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August 22 2002 Board Meeting A regular scheduled meeting of the Public Safety Communications Center Policy Board was held on Thursday, August 22, 2002, in Room 501 of the County Administration Building, 320 Chestnut Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: Chairman Frank Blackley Dan Summers, Excused Andy Atkinson Ed Pigford, Excused Steve Smith Brian Roberts Everett Ward Ed Woodard Bill Clontz Bill Whisnant Lise Ruefle, Representing Sheriff’s Department Cliff Robinson, Representing Fire Services GUESTS: Sherry Vought, Public Safety Communications Center Telecommunicator Jan Kavanaugh, New Hanover County Information Technology Department Chairman Frank Blackley called the meeting to order at 9:10 a.m. The summary of the July 25, 2002 meeting was reviewed and approved. Andy Atkinson made a motion to approve the minutes as written and Brian Roberts seconded the motion. OLD BUSINESS: Bill Whisnant stated that the City of Wilmington code enforcement wrecker rotation agencies have completed the process requirements. So far, four agencies have entered into a contract with a fifth agency impending. As soon as the fifth agency has entered into a contract, the Public Safety Communications Center will no longer be responsible for code enforcement people for wrecker rotation. Sequel Update: Jan Kavanaugh reported on the sequel update.  No date has been confirmed by Open Software Solutions Inc. (OSSI) to install the sequel servers.  Possible weeks are either the week of September 3 or September 16, 2002. 2 Front Desk Usage: Steve Smith reported on front desk usage.  Currently, information is being accumulated from the telecommunicators to help identify specific items that need to be addressed.  The Center is working in conjunction with the Wilmington Police Department and New Hanover County Sheriff’s Department to resolve the issue.  The telecommunicators are directing the officers to use their front desks for administrative duties. Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) User Group: Chairman Blackley reported on the MDT User Group and Bill Clontz provided additional information on MDT’s at the State level.  Motorola will be installing filters at no charge on the City of Wilmington Fire Department MDT’s to prevent information from “dropping out.”  The City of Wilmington Fire Department received a $2,300 customer appreciation discount from OSSI. The discount is for a software change that will allow the MDT’s users easier access to the mapping functions.  It was suggested that New Hanover County Fire Services revise revise and upgrade their MDT screens to reflect the improved mapping functions. There is no charge to revise the screens.  The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Patrol Division received ten additional identification numbers needed to purchase additional MDT’s. The MDT’s will have DCI access.  The State is auditing MDT usage, if the MDT’s are not utilized in 90 days they will be disconnected without any warning and taken out of the tables.  The signal towers are designed to indicate if a terminal is switched on and the identification of the user.  The State is working on the middle range software to help eliminate signals that are hitting towers outside of the County. Hopefully, this will improve coverage.  The North Carolina Department of Justice has suspended the updating of their equipment until a later date.  The next MDT User meeting is scheduled for September. Microwave Tower and Fiber Line Issues at Marketplace Mall: Bill Clontz reported on the microwave tower and fiber line issues at Marketplace Mall.  Emergency Management will relocate to Marketplace Mall with their associated organizations such as the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) and Emergency Public Information Center (EPIC).  The move is not scheduled to occur until after hurricane season is over which is the end of November.  There are some permitting issues involving the installation of the fiber lines.  The right of way for installing the fiber lines under the railroad tracks is currently being worked on with a completion date scheduled for the end of October. 3  Staff has met with the project engineers to discuss other issues that need to be addressed before County departments may relocate.  The Marketplace Mall will be renamed to New Hanover Executive Park.  All existing County network fiber connections will remain in place. The fiber lines to Marketplace Mall will be an extension.  A microwave link needs to be installed to connect the downtown to Marketplace Mall. A satellite dish and tower will need to be purchases to provide access at both locations.  The tower on the Law Enforcement Center building needs updating.  A landline and microwave link needs to be installed for basic communications. NEW BUSINESS: Information Technology (IT) Sub-Committee Report: Bill Clontz reported on the Information Technology Sub-Committee and distributed a summary of the last meeting report to Committee members. Please refer to the handout for detailed information. The following items were discussed:  Wrightsville Beach will have representation on the Information Technology Sub-Committee.  The RFP status remains the same. Amy Akin is working on constructing a status report. Nature Codes:  If a nature code is changed or deleted it cannot be used as a search parameter.  Nature codes cannot be altered because once the nature code is used it is associated with the history of that particular call. The CAD system will only recognize those fields.  Seldom used nature codes will be held in an “orphan code” Excel spreadsheet for future reference until OSSI deletes them.  The sub-categories of the nature codes need to be deleted.  OSSI needs to make available an option so that inactive information is not displayed in a pick list, but if needed, it would be available to run reports. Point Addressing:  The Wilmington City Council has approved the point addressing standards. It is now uniform for both the City of Wilmington and New Hanover County.  A copy of the approved point addressing standards will be sent to the beach municipalities with a letter urging them to consider adopting the document in their jurisdictions.  The beach municipalities will need to be included and involved in the technology and equipment phase.  The idea behind the document is not to dictate how streets should be named, but to discourage the creation of street names that sound alike to avoid confusion on the radio. 