Public Safety Communications Board Meeting Date: Wednesday, October 5, 2016 Time: 10:00 a.m. Location: Broadway Room Agenda 1) Call to Order and Introductions 2) Approval of June 29, 2016 Meeting Summary 3) Headset Update 4) Capital Projects Discussion 5) 9-1-1 Texting Update 6) 9-1-1 Legislation Update 7) Position on 9-1-1 Coordinating Council 8) PSAP Upgrade Status Report 9) Interoperability Update a) RAMBIS Update b) Regional Interoperability Communications Committee c) MARRS Update 10) 9-1-1 System Report a. Database b. 9-1-1 Training Program Update c. Public Outreach Update d. Financial Update 11) Other Business 12) Adjournment
Public Safety Communications Board Meeting June 29, 2016 Meeting Summary Agencies Present: Jim Allen, Johnson County, KS Tony Avery, Platte County Sheriff s Office Paul Berardi, Kansas City Fire Department Vince Boucher, Kansas City Fire Department Jeremy Campbell, Johnson County Sheriff s Office Steve Davidson, Johnson County Sheriff s Office Simon Happer, Overland Park Police Department Patty Higgins, Kansas City Missouri Police Department Ken Hobbs, Heart of America Fire Chiefs Steve Hoskins, Kansas City Missouri Police Department Ted McFarlane, Johnson County Med-Act Mark Owen, Platte County Sheriff Chris Sicoli, Kansas City Police Department Robin Tieman, Cass County ESB Walt Way, Johnson County, KS Sonta Wilburn, Overland Park Police Department Ellen Wernicke, Johnson County Emergency Management and Communications MARC Staff: Keith Faddis, Chris Allen-Hunter, Hassan Al-Rubaie, Adam Geffert, Saralyn Hayes, Terry Bradshaw, Sally McGraw, Nikki Thomas 1. Call to order and Introductions Walt Way called the meeting to order. Introductions were made. 2. Approval of March 30 th Meeting Summary A motion was made by Ken Hobbs to approve the summary, and seconded by Ted McFarlane. The meeting summary was approved with no opposition.
3. Consideration of Cost Share Request Platte County Sheriff s Office Nikki Thomas stated that MARC staff received this request last fall. Technical and statistical information as well as quotes were submitted to the Technical Subcommittee for review. The Platte County PSAP has four 9-1-1 positions and a fifth workstation without 9-1-1 equipment, and serves as a backup for Riverside PD. They currently dispatch for 16 agencies, including five fire districts and two ambulance districts, and anticipate a higher call volume in the future due to increasing population. No additional network trunks or circuits are needed. The Technical Subcommittee and Communications Users Committee reviewed the request and both recommended approval. The new quote for five positions from Airbus is less than the original four position quote. The cost for one additional position is approximately $18,949.30, which includes hardware, software, licensing, installation and four years of Airbus maintenance. A motion to approve the cost share was made by Steve Davidson and seconded by Jim Allen. The request was approved with no opposition. 4. Consideration of Antivirus Server and Software Purchase Hassan Al-Rubaie noted that historically, the 9-1-1 network has been closed, with no access to the internet. As a result, there was not a necessity for antivirus software to be installed on the system. As the region completes the move to a next-generation 9-1-1 platform, the need for increased network security becomes more critical. Airbus recommends the use of McAfee Enterprise Antivirus to secure servers and workstations. This server will also replace existing mail and DNS servers. Three years of virus definition updated are included. Keith Faddis added that firewalls have been in place on the network for some time, but the workstations themselves have not had protection. Al-Rubaie added that the firewalls will also be upgraded this year. Additionally, locks will be added to USB ports to prevent devices from being connected to 9-1-1 workstations. These locks require a key to be removed. A motion to approve the purchase of the antivirus server and software was made by Jim Allen and seconded by Patty Higgins. The purchase was approved with no opposition and no further discussion. 5. 9-1-1 Texting Update Nikki Thomas stated that texting to 9-1-1 had gone live region-wide on February 19 th. Once the entire region is upgraded to the next generation system, PSAPs will switch from TTY text delivery to the integrated texting solution. Thomas shared that she was a part of a recent conference call with the Kansas 9-1-1 Coordinating Council. She was able to walk the group through the successes and challenges of the implementation in the region. She has also worked with the FCC to make sure the 33 primary PSAPs in the region are on the text-to-9-1-1 readiness registry. Testing with smaller carriers will begin in the near future. Thomas added that she is the point of contact for any apps that provide text-to-9-1-1 service, such as Rapid SOS and Smart 9-1-1. MARC communications technicians are testing these apps now. At the NENA conference in June, there was discussion about a new plan called Next Gen Now
