Renfrew County Fire Communications Systems Study

Transcription

1 Instruction Renfrew County Fire Communications Systems Study 10. c.c. Chief Hartwick March 29, Frank Kenny Rd., Navan, Ontario, K4B 1H9, Tel: (Office) (Mobile) daw Report No: a 1

2 Table of contents Executive Summary Introduction Study Background Purpose Scope Project Approach County of Renfrew Background Context Standards and Best Practices Fire Operations within Renfrew County Current Fire Dispatch Operations - Central Ambulance Communications Centre (CACC) Current Fire Services Operations Support and Reporting Alternatives for Future Fire Dispatch Operations Renfrew County Fire Radio Communications Basic Primer on Radio Communications Current Fire Radio Paging/Alerting System Current Paging System Observations and Comments: Alternatives for Upgrading Paging/Alerting System Current Fire Voice Radio Communications in the County Renfrew County s Old Public Works (PW) Radio System Conclusions - Current Fire Radio Communications Future County Fire Radio Communications Strategic Direction Renfrew County Environmental Context Comparative Perspective Neighbouring Counties Available Upgrade Systems Alternatives for Fire Radio Communication Upgrade Critical Considerations Alternative 1 Upgrade of Status Quo Use the new PW System Alternative 2 - Implement a Third Party Digital/Analogue System through a RFP Process Alternative 3 Implement a Third Party P25 based system Alternative 4 Move to the Provincial Fleetnet system Alternative Upgrade Conclusions Current Operational Environment for County s Municipal Fire Services Appendices APPENDIX A Municipal Radio Inventory /52

3 Executive Summary Dawnex Corp. was engaged by the County of Renfrew Emergency Services Department to undertake a review of the Fire Communications Systems within the County in order to assess its current state and develop recommendations to ensure effective operations for the next 10 to 15 years. The scope of the study included the County wide fire communication systems and the facilities used by CACC to support the County s Municipal Fire Services. It did not include any Police, Paramedic communications systems or the individual Municipal Radio communication systems. The approach used in this study follows a Structured Analytical method. It consisted of an accelerated step-wise methodology (utilizing various analytic techniques) together with established project check-point reviews. Renfrew County is the largest County in Ontario (in area size) with an estimated population of just over 100,000 people. There are 19 separate municipal governing bodies within its boundaries, each with its own Fire Services most of which are staffed by volunteers with the exception of Arnprior, Pembroke, CFB Petawawa, Renfrew, Deep River and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) at Chalk River. All groups were contacted and included in fact finding information collection for this study, input was received from all municipalities (refer to Appendix A for Municipal Radio Inventory). Communications Centre (CACC) Dispatch Operations The CACC represents the common denominator for all the Fire Services in Renfrew County. It has the primarily responsible for call taking and dispatching for almost all of the County s municipal Fire Services. It should be noted that the CACC is not a full-service Fire dispatch centre. It does not handle any fire incident support role including: equipment tracking and allocation; simultaneously documenting specific fire incident events, handling requests for additional resources (except for mutual aid), and the recording of fire incident tactical radio traffic. Basically, all on scene (i.e. the location of the emergency) incident management is entirely the responsibility of the municipal Fire Services. In 2014 the CACC received approximately 30,000 calls 1500 of which were for Fire Services. In the meetings with County Fire Chiefs, none expressed dissatisfaction with the services received by CACC. In fact, most commended CACC for the excellent service provided apart from radio system performance. Calls processed by CACC are done so within accepted Ontario standards. A more efficient and effective dispatch would require a fullservice Fire Dispatch module operating in the CACC. This would provide Fire specific data capturing with linkages to paging and alerting systems a utility that does not currently exist. The provision of a Fire specific CAD module and leveraging of Fire RMS systems would greatly benefit the Fire Services within the County. These capabilities, along with 3/52

