Eaton County Public Safety Radio System Recommendation

Transcription

1 Eaton County Public Safety Radio System Recommendation AUGUST 1, 2017 EATON COUNTY CENTRAL DISPATCH RADIO SYSTEM ADVISORY WORKGROUP

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary... 3 Overview of the Radio System Advisory Workgroup... 4 Analysis of Options... 4 Recommended Solution... 7 Financial Recommendations... 7 Appendix A- Ballot Language... 9 Appendix B- Projected Indoor Coverage of Proposed MPSCS System Appendix C- Current MPSCS Users Appendix D- Frequently Asked Questions /1/2017 2

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A public safety radio system is a lifeline between citizens and first responders. It is also a lifeline that is relied upon by over 900 men and women of the Law Enforcement, Fire, and EMS communities. Eaton County s public safety radio system is aging and outdated, putting that lifeline at risk of failure. Eaton County currently uses a 400 MHz simulcast radio system for public safety communications. The current solution was first implemented in the 1970 s making its components up to 45 years old. This outdated technology poses many challenges and risks to public safety users including limited coverage, interference (some service-impacting), limited interoperability, and system failures. Major components of the current system will not be supported beginning April of 2018, meaning that parts will no longer be readily available. Having equipment that is no longer supported will provide challenges when it comes to acquiring parts which could lead to system vulnerability and extended system outages. The system is at the end of its serviceable life and has been experiencing an ever-increasing number of failures that require immediate resolution. For the past two years, the Radio System Advisory Workgroup (RSAW) has been diligently collecting information, identifying options, and performing site visits to determine the correct solution for the County. This report includes the work of the group and includes a review of different system options. Ultimately, the RSAW unanimously recommends that Eaton County join the Michigan Public Safety Communication System (MPSCS) by expanding their network into Eaton County. This will provide a robust solution including enhanced voice communication coverage, future-ready next-generation technological capabilities, and a reliable and serviceable system to protect persons and property. This solution also provides financial benefits as the MPSCS already has their main tower located in Eaton County, which would be utilized to for coverage in the northeast corner of the county. Additionally, users of the system benefit from MPSCS network monitoring maintenance services at cost. The MPSCS also has a strong and respected track record of upgrading all of the equipment at the tower sites located on the network, which would eliminate significant long term costs to the county for replacement of aging equipment. Yours Truly, Michael Armitage Director Eaton County Central Dispatch 8/1/2017 3

4 OVERVIEW OF THE RADIO SYSTEM ADVISORY WORKGROUP MEMBERS Undersheriff Jeff Cook, Eaton County Sheriff Department Sergeant Aaron Brown, Eaton County Sheriff Department Chief Larry Weeks, Eaton Rapids Police Department Chief Shane Bartlett, Potterville Police Department Lieutenant Joseph Thomas, Michigan State Police Assistant Chief Tyger Fullerton, Charlotte Fire Department Assistant Chief John Fullerton, Charlotte Fire Department Chief John Clark, Delta Township Fire Department Director John Truba, Eaton Area EMS Dan Sowles, Eaton Area EMS Chief Roger McNutt, Eaton Rapids Fire Department Chief Rodney VanDeCasteele, Grand Ledge Fire Department Captain Cliff VanDeusen, Grand Ledge Fire Department Chief Phil Miller, Windsor Township Fire Department/EMS Assistant Chief Bill Fabijancic, Windsor Township Fire Department/EMS HISTORY The Radio System Advisory Workgroup began meeting in 2015 to study options for reliable and interoperable communications for public safety personnel in Eaton County. The group made visits to other areas in Michigan to see other radio solutions being used and to talk with users of those systems. These visits include trips to Washtenaw County, Downriver Mutual Aid, and Midland County. ANALYSIS OF OPTIONS 1. RETAIN AND REPAIR THE CURRENT SYSTEM This option does not address the core needs identified by the workgroup. The current system, even if outfitted with new equipment, does not meet the interoperability needs of first responders both when communicating amongst agencies in Eaton County and with neighboring jurisdictions. The current system would not meet the future requirements of a P25 system nor is it able to provide digital coverage. The current system is unable to support features such as GPS mapping and it is extremely vulnerable to interference. Being a system that is not trunked, channel availability is limited and there are more vulnerabilities with single points of failure. 8/1/2017 4

