Public Safety Communications Board Meeting Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2015 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: Board Room 1) Call to Order Agenda 2) Approval of June 17, 2015 Meeting Summary 3) 9-1-1 Texting Update 4) 9-1-1 Legislation Update 5) PSAP Upgrade Status Report 6) KC Scout Fiber Project 7) Regional Dispatching Update 8) Backup PSAP Planning Update 9) Cost Share Requests 10) Interoperability Update a. RAMBIS Update b. Regional Interoperability Communications Committee c. MARRS Update 11) 9-1-1 System Report a. Database b. 9-1-1 Training Program Update c. Public Outreach Update d. Financial Update 12) Other Business 13) Adjournment
Public Safety Communications Board Meeting June 17, 2015 Meeting Summary Agencies Present: Tony Avery, Platte County Sheriff s Office Randy Balliett, Kansas City Kansas Police Department James Brafford, Raytown Police Department John Cato, Independence Police Department Michael Curry, Jackson County Emergency Management Steve Davidson, Johnson County Sheriff s Office Jeane Fracassa, Kansas City Missouri Police Department Doug Goode, Raytown Police Department Patty Higgins, Kansas City Missouri Police Department Kenneth Hobbs, Heart of America Fire Chiefs Steve Hoskins, Kansas City Missouri Police Department Mark Kessler, Overland Park Police Department Paul Lininger, American Medical Response Mark Owen, Platte County Sheriff Chris Sicoli, Kansas City Missouri Police Department Vicki Simpson, Johnson County Sheriff s Office Robin Tieman, Cass County Emergency Services Board Walt Way, Johnson County Emergency Communications MARC Staff: Keith Faddis, Chris Allen-Hunter, Hassan Al-Rubaie, Terry Bradshaw, Saralyn Hayes, Sally McGraw 1. Call to order and Introductions Walt Way called the meeting to order. Introductions were made.
2. Approval of March 25, 2015 Meeting Summary The meeting summary was approved with no opposition. 3. 9-1-1 Texting Update Hassan Al-Rubaie o Hassan Al-Rubaie provided a brief background on the text-to-9-1-1 project and shared the current status. An issue remains with text calls coming from the TCS text control center calls are shown to be answered when they are delivered to the PSAP, even if a dispatcher has not acknowledged them. If the dispatcher doesn t answer the call, it is shown as abandoned. The only way to address this is to call back the texter, which may not be an appropriate response. Testing is still being done with TCS to address this issue, which appears to be programming-related. Once this issue is fixed, texting will be deployed throughout the region. 4. 9-1-1 Legislation Update Keith Faddis o In Missouri, 9-1-1 legislation made it farther than it ever has before. A bill was passed in the House by a substantial margin and was placed on the Senate calendar, but the rightto-work bill and subsequent filibuster prevented it and many other bills from reaching the floor. The process will begin again next year, but it is unclear where funding will come from to pay for a lobbyist. Lobbyists are critical to advancing legislation in Missouri. A wrap-up meeting has been set for Friday, June 19 th with Representative Jeanie Lauer and others. o Walt Way added that Dick Heitschmidt, the police chief of Hutchinson, KS, is now the Chairman of the Kansas 9-1-1 Coordinating Council. 5. PSAP Upgrade Status Report Hassan Al-Rubaie o Since the last Users Committee meeting in March, only the North Kansas City PSAP has been upgraded. There are four PSAPs slated to be upgraded in the upcoming months: Gladstone PD, Pleasant Valley PD, Clay County Sheriff s Office and Liberty PD. There is some form of connectivity issue with each, and Clay County is also going through a remodel. The upgrade process has slowed a bit due to budget constraints. o The updated version of Vesta (4.3.1) will be installed in the next month or two. This version features an increased timeout period, so that if microwave connectivity drops, the window of time before positions are logged out has grown by several seconds. This should prevent the logout issues that a few PSAPs have been experiencing. With this extended timeout, there may be a short period of audio blanking, but positions should not be logged off. 6. KC Scout Fiber Project Keith Faddis o Johnson County and the City of Kansas City have been having discussions about CAD redundancy, and Kansas City is in the process of purchasing Intergraph CAD software, which is what Johnson County currently uses. KC Scout has been approached regarding usage of two of their fiber strands and they have agreed to allow this access. An MOU has been created and should be signed shortly by all parties. There is no cost to use this fiber, and once it is procured, it may be available to be used for other purposes in the