2020. The goal is to have voice, text and data available to PSAPs across the country by the year 2020. It is unknown at this time whether funding is available to support this project. Hassan Al-Rubaie added that between February 19 th and May 31 st, 4512 texts were received in the region, which constitutes approximately 0.6% of the total 9-1-1 call volume during that time. MARC staff will continue to monitor these numbers each months to see how they trend. There have been a few success stories so far. Al-Rubaie asked those in attendance to share any texting success stories they have, and to make sure that all PSAPs perform testing to familiarize themselves with the process. 6. 9-1-1 Legislation Update There was no 9-1-1 legislation on the Kansas side this year. Keith Faddis said that on the Missouri side, House Bill 1904 passed the House with 106 votes. The bill was sent to the Senate and passed out of committee, but did not make it to the floor until the last week, where it was debated for approximately three hours. The bill did not come to a vote because several counties, such as St. Louis, Platte and Jackson, opted to be carved out, which presented numerous issues. These counties were concerned with sharing their tax revenue with other parts of the state. The bill was tabled, though it appeared there were enough votes to pass, had a vote been taken. An effort will be made to get the bill passed again next year. 7. PSAP Upgrade Status Report Hassan Al-Rubaie stated that in April, the Ray County Sheriff s Office and Excelsior Springs Police Department PSAPs were upgraded. Ten PSAPs are still using the old system, and will likely be upgraded before the end of the year. Due to some complex connection issues at some of these remaining sites, the order in which upgrades are completed may be different than initially planned. For example, some secondary PSAPs may be upgraded before remaining primaries. An upgrade to the VESTA host systems to version 6.1 will take place beginning in August at Johnson County. Dates for the other host systems have yet to be determined. Faddis added that some smaller PSAPs that have difficult microwave paths will stay on T-1s for now. Al-Rubaie is also looking at leased MPLS circuits, which have much higher bandwidth than a traditional T-1. Finally, the Scout fiber ring may still be a possible connection point in the future. 8. Interoperability Update RAMBIS Update: Terry Bradshaw indicated that the RAMBIS network is monitored to ensure reliability and redundancy. Preventative maintenance is also performed regularly. The network interfaces with several other regional networks to deliver 9-1-1 and radio traffic. Bradshaw added that there have been no RAMBIS outages this year. RIC Committee Update: Nikki Thomas stated there is a mass care exercise coming up on August 24 th. COMLs can work this event to complete their task books. Kevin Cauley is no longer the Kansas co-chair of the committee, and has been replaced by Mark Whelan of Johnson County. A meeting will be scheduled in the next few weeks. Steve Hoskins added that the state of Missouri is reviewing the region s process for recognizing COMLs and COMTs, and will likely utilize throughout the state in the future. This will be discussed at an upcoming state interoperability meeting.
MARRS Update: Keith Faddis noted that the cost model update is in process, and the initial report has been received from Tusa. There is not a significant change in cost, though this year the numbers vary depending on which site an agency is affiliated with. The next step is to determine how the MARRS infrastructure will be replaced in the future. Tusa is working with Motorola to make this determination. Motorola has proposed a subscription service for subscriber equipment going forward, to help reduce capital expenditures. A number of agencies have expressed interest in this proposal. Rita Parker, MARC s purchasing specialist, is working on getting discounted regional radio pricing from vendors. 9. 9-1-1 System Report Database: Saralyn Hayes said that the quarterly VLQ request was submitted to AT&T, but the data has not been received yet. During this last quarter, both pipeline and railroad data were updated, and contact information for these companies was obtained and added to the GeoLynx map. The database team recently added Kansas City streetcar data as well. The group is also looking into railroad crossing data, which has been downloaded from the department of transportation. It should be available in GeoLynx in the next few weeks. Lastly, the QC software purchased last fall from GeoComm is used on a daily basis to ensure there are no mismatches or errors. Quarterly, staff compares this to AT&T s data. On the wireless side, most old Cricket towers have been decommissioned since the company s purchase by AT&T. Staff are also auditing AT&T mobility towers. Mini-sites are being added around the region in high traffic areas, such as the Country Club Plaza, stadiums, etc. Many have not been addressed appropriately, so database staff are working with cities and carriers to get these fixed. The Kelsey Smith bill was passed several years ago in Kansas and Missouri, but has struggled nationally this year. A bill was filed in Congress, but there has been fairly significant opposition, so it may not pass. Carrie s Law has been passed, however. It deals with ensuring an additional digit does not need to be dialed before dialing 9-1-1 at hotels and motels across the country. Several hotel chains have already made this change. 9-1-1 Training Program: Keith Faddis noted that Ben Chlapek was at the Missouri Police Chief s Conference, at which the 9-1-1 Oversight Board was voting to approve MARC s training program. Chlapek has taken much of his training on the road this year for consortium members who are unable to attend training at the MARC office. The training calendar should be ready for distribution in October. Outreach Update: Adam Geffert stated that the yearly Telecommunicator Appreciation Celebration was a success. Approximately 400 people attended the April event at the Ritz Charles in Overland Park. A location for next year s event has already been chosen: The Gallery in the Power and Light District in downtown Kansas City, Mo. Two 9-1-1 Hero Award presentations have taken place recently, at the Kansas City Missouri Fire Department and the Johnson County Communication Center. Both made local news broadcasts and websites. Outreach materials have been provided for several events, and the Important Tips 9-1-1 brochure has been updated. The Spanish brochure will updated in the near future as well.