5 2. BUILD A STAND-ALONE 700/800 MHZ DIGITAL TRUNKED SYSTEM This option would build a county-wide 700/800 MHz system, fully owned and operated by Eaton County. This option would meet the identified needs of the first responders in Eaton County by providing a P25 system with interoperability between disciplines and agencies within Eaton County and between neighboring jurisdictions, although the interoperability would not be as seamless as if on the MPSCS system. This option would be built to allow for >95% in building coverage utilizing seven tower sites. While this option does meet the objectives of the workgroup, it was found to be cost prohibitive and does not provide the best option for interoperability with agencies outside of Eaton County. There are several factors that make this solution both more expensive initially, as well having more recurring and long-term costs. We will address that in below with option 3. For the purposes of analyzing this option, the same tower sites were considered when estimating pricing for the systems, with one exception. With an MPSCS solution, Eaton County would be able to utilize the existing MPSCS tower in Windsor Township. For option 2 in a stand-alone system, Eaton County would need to own and/or operate the sixth tower to fill in areas in and around the Windsor Township area. The below financial projection also includes all user-radio equipment, in addition to the tower sites. Below is a 10 year projection for option 2 and option 3: Stand-alone MPSCS Purchase $16,594,476 $12,797,861* Year 1 $425,000 $66, Year 2 $446,250 $66, Year 3 $468,563 $66, Year 4 $491,991 $70, Year 5 $516,590 $70, Year 6 $542,420 $70, Year 7 $569,541 $70, Year 8 $598,018 $70, Year 9 $627,919 $70, Year 10 $659,314 $70, Total $21,940,080 $13,492,177 *Price if agreement is signed by November 24, JOIN THE MPSCS, AUGMENTING COVERAGE WITH COUNTY-OWNED INFRASTRUCTURE This option would augment and utilize existing MPSCS infrastructure and add an additional five county-owned and operated towers. Since the headquarters of MPSCS is already located in Eaton County at the State Secondary Complex, the core tower for the system (referred to as 1102) is located in Eaton County. This is a significant piece of infrastructure that would be utilized as part of an MPSCS solution for Eaton County. This would mean a total of six towers in Eaton County. 8/1/2017 5

6 This option would meet the identified needs of the first responders in Eaton County by providing a P25 system with interoperability between disciplines and agencies within Eaton County and between neighboring jurisdictions. This option would be implemented to achieve >95% in-building coverage utilizing six tower sites. It is a trunked system designed with availability in mind, meaning that points of failure would be reduced. The system would have redundant equipment and links between the towers. MPSCS has high engineering requirements to ensure reliability and resiliency for systems joining their network. Additionally, a digital trunked system significantly decreases interference problems, allows for accountability by displaying and recording the IDs of every radio that transmits on the system, and allows a large amount of flexibility to create and personalize talkgroups as needed by the first responders in Eaton County. In addition to meeting the public safety needs as identified by the RSAW, it also provides additional features such as the ability to utilize MPSCS radio towers in areas outside of Eaton County. This is significant when it comes to providing continuous and reliable communication when first responders are involved in an incident that may go beyond our county borders. Additionally, there are statewide channels available for officers to have direct radio contact with any radio on the channel, anywhere across the state. Another additional benefit is that MPSCS monitors the network and performs maintenance at cost. The MPSCS also has a strong and respected track record of upgrading all of the equipment at the tower sites located on the network, which would eliminate significant long term costs to the county of replacing aging equipment. In addition to the long-term reduced maintenance costs in selecting MPSCS over a stand-alone system, there are also projected savings over current-day operations. Currently, our maintenance costs run approximately $30,000 annually. Those expenses are mainly bandages to keep the system up and running. Along with those costs come staff time. The current radio manager spends the majority of his time trouble shooting problems as they arise; and is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week responding to these issues. This would be alleviated by reducing the urgency of most problems, due to the system redundancy, as well as with the partnership with MPSCS to either address the issue at their expense or at cost allowing the radio manager to focus on system enhancements rather than daily operation. The MPSCS now has a fee schedule that charges an activation fee when a radio is brought on to the system. This is a one-time fee and is no longer an annual fee. Those fees would be more than covered by credits given to Eaton County by MPSCS for the infrastructure the county would add to their network. Additionally, those credits could be used to cover our current lease of space on the 1102 tower for the microwave dish that provides connectivity to our radio consoles in dispatch. 8/1/2017 6