future. The MARRS Management Council will oversee this project and will discuss it at their meeting next month. 7. Regional Dispatching Keith Faddis o Keith Faddis provided some background on how this discussion started and shared that the Kansas City Police Department is looking at possibly changing the way they operate their communications department. Kansas City inquired among other agencies to determine if there was interest in a regional dispatching operation managed by another entity. Several agencies responded that they would be interested in participating in such an endeavor. The Kansas City Council has given approval to research a regional dispatching concept. This was not possible until recently, with the advent of the MARRS radio system. Steve Hoskins shared that legislators are interested in regional consolidation. Walt Way asked if there was an executive group that would lead this discussion. Faddis stated that those being asked to participate in this group included Troy Shultz, David Warm, Paul Berardi, and Darryl Forte. There will also be a steering committee which will consists of PSAP directors and individuals that are familiar with operations, as well as various subcommittees to address funding, HR, technology and facilities. Sheriff Owen noted that this would be a hard sell north of the river if a new tax was attached. Faddis added that the idea was to emulate what is being done to fund MARRS, but all options are on the table and there is no set deadline. Way stated that these types of consolidations are occurring in other parts of the country, including Kansas, which is virtually consolidating PSAPs across the state. o Faddis shared that a meeting was set for July 13 th to discuss possible governance, funding, operations, policy, technology and HR issues. 8. PSAP Backup Planning Steve Davidson and Steve Hoskins o Steve Davidson stated that a master list of regional PSAPs was being developed indicating reroute locations, number of phone and radio positions, the technology in each PSAP, the type of 9-1-1 trunks, CAD and radios systems used and which PSAPs are connected to each host. This matrix will be brought back to the group. There was discussion about the amount of wireless and wireline calls received by PSAPs. Davidson added that data would also be included regarding the number of ten-digit calls that are received. MARC staff will continue to assist with this project. 9. Interoperability Update a. RAMBIS Update Terry Bradshaw RAMBIS continues to have a monthly roll calls on the 10 th and a random call on the 20 th or the 30 th of each month, depending on what the agency initiating the roll call decides to do. o Faddis shared that Alcatel stated the MDR-8000 radios in the microwave system are at end of life, and will no longer be manufactured in 2016. Alcatel will continue supporting these systems through 2026, so there will be a need to update at some point in the future. Alcatel has proposed several different kinds of maintenance plans, and Terry Bradshaw is researching which option is best. Bradshaw is also reviewing increasing the bandwidth which would require replacing these units. Jim Jones will review the quote to determine if anything is unnecessary. Walt Way noted that
Johnson County is in the process of adding another OC-3 microwave ring to its radio network starting next month. b. Regional Interoperability Communications Committee Steve Hoskins A casualty exercise will take place tomorrow at the airport with a COML and COMLtrainee assigned to participate. Other entities in the region are beginning to understand that COMLs can assist them during trainings. Requests for COML assistance is starting to come more frequently as their value is being recognized. o COML and COMT Recognition - There is a meeting of the state interoperability executive committee in Jefferson City on June 18 th. The regional package is close to being ready for final approval from the board and Hoskins will be taking these documents to this meeting. He noted that these documents included items from when the state of Kansas did its planning, allowing both Kansas and Missouri s policies and recognition will match up. o Communication Exercise There is a desire to have another exercise similar to the one held with DHS last year. The targeted date is September, 2015. The goal is to start with one each year and work up to multiple yearly exercises. Sheriff Owen shared a success story about the metro squad s recent exercise and how it had followed the procedures set up after last year s exercise. Fourteen agencies with twenty-six detectives (multi-state and federal) participated, and the event was a success. c. MARRS Update Keith Faddis Hassan Al-Rubaie presented recently developed coverage charts. Faddis stated that the charts could be shared electronically and that all of the master and primary sites were noted on them. o A meeting was recently held with Independence and Jackson County. Independence requested and was provided a loading study on how Jackson County s coverage would impact their system, and it was determined that it would not have a negative impact. Walt Way noted that Lee s Summit and some areas in Clay County still do not have coverage. Faddis reported that Lee s Summit is considering joining the system, and has some radios for interoperability. Clay County is in negotiations with Motorola and close to signing a contract to build a tower that would become part of the Kansas City system. 10. 9-1-1 System Report a. Database: Saralyn Hayes stated that June 1st marks the beginning of the annual error report contest. MARC encourages dispatchers to submit errors received from 9-1-1 calls, such as misroutes, bad addresses, etc. At the beginning of July, winners will be announced, and all participating agencies will receive donuts. o AED database: when a company or organization gets an AED, it must be registered with MARC (except for organizations within Kansas City, MO). Database staff are currently verifying the addresses of AED locations. There are almost 2900 AEDs in the database now. Hayes will meet with the MARCER policy group on Friday to discuss changes to the way the database works and to get direction on how to proceed with this project. o VLQ: The VLQ continues to be requested quarterly from AT&T. The next scheduled request will be the last week of June, so the numbers shared in this report were based