4 associated upgrade to newer more a modern Paging/Alerting system would provide significant efficiency and effectiveness gains and enhance the County s risk mitigation for fire services response. It would also move CACC to a best practices process model. Recommendation No. 1: It is recommended that the CACC CAD be upgraded to include a Fire CAD module. This should be done in concert with an upgrade to the Paging/Alerting system. Acquisition of a Fire CAD module could be accomplished in a number of ways, however, given that the CACC has a TriTech CAD the simplest would be to obtain a TriTech fire CAD module. Recommendation No. 2: It is recommended that first consideration for a Fire CAD be given to the TriTech Fire Module as an enhancement to the current TriTech CAD system being used at the CACC. All Fire Services require support and reporting facilities. Support in terms of managing delivery of service (e.g. fire prevention, training etc.); report creation support (e.g. for reports. to municipal officials and the Fire Marshal s Office). The best practice method to assist and manage this function is through the use of a Fire Records Management System (RMS). Some, but not all Fire Services in the County have such a system. Currently there is no facility at CACC to leverage RMS systems operating in County s Municipal Fire Services. Recommendation No. 3: It is recommended that further to Recommendation 2 any upgrades to CAD and Paging/Alerting also allow for links to current Municipal Fire Services RMS systems, and that a process is established for assisting those Fire Services without an RMS to acquire one. Alternatives for Future Fire Dispatch Operations The above dealt with key aspects of the current Fire Dispatch Operations within the County of Renfrew for support and service to each of the municipal Fire Services. Analysis focused on the current state and possible improvements to the current state. The question arises: Are there alternatives to the current model? Three alternatives are identified and assessed: Alternative 1: The current Fire Dispatch Operations Model is based on decentralized Fire Services (at the municipal level) with centralized call taking and dispatch at the CACC. It represents the status quo or the no change option; CACC is used for call taking and dispatch to municipal Fire Services in which the CACC is not a full service Fire dispatch centre. Its services are contracted out to the County which flows through monies collected from each municipality to the province for payment. The total annual monies collected from the 4/52

5 County municipalities for CACC services is approximately $100,000. The total annual county budget for radio equipment maintenance etc. is approximately $30,000. Alternative 2: This alternative is based on Fire emergency response remaining with the municipalities (i.e. as under the current model); and a fully functioning Fire Dispatch operated in a County run facility. The total approximate (minimum) setup cost would be: $1,280,000 and the total approximate (minimum) on-going annual cost would be: $685,000. Alternative 3: This alternative is essentially alternative 1 only instead of CACC as the dispatch centre another organization is contracted to be the Fire dispatch. The County could investigate the possibility of using another organization, however, given that the municipal Fire Chiefs have indicated their overall satisfaction with CACC performance; and the fact that it would be unlikely that another organization would contract to do it much cheaper (the cost of moving alone would just about disqualify that possibility). This alternative is dismissed as not a viable option for consideration at this time. Based on an analysis of the alternatives: Recommendation No. 4: It is recommended that the current status quo - Alternative 1 continue to be used as the best model for the Fire Services located within the County of Renfrew; provided that the recommended upgrades are also implemented. Current Fire Radio Paging/Alerting System The Paging/Alerting system is a critical component for Fire Services emergency response. It is through this system that fire responders are notified of a fire emergency. The current system is a simple analogue based radio communications system in which the municipalities are responsible for picking up the paging transmission from the County s system and re-transmitting to their own pagers. The County does not supply the pagers nor is it responsible for downstream re-transmission of the paging signal. The system is now over 20 years old and has never been updated with regards to equipment or system architecture. Although the equipment is old, parts for the system are still available; however, this may become an issue over the next few years. The system is meeting the basic operational needs; however, it does not conform to best practices and may not conform to current modern emergency systems standards. It certainly does not provide the benefits offered by newer technologies for increased operational efficiency or effectiveness. For example, the leading Fire Services (e.g. Ottawa have a redundant system - paging and alerting are separate, as well paging includes messages to pagers and other devices like cell phones and notification to a priority 5/52

6 municipal officials list. It also includes verification that the page was successfully transmitted. Alternatives for Upgrading Paging/Alerting System From a service provision view point, there are two basic possible options: Option 1: This is the status quo option that only provides an upgrade to newer equipment. The system would continue to use the existing architecture (same towers) and voice paging analogue technology with little or no upgrade to CACC processes for Fire Paging/Alerting to municipalities. The Municipalities would still be responsible for re-transmitting the Paging signal to their papers. A guess estimate as to cost would be in the order of $50k to $100k. This option provides no new features; it merely extends the life of the current environment. Option 2: This represents the new system option which provides for expanded capabilities offered by newer technology. It would also facilitate integration with a CACC fire CAD and the use of redundant capabilities for ensuring that fire notification was sent out and received by the appropriate Fire Services (something currently lacking). There are a number of possibilities in this option depending on the required interfaces to CACC (CAD) and the advanced features desired. Based on the experience of Ottawa Fire Services acquisition, a guess estimate cost of a similar system for the County would be in the order of $200k to $350k. If a managed service version was taken (i.e. third party would provide the service at a monthly cost). Then the guess estimate cost would be in the order of $ $4000 per month on a 10 year term. Recommendation No. 5: It is recommended that the current Fire radio Paging/Alerting system be upgraded to newer advanced technology in concert with upgrades to Fire CAD and RMS systems on a shared cost basis between the participating municipalities. There are numerous possibilities for implementing this recommendation, the County first needs to establish a set of requirements for the system. A basic set of configuration constraints outlining possible solution sets should be the first priority. With this information the County should first issue a Request for Information (RFI) from suppliers. This would allow the County to assess available solutions with magnitude costs and decide on the most viable solution. Based on this assessment a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) would be prepared and issued for the Paging/Alerting system. 6/52