9-1-1 Day at the Ballpark will take place this year on Saturday, August 13 th, at Community America Ball Park in Kansas City, Ks. The T-Bones will face the Laredo Lemurs, and the game starts at 7:05. All MARC regional telecommunicators and their families are welcome to attend. Financial Update: Through the first five months of the year, allocation expenses are approximately 98.1% of what is expected, totaling $2,420,123.97 of the budgeted $2,466,843.33. Coordination expenses are a bit lower than anticipated at this time, but those can fluctuate from month to month. The Equipment Replacement Fund balance is $1,143,628.32. Faddis added that the Equipment Replacement Fund has served the program well. The next planned projects after upgrades are complete include infrastructure projects, such as replacing the selective routers, upgrading the microwave system s radios and purchasing and installing GeoLynx Server. The challenge will be determining how to pay for these upgrades. A phased approach, in which one selective router is replaced at a time may be necessary. 10. Other Business Keith Faddis shared that he will retire in early October. Version 3 of the Stats software will be installed in the 4 th quarter. 11. Adjournment With no further discussion, Walt Way adjourned the meeting.
Agenda Item 3 Headset Update The MARC-issued Plantronics H141N headset has reached end of life and will no longer be supported by Plantronics. MARC staff has been tasked with finding a suitable replacement headset. The Public Safety Headset Review Committee was formed and met on August 9 th to review several headsets. The models that were reviewed were recommended by Commenco with consideration of the various radio systems in our region. The committee reviewed the Encore Pro HW540, HW710 and the SupraPlus HW251N. The committee agreed the HW710 was the highest rated headset based on dispatcher feedback and functionality. The cost would be $98.61 per headset. The current MARC issued H141N is $71.17 for a refurbished unit. MARC staff is reviewing maintenance costs options or a establishing a replenishment cycle. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS MARC staff will develop a plan to replenish the current headset inventory for agencies using the MARC issued wired headset. RECOMMENDATION: Informational purposes only; no formal action required.
Agenda Item 4 Consideration of Capital Projects In the next few years, several capital projects will need to be completed in order to ensure that the regional 9-1-1 system remains up to date and continues to function at the highest level. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS The capital projects fund could be impacted based on the decision of the committee. RECOMMENDATION: The Public Safety Communications Users Committee acknowledged the need to maintain and improve the regional 9-1-1 system by implementing the identified capital projects and continued upgrades, and recommended increasing the capital project fund in an amount to accomplish these upgrades as soon as possible and in the order recommended by the MARC staff.
Agenda Item 5 9-1-1 Texting Update An update will be given on the status of delivering text messages to PSAPs. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS RECOMMENDATION Informational purposes only; no formal action required.
Agenda Item 6 9-1-1 Legislation Update An update will be given on the current status of legislation affecting the region. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS RECOMMENDATION Informational purposes only; no formal action required.
Agenda Item 7 Position on 9-1-1 Coordinating Council With the retirement of Keith Faddis, a new representative from the MARC region is needed on the Kansas 9-1-1 Coordinating Council. This a non-voting position, and the representative must be a Kansas resident. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS RECOMMENDATION: A recommendation is needed for a new representative from the MARC region to fill the vacancy on the Kansas 9-1-1 Coordinating Council.
Agenda Item 8 PSAP Upgrade Status Report An update will be given on the status of the PSAP upgrade project. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS RECOMMENDATION: Informational purposes only; no formal action required.
Agenda Item 9 Interoperability Update Updates will be provided by MARC Public Safety staff at the meeting. FINANCIAL IMPACT RECOMMENDATION Informational purposes only; no formal action required.
Agenda Item 10 9-1-1 System Report Updates will be provided by MARC Public Safety staff at the meeting. FINANCIAL IMPACT RECOMMENDATION Informational purposes only; no formal action required.