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10 23 2008 Board Meeting NEW HANOVER COUNTY PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS CENTER 230 Government Center Dr, Suite 185 Wilmington, NC 28403 Phone: (910) 798-6921 Fax: (910) 798-6925 E-mail: stsmith@nhcgov.com Steve Smith Director Memorandum To: Public Safety Communications Center Policy Board Members From: Steve Smith, Director Subject: October 23, 2008 Board Summary Date: October 24, 2008 A Public Safety Communications Center Policy Board meeting was held on Thursday, October 23, 2008 at 10:00 AM in the Emergency Operating Center, 220 Government Center Drive, Wilmington, North Carolina. MEMBERS PRESENT: Warren Lee Sterling Powell, Excused MEMBERS ABSENT: Michael Core Andre’ Mallette, Excused Steve Smith Robbie Matheson, Excused Cynthia Deacon Tom Eason, Excused Cliff Robinson Jerry Brewer, Excused Ron Jordan, Excused GUESTS:Wayne Pearce, NHCEM Jason Adams, Wireless Communications Mike Cavalluzzi, Motorola/Wireless Acting Chairman Lee called the meeting to order at 10:08 A.M. and deferred the approval of the minutes until the next meeting as there are not enough for a quorum. Old Business: Rebanding: Acting Chairman Lee informed everyone that the rebanding Reconfiguration Agreement has been signed on both sides and we have the executed copy. We also have the signed agreement from Motorola and the agreement from Federal Engineering who will be managing the project. There is a tentative kickoff meeting scheduled for December 4, 2008 with Federal Engineering and Motorola for this project. Acting Chairman Lee will have more information after that meeting as far as scheduling and agency order of replacement. This meeting will be to work out the logistics of how the replacements will work and scheduling. After that meeting there will most likely be a meeting for the agencies to discuss how the scheduling will work out. This is an open meeting so if the agencies wanted to attend they could but it will just be primarily to work out the schedules. Bob Hamlin is coming sometime in the next couple of weeks to talk to the supervisors in the Center to discuss how the rebanding will affect the Center. Jason stated that the folks in the Center should not see any effects. IT Jan informed everyone that they were getting AVL in place. This mainly affects EMS. They now have GPS in all their units. The unit recommend just started this morning in the Center based off of GPS. She will let everyone know in the next meeting how it is going. There are only four Wilmington Police units using this in a test mode. The project funding has made it where they may have to put it on hold. She is waiting to hear back from them to get written requirements of what they expect from the Center. If anyone has CAD Resource monitor and are monitoring EMS or Law, those show up on the screens. The ability to get AVL history is a right only. Those supervisors in charge of those units will be able to do AVL playback, this shows speed and the exact route at the time of the call. Steve stated that they have already used this to monitor their units. Acting Chairman Lee asked how current does the AVL show on the screen. Jan said that it refreshes an average of 15 seconds. On resource it is a little slower but faster on the live side. Acting Chairman Lee also asked how the dispatchers were using it. Jan said that when they click Unit Recommend that the closest unit based on coordinates would be recommended. This is based on time to get there or actual location, whichever comes first. Law has set the default for proximity to a nine mile radius and EMS has theirs down to three. If someone has one district and they have a situation that puts them closer, the unit recommend will show that unit even if it is not in their district. Mike Cavaluzzi asked if it also contained directions and Jan said no, that the telecommunicators can give directions but this is not automatically in there. There were some changes made for City Fire yesterday, they changed response plans to save fuel, they have dropped one engine off of alarm calls. Steve said that Carolina Beach is honing their response plan. Jan said there was going to be a circuit installed to put rip and tear printer through the network rather than put it through the fax. Wrightsville Beach Fire is using the MDTs and they are enjoying using them. Acting Chairman Lee asked if Jan could talk about Air cards and the issues that have been occurring. Jan has received complaints from people all over the county about the VPN. She asked Mike Core if they were doing better and he said no, it wasn’t working properly, it keeps dropping. Jan said they have been all updated. The few that have been updated, people are telling they are better. The complaints were that VPN was dropping and/or the card card was, and they would have to start over. There is a test being done with a newer version of the Cisco VPN Client and the VC Access Manager that has been put on several machines. Mike will talk with the officers working today and see if there is improvement. Jan wanted the cell number associated with the card of the officer who has the problem with the dropping so that she can look at the history and see the details. The