August 28 2003 Board Meeting
A regular scheduled meeting of the Public Safety Communications Center Policy Board was held on Thursday, August 28, 2003 in Room 501 of the County Administration Building, 320 Chestnut
Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. MEMBERS PRESENT: MEMBERS ABSENT: Chairman Frank Blackley Doug Hewlett Andy Atkinson Brian Roberts Steve Smith Dennis Cooper Bill Clontz Lt. Hoehlein
Donnie Hall Warren Lee Sterling Powell Sgt. Ed Gibson Jan Kavanaugh GUEST: Kristin Pigford, Public Safety Communications Center Telecommunicator Chairman Blackley called the meeting
to order at 9:00 a.m. Due to not having a quorum, the summaries from the May 15, June 26, and July 24, 2003 meetings could not be approved. OLD BUSINESS: 800 MHz Update: Warren Lee gave
an update on the 800 MHz project. Staff will meet with the Towns of Carolina and Kure Beaches in regard to the 800 MHz project. The Board of County Commissioners will review the
idea to consider hiring an outside consultant to look at the current system and decide if it can be improved. The item is scheduled for the September 15, 2003 agenda. The Town of Carolina
Beach is operating off of a convention repeater system and is not part of the trunking system. Staff is going to recommend to the Board of County Commissioners that the following items
be placed on the September 15, 2003 agenda: 1. Request the necessary funding to implement the Simulcast system that has been recommended by Motorola. 2. Recommend that the tower have
25 channels instead of 14 channels. 3. Evaluate the current tower site in the Town of Carolina Beach to see if it is situated at the best location or if additional property will need
to be purchased as a future tower site.
2 NEW BUSINESS: Steve Smith reported on the meetings held with the Public Safety Communications employees and introduced Kristin Pigford. Two meetings were held with Public Safety
Communications Center employees to discuss their concerns. Representatives from various New Hanover County Departments (County Manager, Property Management, and Human Resources) were
also present at the meetings. Most of the concerns voiced are currently being addressed. Unclean and Unsanitary Conditions: Cleaning of the Center is difficult to do since the Center
is operational on continuous basis. A cleaning crew is scheduled to clean the Center twice a month. The cleaning crew will either be a contracted service or part of the Property
Management staff. Cleaning will include the air returns, air vents, carpet and consoles. A special vacuum cleaner was purchased to clean behind the radio cabinet and equipment to
prevent electrical discharges that could cause the equipment to malfunction. An air purification system has been installed to help remove the particles from the air and drop them to
the surface. Chairs: The telecommunicators are testing various brands of chairs to find the most comfortable and durable brand. New chairs were allocated into the price of the Center’s
renovation last year, but due to other factors no new chairs were purchased. Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Humidifier: The ventilation and air conditioning units will be cleaned
more thoroughly to help control the mold and dust. The shift supervisor on duty will be responsible for checking the humidifier and attending to its needs. Ceiling and Window Leaks:
When ceiling and water leaks occur, the Property Management staff repairs them to the best of their ability. Lately, most of the leaks have been happening around electrical outlets.
3 CAD and Phone System: Currently, the Center is working with Motorola to resolve issues pertaining to the phone system. A Telephone Committee made up of users has been formed to
deal with issues relating to the CAD and phone system. The Committee meets on a regular basis to discuss problems and then relates the information either to Coastal Electronics or
Motorola. It is the Committee’s responsibility to ensure that the system users are satisfied with the final results after the problem has been fixed. A Training and Quality Assurance
Oversight Committee has also been formed. Their primary function is to make sure that new hires are being trained property before coming off of probation. A pay award system has been
implemented to provide incentive for new hires as they progress from one console to another. A review will be given on the individual’s performance after they complete training on
each of the consoles. If the new hire is not progressing at an attainable rate, the Committee will evaluate what needs to be done and work with the new hire to attain the desired outcome.
At the end of the six-month probation period, a recommendation from the committee will be made whether or not the new hire will come off of probation or if probation needs to be extended.
This allows the Center employees more control and comfort over the quality of training and the methods being used. Several employees have been asked to look at how the Center actually
functions: the way the telecommunicators do their work; the way the consoles are set up; how the scheduling is done and the way the Center is staffed. Committee members will visit
other centers to ensure that our facility is operating efficiently. They will make recommendations on how to improve the Center based on their observations. By implementing the different
committees, it allows the Center employees to become more involved and be part of the changes that are being done in the Center. New Recorder: The Dictaphone recording system has been
installed on five desktops. The calls are easy to locate and isolate. The new software allows the user to make a tape quickly. The information may also be e-mailed as an attachment.
In the future, agencies would have access to their calls. Hiring: A review board is being held today and hopefully, new applicants will be recruited.
4 Identification Badges: The Center has its own separate identification badge system. New Hanover County identification badges do not provide access to the Center. Insurance Rates
for the Fire Districts: Donnie Hall presented a slide presentation on how the Public Safety Communications Center affects the insurance rates for the fire districts in the County. A
handout was distributed. Please see the handout for more detailed information. Information Technology Sub-Committee: Bill Clontz reported on the Information Technology Sub-Committee
and distributed a handout. Please see the handout for more detailed information. Address Exception: Many of the addressing exceptions are getting resolved. The majority of the open
addressing items that need to be resolved belong to the City of Wilmington. So far, 123 address exceptions have been resolved. Master Street Addressing Guide (MSAG): The Center will
no longer be responsible for printing out the MSAG. The New Hanover County GIS Department will now be be responsible for printing the information since they have access to the addressing
information and the equipment to print it. Moving the guide is one more step towards centralizing the addressing. Reserved Street Name Database: The New Hanover County Information
Technology Department programmers’ will create a database that is similar to the one now being used. The database will provide easy access for those people who need the information
without relying on one person. Relocation of the Public Safety Communications Center: BellSouth has indicated that if the Center moves to the County Annex Building, they will need
a few months before service is needed to organize the move so no problems will be encountered. Motorola would also be included in the plan. The next scheduled meeting will be held
on Thursday, September 25, 2003, at 9:00 a.m. in Room 501of the County Administration Building, 320 Chestnut Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. Chairman Blackley called the meeting
adjourned at 10:05 a.m.
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