on data from the end of March. Quarterly numbers were up 1% and annual numbers by 3.4%. Hayes is interested in seeing how June s numbers compare to last year. The database team compares these records to the regional map data to make sure they match up. As a whole, every county in the MARC region exceeds the NENA Next Generation 9-1-1 standard of a 98% match rate, though there are still a few local communities that do not meet this standard. o Kansas has the state-wide Next Generation 9-1-1 project and Hayes is involved with the GIS subcommittee. The four regional Kansas counties are at various stages of reviewing, correcting and updating their map and MSAG operations. Once the state of Kansas has approved these reviews, processes will be set up to send updates to the state repository. o The database group recently recognized six individuals from around the region with special recognition and appreciation certificates for their assistance in cleaning up their data. o Pipeline information for the entire region was recently updated as well as some trail data. Portions of Kansas City and Riverside added a new trail and installed 9-1-1 trail signs. Hayes reminded everyone that it is important for PSAPs to restart their workstations or log off weekly to get map updates. If information is not updating, PSAPs should call the SOC line at 816.421.2911. o Missouri State Fair (August 13 23): The MARC region has a 9-1-1 booth at the fair. Hayes asked for volunteers to help staff it, noting that she had sent an email earlier that included a link with available booth times. o Walt Way thanked Hayes and Hassan Al-Rubaie for the time that they have put into the NG Kansas project. b. Training: Faddis stated that work is being done to complete the 2016 calendar, and that Ben Chlapek has identified four new courses, which were outlined. Those with suggestions or comments on trainings they would like to have were asked to contact Chlapek. c. Outreach: Faddis reported that in May there was a 9-1-1 hero presentation in Johnson County. Those that receive 9-1-1 calls from youths sixteen years of age or younger that meets the criteria for this award should contact MARC staff or fill out the paperwork online so that they can be recognized. o In August and September, letters will be mailed to elementary schools regarding their interest in 9-1-1 presentations. Last year, over 7,000 children were reached. Materials are provided by the Public Safety department. If a PSAP cannot do a presentation, a lesson plan can be provided directly to schools. o Registration for 9-1-1 Day at the Ballpark opens July 1 st. The price will be $12.00 for entrance into the game, a t-shirt and $10.00 in T-Bone bucks. o The Core4 group will hold a career expo at Bartle Hall on September 29 th. 9-1-1 will have a table at this event for no charge. This will be a great opportunity to educate young people about telecommunicator jobs. A flyer outlining this event was shared in the packet. d. Financial Update: Keith Faddis o As of June 8 th, the Equipment Replacement Fund balance is nearly $300,000. Allocation expenses through the first four months of the year are approximately 33% of the yearly budget, which is right on target. The allocation bill varies from month to
month depending on cost share requests, maintenance issues or AT&T bill fluctuations. Walt Way asked if there were any pending cost share request(s) and Faddis stated that Overland Park will be making a request in the near future. 11. Other Business o Walt Way shared that since this committee last meet, the Telecommunicators Appreciation Event was held. It was well attended and well organized by MARC staff. o Keith Faddis mentioned that the new 9-1-1 Director for Ray County is Richard Roark. o Faddis noted that Smart 9-1-1 has been reaching out again, but remained too expensive. However, the company has indicated that it has a new pricing model and new features. Smart 9-1-1 will be at the APCO conference and there will be a meeting there to discover what they have to offer. o Communications Technician Job Opening Faddis indicated there had not been a good response to the job posting. There will be a meeting to review this salary structure again. o A video was shown that was shared at the MARC Annual Meeting outlining the 9-1-1 department s accomplishments last year. o The PSAP Managers Luncheon is June 22 nd. 12. Adjournment With no further discussion, Walt Way adjourned the meeting.
Agenda Item 3 ISSUE 9-1-1 Texting Update BACKGROUND An update will be given on the status of delivering text messages to PSAPs. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS None POLICY IMPLICATIONS None RECOMMENDATION: Informational purposes only; no formal action required.
Agenda Item 4 ISSUE 9-1-1 Legislation Update BACKGROUND An update will be given on the current status of legislation affecting the region. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS None POLICY IMPLICATIONS None RECOMMENDATION Informational purposes only; no formal action required.