Sheriff’s Department said they were getting better results. Acting Chairman Lee said that his laptop attached to a docking station in his office is dropping continuously. Wayne said if you don’t use VPN and use the air card then it is fine. Jan asked if it was the Verizon card or if it was the VPN. Wayne and Acting Chairman Lee think it is the VPN because the computer will sometimes say VPN disconnected. Jan asked Cynthia how UNCW’s was working and Cynthia said that so far it is fine. Acting Chairman Lee said the refresh they had done (Cisco) seems to have been around the time the problems started. Jan said there was a Cisco refresh on the network side and she will check with Sharon to see if there is any correlation. UNCW has had their new cards less than a year and the laptops are old. Jan says she doesn’t see the correlation as UNCW has the Tough Books and Wrightsville Beach has the Motorola. UNCW does the Field Based Reporting (MFR) through Vision in their old CAD system. Cliff says that County Fire hasn’t heard any complaints. He is not sure of the total of air cards but thinks there may be about 12 and they don’t get used often. Jan says there is one or two in every station. There are some being used in the Sheriff’s Department. Hoehlein and Hines say they saw improvements. At Wrightsville Beach Fire Department they are not using air cards but the internet. Still using the VPN but without the air card. Jan says they will continue to research that. New Business: Public Safety Communications Center: Steve says they will see how the AVL for EMS works and let everyone know. They are working on the change for the fire departments for the determinate codes instead of the nature codes. This seems to be going well. There are three people in training in the Center. Debora and Susan had Telecommunicator School last week and had an excellent class. The County is exercising some pre-emptive budgetary control due to issues. We are not immune but we are not hit very hard. There were some funds we were able to identify that will have little or no impact on the operation of the Center. The original agreement and documents pertaining to VIPER have been reviewed. There is a meeting set up December 7, 2008 with AT&T to discuss when and how VIPER is installed. The maintenance cost drops when switching to VIPER by about $45,000. The grounding may not be what they (AT&T) wanted but it was there when the bid was done. There may be four cabinets taken out if the VIPER System is installed which will free up space as well as reduce our cost. Acting Chairman Lee asked when the contract was up and Steve told him it is sometime in March. Acting Chairman Lee asked how this affected the new recorder with the final installation until VIPER was complete. Steve said he did not know. They will have to discuss that situation. Jason says he doesn’t think there is the electrical capability to install 14 radios in that room. Steve says they will probably put the rack for the radios in the UPS room behind the supervisor’s room. Acting Chairman Lee thought that Leslie said that they had to be put in the room. Steve says that it needs to be in this building. Jason asked if there was a roof penetration for the antenna. There is not. Jason thought they were to use that because of the existing penetration in the data room. Steve says depending on how the meeting goes with AT&T, some racks may be removed. Jason said that would free up space and electricity. Steve said to upgrade the UPS and Cribb’s work, would that amount to $45,000. Acting Chairman Lee asked if we were paying for that and Steve said that has not been determined yet. Acting Chairman Lee said it seems more like their money to pay than it coming from the County. Steve said the ideal is getting them to pay for all of it but that will be worked out in December. Mike asked if there was anything being moved out of the room. Steve said with VIPER they will move out the phone cabinets. If they don’t go VIPER, then they will have to find someplace to put the cabinet for the radios. Jason said they would need two racks for the new radios. There have been issues with the uniform vendor. With the budget issues and the uniforms seem to be an easy cut from the budget and we may move to shirts with logos or business casual. There will be a window film added the outside of the Center. This is to cut down on the distractions of visitors and uniforms not being worn won’t be an issue. Wireless & Motorola Mike passed out a flyer with their sister company; this is on the technology side. If anything comes up, Mike would like you to think of them first. This flyer has been attached to your email. State Interoperability Committee Acting Chairman Lee is on the State Interoperability Committee. One of the groups is a Users Committee. They are developing the use of plain talk. They are trying to develop a statewide plan for plain talk. The codes that would be a violation of privacy or confidentiality issues given in plain talk will be kept to codes. Most everyone agrees that you should say what you’re saying rather than using codes. Don’t forget the Board will not meet in November and the next date is set for December 11, 1008 at 10 A.M. Acting Chairman Lee adjourned at 10:54 A.M.