7 RECOMMENDED SOLUTION On March 23, 2017, the RSAW unanimously recommended switching to the MPSCS system for the reasons outlined above in option 3. Staff has spent over six months working with Motorola Solutions, the manufacturer of the state system, designing an appropriate solution to achieve the goals of the County. Among these, modifications have been made to reduce the cost by approximately $3 million from the original starting proposal, without having a negative effect on performance. This design has been reviewed and approved by the MPSCS and should be contracted and implemented as soon as possible. Normal implementation schedules of a project of this magnitude can reach 24 months. Since our current equipment is 12 months from end of support, it is essential that we begin implementation as soon as possible. The Public Safety Committee voted on June 1, 2017 to approve the recommendation and move it to the Ways and Means Committee for financial considerations. FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS If possible, a contract as soon as possible is recommended in order to achieve the best pricing. Motorola has gone through the state bid process and is the approved vendor for solutions being added to the MPSCS system. As the manufacturer, Motorola Solutions offers lease-purchase financing. A lease-purchase of ten years will allow for immediate deployment and debt service at or below the market rate. On April 6, 2017 the radio project recommendation was presented to the public safety committee. Since that presentation, much work has been done to develop options for financing the project, as well as further modifications to the design. The project will need to be funded solely on an additional revenue source as the current 911 millage is not sufficient to cover the project. On July 19, 2017 the Eaton County Board of Commissioners approved the ballot language (see Appendix A) and resolution to put a 911 surcharge question on the November 7, 2017 ballot. The ballot question is to authorize the Board of Commissioners to levy up to $1.75/month on all devices in Eaton County capable of calling 911 (with the exception of pre-paid devices). The below table shows the projected 10-year budget for the radio project. The purchase price includes a comprehensive warranty and battery program would cover repairs and battery replacements for the duration of the financing payment period. Additional costs in the project include a site lease, anticipated annual maintenance of the tower sites, and the required 24/7 monitoring service for the radio network. 8/1/2017 7

8 The following modifications have been made to the proposal since April of 2017, which has lessened the scope and cost of the project while not affecting performance of the system: Removed Rumsey Hill Microwave Site Removed Vermontville Site Removed Mulliken Site Removed P25 Phase II Option on Radios Removed Prefabricated Building for Channel 47 Site Added Civil Services for Existing Building at Channel 47 Site Added Sunfield Site Added National Interoperability Repeater at Channel 47 Added National Interoperability Repeater at Olivet Added 10 Years of Comprehensive Service on Radios Added 10 Years of Battery Management on Radios The below table shows the April 2017 proposal and the current modified proposal, with this year s cost and the projected 2018 costs. The county is eligible for MiDEAL pricing (last column): List Price Spring 2017 Pricing (6-site Simulcast) $17,914,838 $15,539,476 Michigan State Contract Price (MiDEAL) Spring 2017 Pricing (5-site Simulcast) $16,140,379 $12,797,861* Incentive price Spring 2018 Pricing (5-site Simulcast) $16,785,995 $14,557,775 8/1/2017 8

9 APPENDIX A- SURCHARGE BALLOT LANGUAGE 911 SURCHARGE For the period beginning on July 1, 2018 and continuing until the repeal of MCL [currently scheduled for December 31, 2021], shall Eaton County be authorized to assess a monthly surcharge of up to $1.75 on the monthly billings of landline, wireless and VOIP service suppliers within the geographic boundaries of Eaton County to be used exclusively for the funding of 911 emergency dispatch radio system and other related equipment? Yes No 8/1/2017 9