Agenda Item 5 ISSUE PSAP Upgrade Status Report BACKGROUND An update will be given on the status of the PSAP upgrade project. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS None POLICY IMPLICATIONS None RECOMMENDATION: Informational purposes only; no formal action required.
Agenda Item 6 ISSUE KC Scout Fiber Project BACKGROUND An update will be provided regarding the KC Scout Fiber project. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS None POLICY IMPLICATIONS None RECOMMENDATION: Informational purposes only; no formal action required.
Agenda Item 7 ISSUE Regional Dispatching BACKGROUND An update on the regional dispatching concept will be shared. POLICY IMPLICATIONS None FINANCIAL IMPACT None RECOMMENDATION Informational purposes only; no formal action required.
Agenda Item 8 ISSUE Backup PSAP Planning Update BACKGROUND An update will be provided regarding the ongoing regional backup plan. POLICY IMPLICATIONS None FINANCIAL IMPACT None RECOMMENDATION Informational purposes only; no formal action required.
Agenda Item 9 ISSUE Cost Share Requests BACKGROUND Cost share requests from Belton PD, the Miami County Sheriff s Office, and Overland Park PD will be discussed. POLICY IMPLICATIONS None FINANCIAL IMPACT The cost for one additional position at Belton PD is $21,036.55, which includes hardware, software, licensing, installation and five years of Airbus maintenance. The cost for one additional position at the Miami County Sheriff s Office is $16,870.04, which includes hardware, software, licensing, installation and one year of Airbus maintenance. RECOMMENDATION The 9-1-1 Technical Subcommittee recommended approval of the addition of one 9-1-1 answering position at Belton PD, as well as the addition of one additional answering position at the Miami County Sheriff s Office, each to be cost-shared based upon the equipment requested, staffing capability and operational plan of use. The Public Safety Communications Users Committee made a recommendation to approve these requests at its September 2 nd meeting. The 9-1-1 Technical Subcommittee did not recommend approval of the cost share for Overland Park at this time, but a revision in the backup plan for Johnson County and Overland Park was considered. Additional information will be provided during discussion.
Agenda Item 10 ISSUE Interoperability Update BACKGROUND Updates will be provided by MARC Public Safety staff at the meeting. POLICY IMPLICATIONS None FINANCIAL IMPACT None RECOMMENDATION Informational purposes only; no formal action required.
MARRS Cost Model Update Statement of Work Next Generation Statement of Work
August 7, 2015 Mr. Keith Faddis Director, Mid-America Regional Council 600 Broadway, Suite 300 Kansas City, MO 64105 Subject: MARRS Cost Model Update and Next Generation MARRS Dear Mr. Faddis, Tusa Consulting Services II, LLC (TCS) appreciates the opportunity to provide a statement of work and quote for services to update the Metropolitan Area Regional Radio System (MARRS) Shared Maintenance Cost Model and provide a detailed report on the Next Generation MARRS network. As you are aware, TCS provided the current MARRS Cost Model report in March 2011. This model became part of the governance structure used for any agency to participate in MARRS and share the maintenance and software upgrade costs. As part of the governance, this model is updated every 5 years. MARRS is also interested in what the Next Generation MARRS network options are, and what costs are associated with upgrading subscriber and infrastructure equipment to support and continue the MARRS network. Sincerely, Dean Hart Dean Hart dean.hart@tusaconsulting.com 7332 N Palmer Kansas City, MO. 64158 (816) 518-9223 tusaconsulting.com
1. MARRS Cost Model Statement of Work The following Statement of Work describes the tasks that will be performed by Tusa Consulting Services to provide the five (5) year updated cost model for the Metropolitan Area Regional Radio System (MARRS). 1.1 Develop Cost Structure Information with MARRS Technical Committee The current cost model format, which provides a port fee and a subscriber fee, will be updated according to the guidance provided by the MARRS Technical Committee and Management Council. TCS will meet with these groups to determine the how the future cost model will be developed. 1.2 Interview System Managers (KC, Independence, Jackson County, Platte County, Cass County, Johnson County, KS., Wyandotte County, KS., State of Missouri, State of Kansas) TCS will meet with the system manager/representative from each system connected to the switches in Kansas City, MO. and Johnson County, KS. TCS will look to receive detailed subscriber inventory and infrastructure contract specifications and cost information from each system manager in regards to the maintenance being provided for each system. Minimal information needed would be: a. Contracts to purchase system and subscribers b. Subscriber Inventory c. Technical Maintenance Contracts d. Microwave e. RF Infrastructure f. System Spare Parts Inventory g. Supporting Infrastructure Contracts Generator UPS or Battery Backup Site Civil HVAC h. Personnel Costs for Administration and Maintenance 1.3 Maintenance Cost Savings Review and Approach TCS will review the information provided by the system managers to provide recommendations on the system maintenance procedures and costs. 