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL CALLS 5.1% increase from 2021

942

Calls for Service

ABANDONED CALLS 12% decrease from 2021

Agency

2022

2021

% of change

604

Guilford County EMS

89,221 89,631

0.5% decrease

Guilford County Fire

17,877 14,935

19.7% increase

BUSINESS CALLS 19.1% decrease from 2021

Guilford County Sheriff

62,730 67,097

6.5% decrease

RESIDENTIAL CALLS 14.6% decrease from 2021 445

Greensboro Fire

37,669 34,468

9.3% increase

Greensboro Police

199,911 207,926 3.9% decrease

To help during staff shortages from September through December 2022, Guilford County Fire, Greensboro Fire and High Point Fire handled some unknown injury calls that would normally go to Guilford County EMS. This decreased the number of EMS calls and increased the number of fire calls. The decrease in calls for Greensboro Police was caused by “be on the lookout” calls that were not canceled and had to be excluded.

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TEXT TELEPHONE, TEST DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT AND TEXT-TO-911 CALLS 19.2% increase from 2021

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*Monthly averages

Staffing 2022 Force Strength

Resignations/Terminations/Retirements % of Turnover Exiting Staffers w

2018

4

4.3

The Emergency Communications Division had 76 emergency communications specialists (ECS) in 2022. The authorized ECS staffing was 93, including supervisors and an operations manager. The average vacancy per month for this year was 16 ECS positions. Nine new ECS were hired in 2022. In 2022, nine ECS resigned, one retired, two transferred, and one was dismissed. 2019 4 4.3 2020 12 12.9 2021 13 14 2022 13 14

16

Resignations/Terminations/ Retirements % of Turnover Exiting Staffers with Greater Than 1 Year Experience

EXITING STAFFERS WITH >1 YEAR OF EXPERIENCE 7

RESIGNATIONS/ TERMINATIONS/ RETIREMENTS 13

14

12

10

8

PERCENT OF TURNOVER 14 %

6

4

2

0

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Telecommunicator of the Year Jeri Phillips pictured at right

Rookie of the Year Sunserey Wilson

Support Person of the Year

Camille Bosworth

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Local Honorees GM911’s annual Employee Recognition Program honors employees for their dedication and outstanding service.

Awards and Recognition Statewide Honors GM911 staff members were honored by organizations across the state this year. North Carolina Chapter of the National Emergency Number Association

Performance Standard Awards

Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) Nathan Jackson Emergency Fire Dispatch (EFD)

Emergency Priority Dispatch (EPD) Cassie Jobe Charlena Hogue

Angela Mitchell Charlena Hogue Jeff Hutchens Kim Burkley Michael Taylor Nathan Jackson Nicole Childress

Communications Center Supervisor of the Year Angela Mitchell

Evelyn Kabler Jeff Hutchens Jeri Phillips Kim Burkley

Nicole Childress Tammy Matherly Tonya Swann

Accredited Center of Excellence (ACE) Award For receiving ACE level quality assurance scores Jennifer Batson – EFD, EPD Lisa Bunch – EMD, EPD Alexandra Carroll – EMD, EFD

Life Saving Award For providing life sustaining or saving support Laura Berkstresser Erin Blair (3) Lisa Bunch Chris Champagne Greg Cobb Brian Cole-Lilly Rena Davis (2) Kelly Faircloth Adam Goslin Yolanda Graham Skyler Green Scott Harrison Michael Hebert Michael Huntoon Danette McNeal Pamela Miller Jeri Phillips Justin Sugalski Corrie Wagoner (2) Emily “Tate” Welker Roy Whitmire Kim Williams Taylor Williford (2) Sunserey Wilson

Communications Center Employee of the Year Jeri Phillips

Crystal Connor – EPD Paige Cummings – EFD Michael Justin Davis – EFD April Dunn – EFD Breanna “Kasi” Edwards – EFD Kelly Faircloth – EPD James Gemperline – EMD, EFD, EPD Casey Grant – EFD James Greer – EFD, EPD Michael Huntoon – EFD Jeff Hutchens – EMD Cindy Little – EMD Heather LeQuire – EMD, EPD Tammy Matherly – EFD Kristina McDaniel – EPD Christina Miller – EFD Cheryl Moore – EFD, EPD Kris Riley – EFD Misty Ritchie – EMD, EFD Shanice Scott – EFD Kim Williams – EMD, EPD Kellie Zimmerman – EFD, EPD

North Carolina Association of Public Safety Communications Officials Public Safety Radio Technologist of the Year Keith Hayes Craig Moser Award Given to a member who has shown exceptional contributions to the betterment of the chapter and promoted improvements that benefit all members Melanie Jones

NC Hometown Hero Award Winner Jeri Phillips

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Public Safety Information Technology Division About the Division

The Public Safety Information Technology (PSIT) manages special projects and the acquisition, maintenance, and operation of all hardware and software supporting the operations of GM911, Greensboro Police and Fire departments, and an array of networks and computer systems.

2022 Highlights

• Secured a partnership with a consulting firm and completed needs assessment and request for proposals for computer aided dispatch (CAD) and records management systems (RMS) replacements. • Implemented a robust new backup solution to include unchangeable storage and advanced functionality for increased ransomware recovery capabilities. • Worked with Greensboro Police Department (GPD) to create a Real-Time-Crime-Monitoring Center, a hub that uses technology to provide public safety officials with intelligence to identify and prevent crime. PSIT installed FUSUS, cloud software that extracts and unifies live video, data and sensor feeds. • Completed migration door scanning software server, WIN-PAK, for City-owned facilities across Greensboro. • Implemented ForceMetrics Patrol/Officer, a mobile

dashboard for public safety data. • Upgraded virtual environment to vSphere 7.0.3, a software platform that allows GM911 to run virtualized servicers instead of physical machines. • Migrated public safety users to Microsoft Exchange 365 email. • Consolidated and upgraded storage and backup capabilities for GPD Fraud and Forensics. • Implemented Axon Fleet 3 system, an in-car camera system used by GPD. • Completed implementation of Accurint Virtual Crime Center, an analytics and data sharing platform used to help solve crimes. • Expanded PSIT staff to meet needs at the Greensboro Fire Department.

