Public Safety Communications Users Committee Meeting Date: Wednesday, September 21 st, 2016 Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: Board Room 1) Call to Order and Introductions Agenda 2) Approval of June 23, 2016 Meeting Summary 3) Headset Update 4) Consideration of Capital Projects 5) 9-1-1 Texting Update 6) 9-1-1 Legislation Update 7) PSAP Upgrade Status Report 8) Interoperability Update a) RAMBIS Update b) Regional Interoperability Communications Committee c) MARRS Update 9) 9-1-1 System Report a) Database b) 9-1-1 Training Program Update c) Public Outreach Update d) Financial Update 10) Other Business 11) Adjournment
Public Safety Communications Users Meeting June 23, 2016 Meeting Summary Agencies Present: Will Akin, Clay County Sheriff s Office Emergency Management Marie Athearn, Johnson County Emergency Communications Tony Avery, Platte County Sheriff s Office Summer Boone, Ray County 9-1-1 Bill Brier, Gladstone Police Department Kevin Cauley, Leawood Police Department Greg Damron, Leawood Police Department Steve Davidson, Johnson County Sheriff s Office Wendy Dedeke, Leavenworth County Sheriff s Office Greg DeMo, Jackson County Sheriff s Office Nathan Dougan, Kansas City Fire Department Jon Going, Grandview Police Department Rhonda Harper, Independence Police Department Kimberly Harris, Lee s Summit Police Department Jack Holzer, Johnson County Emergency Communications Steve Hoskins, Kansas City Police Department Eric Houston, Overland Park Police Department Starlith McAdams, Raymore Police Department Shaun Miller, Shawnee Police Department Carrie Rader, Lee s Summit Police Department Brad Robbins, Leawood Police Department Chris Sicoli, Kansas City Police Department Stefan Smith, Gladstone Department of Public Safety Terry Storey, Independence Police Department Larry Tarrant, Excelsior Springs Police Department Donald Ward, Overland Park Police Department Mark Whelan, Johnson County Emergency Communications Chuck Zang, Kansas City Fire Department MARC Staff: Keith Faddis, Sally McGraw, Hassan Al-Rubaie, Adam Geffert, Ben Chlapek, Saralyn Hayes, Nikki Thomas, Terry Bradshaw, Bill Walker
1. Call to order and Introductions Steve Hoskins called the meeting to order. Introductions were made. 2. Approval of March 24 th Meeting Summary A motion was made by Tony Avery to approve the summary, and seconded by Chris Sicoli. The meeting summary was approved with no opposition. 3. Language Line Discussion Keith Faddis stated that MARC has contracted with Language Line to provide interpretation services for 9-1-1 calls for many years. Calls over 20 minutes in length that appear on the monthly bill are researched to ensure that the charge is not in error. It is important to make sure that calls are only used to process 9-1-1 calls, and not for other purposes. Faddis asked the group to contact MARC staff if there are any issues using Language Line. 4. Consideration of Cost Share Request Platte County Sheriff s Office Nikki Thomas noted 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 reviewed the request and recommended approval. The new quote for five positions from Airbus is actually 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 Nathan Dougan and seconded by Mark Whelan. The request was approved with no opposition. 5. 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 SMTP and DNS servers. Three years of virus definition updated are included in the quote. 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 Tony Avery and seconded by Brad Robbins. The purchase was approved with no opposition and no further discussion.
6. 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, such as U.S. Cellular, 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 9-1-1 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 constituted approximately 0.6% of the total 9-1-1 call volume during that time. MARC staff will continue to monitor these numbers each month 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. 7. 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 about 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. 8. 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 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.
9. 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: Steve Hoskins said the COMT Committee has completed its recognition process. He added that the state of Missouri will likely utilize a slightly altered version of it in the future for themselves. This will be discussed at an upcoming state interoperability meeting. Tony Avery stated there is a mass care exercise coming up on August 24 th, at which COMLs can work to complete their task books. Additionally, 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. Nikki Thomas shared the TICFOG for those needing copies. MARRS Update: Keith Faddis noted that the Management Council approved a radio features list at its meeting in June. A 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. 10. 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, 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. 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: Ben Chlapek stated that MARC s training site renewal packet will be presented for approval to the Missouri 9-1-1 Oversight Committee the following week. Chlapek and Pam Opoka are seeking assistance from the University of Kansas Endowment Program to fund a training program to address stress in the PSAP. 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 be 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 American 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 was budgeted, totaling $2,420,123.97 of the planned $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. 11. Other Business 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. Starlith McAdams stated that the Raymore PSAP as well as several others in Cass County have been experiencing issues with the MARC-provided headsets. There are issues understanding and being understood by callers. Nikki Thomas provided background on how headsets are dispersed, repaired and replaced. A committee will be formed to test and review other models. Saralyn Hayes asked for volunteers to staff the 9-1-1 booth at the upcoming Missouri State Fair. Hassan Al-Rubaie introduced Bill Walker as the newly-hired communications technician. 12. Adjournment With no further discussion, Steve Hoskins 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 will need to make a recommendation to the Board indicating the order in which these projects should be completed, and whether contributions to the capital projects fund should be changed in any way.
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 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 8 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 9 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.