1.4 MARRS Vendor Maintenance Plan (discussion with vendors for current infrastructure, subscribers, & 3 rd party equipment) TCS will meet and discuss current maintenance contracts with vendors and understand response times, specifications for maintenance, qualifications of service personnel, and other factors necessary to maintain public safety communications. 3 P a g e
1.5 Update current vendor maintenance contracts (RF, Microwave, other) TCS will meet and work closely with the MARRS Technical Committee to provide the necessary information in updating any current or future maintenance contracts. 1.6 New Cost Model Presentation TCS will provide the format and draft of the new cost model presentation to the MARRS Technical Committee and Management Council for review and comment. 1.7 Final Detailed Report and Cost Model TCS will provide a detailed report providing a new cost model report from information gathered during the previous tasks. TCS will also provide a detailed presentation to the MARRS team and regional members as determined by MARC. 2. Next Generation MARRS Statement of Work 2.1 Vision and Approach (Interview MARRS Management Council, Technical and User Committee) Upon completion of the MARRS Cost Model Report, TCS will meet with the respective MARRS members to discuss the vision, approach, and timeline to upgrade the Next Generation of the MARRS network to support the metropolitan region. The focus of these discussions will be on what technology might be considered and how to fund the model. 2.2 Consolidated Dispatch Approach (Interview Management Council and User Committee) With a focus on consolidating dispatch centers, TCS will discuss how these centers would migrate into the current MARRS network as well the Next Generation MARRS and how centers will provide backup. 2.3 Vendor Presentations (coordinate and attend) TCS will coordinate and attend vendor presentations for the major vendors providing P-25 infrastructure, P25 subscriber equipment, and backhaul (microwave) infrastructure. 2.4 Conceptual Design and Budget TCS will provide a next generation MARRS conceptual design and budget with recommendations on how the regional partner can fund the upgrade. 4 P a g e
Planning & Cost Estimates Task Description Hours Cost 1 Develop Cost Structure Information with MARRS Technical Committee 2 3 4 8 $1,200.00 Interview System Managers (KC, Independence, Jackson County, Platte County, Cass County, Wyandotte County, Johnson County, State of Missouri, State of Kansas) 60 $9,000.00 Maintenance Cost Savings Review and Approach MARRS Vendor Maintenance Plan (discussion with vendors for current infrastructure, subscribers, & 3rd party equipment) 5 Update current vendor maintenance contracts (RF, Microwave, other) 6 New Cost Model Presentation 7 Final Detailed Report and Cost Model 24 $3,600.00 40 $6,000.00 40 $6,000.00 8 $1,200.00 40 $6,000.00 Total $33,000.00 Next Generation MARRS Task Description Hours Cost 1 Vision & Approach (Interview MARRS Management Council, Technical, & User Committee) 40 $6,000.00 2 Consolidated Dispatch Approach (Interview Management Council & User Committee) 40 $6,000.00 3 Vendor Presentations (coordinate and attend) 40 $6,000.00 4 Conceptual Design and Budget 80 $12,000.00 Total $30,000.00 5 P a g e
August 10, 2015 Mr. Keith Faddis Director, Mid-America Regional Council 600 Broadway, Suite 300 Kansas City, MO 64105 Dear Mr. Faddis, Tusa Consulting Services II, LLC (TCS) appreciates the opportunity to provide a quote for services to investigate and document the microwave connectivity and configuration for the MARRS, RAMBIS, and PSAP microwave network. The quote for services also provides for documenting the microwave network configuration and providing an as-built document. The quote is detailed by each network is provided as follows: Task Description Hours Rate Cost 1 MARRS T1/Bandwidth Microwave/Landline Configuration and As- Built Document 160 $150.00 $24,000.00 2 MARC 911 Bandwidth Microwave/Landline Configuration and As- Built 160 $150.00 $24,000.00 Total Cost $48,000.00 Sincerely, Dean Hart Dean Hart dean.hart@tusaconsulting.com 7332 N Palmer Kansas City, MO. 64158 (816) 518-9223 tusaconsulting.com
Agenda Item 11 ISSUE 9-1-1 System Report BACKGROUND Updates will be provided by MARC Public Safety staff at the meeting. POLICY IMPLICATIONS None FINANCIAL IMPACT None RECOMMENDATION Informational purposes only; no formal action required.