19 79

MAP UPDATES

ANNEXATIONS

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System Uptime System uptime is critical for the emergency operations center. PSIT strives for high availability, steady performance, and data integrity. Excluding planned downtime, GM911’s CAD and phone systems uptime did not fall below 99.99 percent for 2022. Help Desk In addition to project completion and equipment rollout, in 2022 PSIT completed more than 9,000 work orders from internal and external users, with many completed within 24 hours of submission. PSIT also received 10,259 calls to the after-hours support line in 2022.

SYSTEM UPTIME 99.99 % 8,248 WORK ORDERS

Expanding Staff Expertise In 2022, PSIT placed a high emphasis on training and certifications for staff. During the year, all technicians were required to obtain a minimum of an A+ certification through CompTIA, the industry stand credential for technical support and IT operational roles. Some staff members acquired more advanced certifications. Internally, the PSIT division has GIS staff who are responsible for updating geographic information for emergency and non-emergency responses. This data is crucial in helping to identify a caller’s location and recommending the proper response by specific agencies. This key component drives our CAD system and allows responders to navigate efficiently to emergencies. PSIT staff works with various agencies to ensure that we have as current and accurate information as possible. Geographic Information System (GIS)

At the time of this report, PSIT has 10 A+ certified technicians, three VMware Certified Professionals, three Network+ certified technicians, two Microsoft Certified Professionals, and several other certifications. Additionally, all PSIT staff attended a Ransomware Preparedness course in 2022.

2,012 4,808 58,247

156,374

Geographic Data Updates

STREET SEGMENT ADDITIONS

ADDRESS POINT ADDITIONS/EDITS

POLYGON EDITS

STREET SEGMENT EDITS

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Technical Services Division About the Division

The Technical Services Division operates a full-service, customer-owned and maintained (COAM) 800 megahertz trunked wireless radio system, which handles all radio traffic for Guilford County, Burlington, and Thomasville. We also program, support and offer accessories for subscriber equipment. The division strives to provide excellent customer service by producing professional results in maintenance, repair, and programming of our radio system and end-user subscriber equipment for voice, data, emergency, and non-emergency communications. We also provide consultation, order processing, and project management for our customers to help them best meet their needs.

MAINTAINED BY GM911 6,672

TOTAL RADIO SYSTEMS ASSETS

16

2022 Highlights

This was a very successful year for the Technical Services Division. We installed and set up a demo test solution called Seahawk, manufactured by PCTEL. This allows monitoring of the radio frequency spectrum over the air, which assists in locating potential interference that could be harmful to the operation of the radio system. The demo exceeded our expectations, so we are beginning to procure Seahawk for radio tower sites. We also attended meetings, conferences, trainings, and workshops for NC Emergency Management, the national wireless broadband network FIRSTNET, APCO, National Emergency Number Association, Motorola Trunked Users Group (MTUG), NC Statewide Interoperability Executive Committee, NC FirstTech, and other state and national organizations. The division delivers ongoing management and assistance with projects and daily operations to both internal and external customers. Outstanding customer service and efficiency are always at the top of the priority list for our division. Below are some of the completed projects for 2022, as well as a few of our future projects.

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Technical Services Division 2022 Projects The Technical Services Division delivers ongoing management and assistance with projects and daily operations to both internal and external customers. Outstanding customer service and efficiency is always at the top of the priority list for our division. Below are some of the completed projects for 2022.

• Continued maintenance for the backup redundancy of the fire automated alerting system USDD. The system utilizes our radio house set configuration and in-house custom-designed interface for automated alerting redundancy for the Greensboro Fire Department and several Guilford County fire departments. • Reprogrammed subscriber units for continued interoperability. • Completed Genesis Database IMW GPS solution implementation. • Aligned and optimized radios to manufacturer specifications for safety and optimum performance.

• Continued agreement with Motorola for system maintenance parts and SUA software. • Continued maintenance of the City of Thomasville’s public safety and non-public safety radio systems and radio units. • Setup of additional talk groups and patches for direct communications for surrounding agencies. • Continued maintenance of the Guilford County Fire UHF paging system, which serves as a critical component for Guilford County Fire emergency notifications.

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Radio Systems Assets Maintained by GM911

2,782 2,357

CITY OF GREENSBORO

GUILFORD COUNTY

494 332 108

CITY OF BURLINGTON

CITY OF THOMASVILLE

CITY OF GRAHAM

90 79 77 71 66 63 48 44 40 18 3

NC A&T STATE UNIVERSITY

GUILFORD TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

UNIVERSITY OF NC AT GREENSBORO

NC DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

US DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION

PIEDMONT TRIAD AIRPORT AUTHORITY

PIEDMONT TRIAD AMBULANCE & RESCUE

CONE HEALTH

CARELINK

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

HIGH POINT REGIONAL HOSPITAL

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336-373-2933 1903 Midway St. Greensboro, NC 27403

GREENSBORO-NC.GOV/GM911

ONE CALL. ONE CENTER. ONE SOURCE.