4  The Wireless Fund will be used to pay for the XY Phase II upgrade and point addressing. The State considers both items an authorized expenditure. Change Management Process Procedure: Steve Smith distributed a handout describing how the CAD Change Management Process will work. It will be included in the Standard Operating Procedure Manual. Please refer to the handout for more detail. The following items were discussed:  A back-up person needs to be designated.  A person will be assigned from each shift to make the data base changes so that the responsibility is not on one person.  Design an electronically generated request form using Lotus Notes for easy accessibility and readability.  A memorandum will be drafted authorizing specific people on each squad to become more involved in the day-to-day mechanics of the CAD system.  Utilizing people on the squads should dramatically reduce the overtime and midnight visits from the IT Department. Andy Atkinson made a motion to approve the CAD Change Management Process in the E-911 Standard Operating Procedures Manual; Article: III; Section: 3:04. Brian Roberts seconded the motion. The motion passed. Console E-911 Phone Upgrade and Voice Logging Recorder: Steve Smith distributed an addendum to the Motorola proposal upgrading the radio, phone and voice logging recorder equipment currently in the Center. Please refer to the handout material for a detailed report. The following items were discussed:  A five-year plan would save money over the life of the contract.  Commit to a five-year plan, but pay off the debt in three-years. This could be an option since the County has the funding available for this purpose.  The rate of interest for a five-year lease would be approximately six percent or $400,000.  The life of computer equipment is approximately five years, software does not wear out it becomes obsolete.  An important feature of having the equipment under a lease agreement instead of purchasing it is that leasing allows flexibly.  A formal bid procedure procedure would be required if the console equipment is purchased because Motorola is not the sole source.  A list is currently being compiled to ensure that we are taking full advantage of the eligible charges allowed under the Wireless and 911 Surcharge Funds.  Several counties are attempting to get the State to loosen up its requirements and rules on the two funds so there will be some flexibility in how the funding may be spent.  The State is beginning to look at funding that is not being utilized, even if it is earmarked for a specific project. 5 Voice Logging Recorder: Steve Smith explained how the current voice logging recorder equipment operates and how the new system will improve service.  The original purchase price for the old Dictaphone equipment was approximately $75,000.  The new equipment would be leased not purchased.  The new system will use talk groups to communicate and have de-trunking capabilities.  Digital Video Disk (DVD) tapes will be used to store information in the new system. The hard drive will be able to store eight months of information on one DVD tape.  Agencies will be able to receive information in a timelier manner. The voice logging recorder would work like a resource monitor.  A recommendation is needed from the Board on how to proceed or if additional information is needed to assist in that recommendation.  Steve Smith will compile information on the three-year payoff and send it electronically to board members.  The funding in the Surcharge and Wireless Funds should be monitored to see if there is funding available for the three pieces of equipment. Andy Atkinson made a motion that we go forward with leasing the new console and Plant E-911 from Motorola using the Wireless Fund to make the payments and to look at a three-year payoff if adequate funds are available. If not, then go with the five-year payment. Also, move forward with leasing the voice logging recorder from Dictaphone for a five-year period using regular County budget funds for installment. Bill Whisnant seconded the motion. The motion passed. Discussion of Tower/Coverage Options: Steve Smith gave a brief review of the tower situation.  The Simulcast project was too expensive and funds from the Surcharge Fund would not cover the expense. Andy Atkinson made a motion that we have a plan in place presented to us at the next meeting on how and when all of this is going work, so that we can make sure we are ready for Carolina and Kure Beaches to have what we need when we take over their dispatch. Chairman Frank Blackley asked for a second to Andy’s motion. Briain Roberts seconded the motion. The motion passed. 6 E-Mail Note from Dan Summers: Frank Blackley reported on the e-mail he received from Dan Summers. Please refer to the e-mail that is attached to the minutes for a detailed report. Amber Notification System: Steve Smith reported on the Amber Notification System (reverse 911) that the State is currently starting to utilize.  Several counties are starting to use the reverse 911 to relay information to the public.  Steve Smith will begin to compile figures for the Board to review on reverse 911 to see if it is something that is feasible and can be utilized in New Hanover County.  In an emergency situation, the Center would have the capabilities to inform the public of information by sending messages out over the phone lines instead of answering individual telephone calls. Telephone Voice Mail System:  A telephone voice mail system is needed for the administrative staff in the Center so the telecommunicators are not answering non-emergency administrative calls.  A separate line needs to be installed for administrative calls and separate lines need to be installed for the telecommunicators.  The following staff members would have the option installed on their telephones: Director, Assistant Director, 911 Coordinator, Training Coordinator, and the Administrative Support Technician.  When the Board approves the request, the Public Safety Communications Center and IT Directors will discuss the options to resolve the issue.  Bell South has a feature called call processing designed for leaving messages.  The First Call for Help system was discussed as an option. Additional Information:  Ed Woodard distributed a handout explaining the failure of communications between the fire and police departments on September 11, 2001. The article appeared in the New York Times. It contains valuable information that may be useful for our community.  Bill Clontz will be retiring at the end of the year and moving back to Asheville, North Carolina. The next scheduled meeting will be held on Thursday, September 26, 2002, at 9:00 a.m. in Room 501 of the County Administration Building, 320 Chestnut Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. Everett Ward made a motion to adjourn the meeting, Lise Ruefle seconded the motion. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:02 a.m. 7