10 APPENDIX B- PROJECTED INDOOR, PORTABLE, ON-HIP COVERAGE OF MPSCS SYSTEM 8/1/

11 APPENDIX C- CURRENT MPSCS USERS (AS OF DECEMBER 2016) 8/1/

12 APPENDIX D- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What is being requested? The November 7, 2017 ballot question asks to allow the county to access a 911 surcharge of up to $1.75/month for public safety radio equipment. The 911 surcharge would fully fund a new radio system for all first responders in the county. What is the issue? Public Safety in Eaton County operates on eight different radio systems, creating challenges for all emergency responders to communicate with each other. Some first responders carry multiple devices in order to talk to various responding agencies. This has led to lapses in communication, especially if information is transmitted on a wrong device. Additionally, the system is aging and experiencing failures. This outdated technology poses many challenges and risks to public safety users including limited coverage, interference (some serviceimpacting), limited interoperability, and system failures. Major components of the current system will not be supported beginning April of 2018, three quarters of our tower radios will no longer be readily available. Having equipment that is no longer supported will provide challenges when it comes to acquiring parts which could lead to system vulnerability and extended system outages. The system is at the end of its serviceable life and has been experiencing an ever-increasing number of failures that require immediate resolution. Why join the Michigan Public Safety Communications System (MPSCS)? For the past two years, the Radio System Advisory Workgroup (RSAW) has been diligently collecting information, identifying options, and performing site visits to determine the correct solution for the County. Ultimately, the RSAW unanimously recommends that Eaton County join the Michigan Public Safety Communication System (MPSCS) by expanding their network into Eaton County. This will provide a robust solution including enhanced voice communication coverage, increased security of the system, reduced interference, and a reliable and serviceable system to protect persons and property. This solution will provide better interoperability both within Eaton County, and with neighboring counties. Additionally, by being part of the MPSCS, the agencies in Eaton County will be able to utilize towers outside of the county, which will expand range for mutual aid, prisoner transports, or other activity that may extend outside our geographic boundaries. This solution also provides financial benefits as the MPSCS already has their main tower located in Eaton County, which would be utilized to for coverage in the northeast corner of the county. Additionally, users of the system benefit from MPSCS network monitoring maintenance services at cost. The MPSCS also has a strong and respected track record of upgrading all of the equipment at the tower sites (including locally owned) located on the network, which would eliminate significant long term costs to the county for the replacement of aging equipment. Who will benefit from the system? Every community within Eaton County would benefit from the system. All local police, fire, and EMS agencies would receive new radio equipment and benefit from the improved coverage. 8/1/

13 Will there be additional costs? The proposal was developed in a manner to reduce the risk of unexpected expenses. For that reason, the proposal includes a 10-year warranty on all user radios and a 10-year battery replacement program. How does a 911 surcharge work? The 911 surcharge would be assessed on all devices subscribed to an Eaton County address which are capable of placing a call to 911. The fee is assessed per line, per month. The exception being pre-paid devices, which are subject only to a state surcharge of 1.92%. If approved, the Board of Commissioners will annually set the surcharge rate, not to exceed $1.75. What if my home or business has multiple phones or lines? Every phone number will be assessed. For landline users with multiple lines (such as a business), the surcharge is only assessed on the first ten lines individually, and then for every ten lines (or portion thereof) owned thereafter. For example, if a business owns 100 phone lines, the surcharge would be assessed based on 19 phone lines (the first 10 lines are counted, leaving 90 lines remaining; 90 divided by 10 = 9 lines; 9+10 = 19 total lines assessed). How many counties have a local surcharge? As of July 1, 2017, 69 counties and the four Wayne County service districts assess a local 911 surcharge. The full list and surcharge rates can be found here: How can the surcharge money be used? 911 surcharge funds in general are restricted for the specific use of building, operating, and maintaining 911 systems. The ballot proposal in Eaton County is worded to restrict it specifically for funding the radio project. How does is this affect the county budget? The project would be completely funded by the proposed 911 surcharge and therefor would not pull any resources from the existing county budget. Additionally, 911 funds are restricted so this funding source is not available for general county operations. What does a surcharge mean for the 911 millage? A surcharge would only generate enough money to pay for the new radio system. The current 911 millage would still need to be renewed by the end of 2018 to pay for the operation of Central Dispatch. If approved by voters, when will it be operational? This project includes a large investment in infrastructure. The project is expected to take 24 months to complete, once the funding source is approved by the voters. Does FirstNet affect the need for radios? FirstNet is a public safety broadband network (data for smartphones, tablets, etc) being planned throughout the nation. However, FirstNet is not being built for primary public safety radio/voice. Local jurisdictions will still be responsible for providing public safety radio systems. 8/1/