7 Current Fire Voice Radio Communications in the County The current operational model for Fire Voice Radio Communications in the County can best be described as a dual system network, that is, it consists of two parts: a County owned system for dispatching and the municipal radio systems for on scene radio communications. Each are operated independently and are the responsibility of their owners (one the County, the other the municipalities). Renfrew County s Fire Radio System The dispatch component of the Fire Communications Radio system is owned by the County. The system is used by CACC to dispatch to each of the County s individual municipal Fire Services. This system is an old analogue based radio communications system. It operates by the transmission of an analogue signal through 3 towers: Foymont, Arnprior, and Bisset Creek. The system is about 20 years old and has never been updated with regards to equipment or system architecture. Maintenance is becoming difficult and operational performance will become more and more an issue. The system is meeting the basic operational needs; however, it is not up to current accepted norms for Emergency Radio Systems or best practices of peer Fire Services Radio Systems in Ontario. The system is meeting the basic operational needs; however, it is not up to current accepted norms for Emergency Radio Systems or best practices of peer Fire Services Radio Systems in Ontario. Current Municipal Radio Systems The Municipal Radio Systems form the second independent component of the Fire Radio Network in the County. Each municipality operates their own radio system for their own operational needs, which is also used by their Municipal Fire Services. As such these systems are typically not designed to meet Emergency Services Radio system standards or best practices. An inventory of all radio systems and equipment currently being used by the municipal Fire Services was conducted and is presented in Appendix A Municipal Fire Services Radio Inventory. There are 18 separate municipal systems using a variety of technologies and equipment. The County s radio system objective is to notify the particular municipalities Fire Service of an emergency incident, communicate details, and receive acknowledgement of receipt. The objective of the municipal radio system is to acknowledge receipt of dispatch AND to provide communications between its fire responders when they are on scene. The current county system does not conform to currently accepted Emergency Radio Systems standards or best practices of peer Fire Services systems. The municipal radio systems vary from municipality to municipality which gives rise to operational issues. 7/52

8 From a strategic perspective the current Fire Communications System needs to be upgraded to align with available modern digital technology, modern standards and Fire Services best practices. In terms of immediate issues, one stands out and needs to be addressed by the municipal officials; namely, the province has announced a decision to close the Yukes Lake Tower and have all radio equipment removed by August 30, This tower is still required and will be for the foreseeable future to maintain current fire radio operations for the Township of Brudenell Lyndoch & Raglan Fire Department. Recommendation No. 6 It is recommended that the affected municipalities negotiate an agreement with the province so that the Yukes Lake tower will continue in operation until it is no longer needed. Future County Fire Radio Communications There are 3 basic technological upgrade paths Fire Radio Communications. The one common element amongst them all is that they all utilize digital technology: Third Party Analogue/Digital Systems: systems offered by third party vendors (e.g. Turris Communications) that represent major radio communications system vendors (e.g. Motorola). P25 Systems: systems that conform to the P25 standards that are offered by a number of large radio communications companies. This is the way of future digital emergency radio communications; however, the accent is on future. FleetNet: a trunked radio system operated by Bell Mobility Radio (BMR), a division of Bell. It is a very large and complex system designed and operated under contract to the Ontario provincial government. Four alternative upgrade options have been identified for Fire Radio Communications. Further assessment will be required based on requirements specification, information gathering and direction on a number of critical factors, these include: 1. What level of Fire Services support should be provided by the County to municipal fire services i.e. is the current model acceptable or should changes be made? 2. The degree of conformance to Emergency Radio Communications standards and best practices. 3. The development of base approved specifications and criteria for the identification of possible solutions and their assessment. This will require the preparation of Requests for Information (RFI) from vendors; in order to prepare Requests for Proposals (RFP) for an actual radio system. This is a non-trivial exercise that will require involvement of all the Municipal Fire Services, elected officials, County Officials and external consultants. 4. The identification of fiscal and governance constraints. 8/52

9 5. The identification of an approved timeline for the project. These considerations along with the key situational factors identified will impact any upgrade path chosen and will need to be addressed. They are beyond the scope of this study. The alternatives identified are: Alternative 1 Upgrade of Status Quo Use the new PW System This option assumes that the current fire radio system will be retired and that the upgrade will be based on the new PW system recently installed for the County. The new PW system architecture will be used as the foundation for an upgraded Fire Radio Communications system. This system is based on Motorola technology using a digital trunking system capable of handling both digital and legacy analogue radios. The current new PW system would have to be upgraded to also handling paging/alerting and made robust enough to conform to emergency services radio standards. Estimated magnitude costs is difficult to determine without answers to the critical issues, however, based on current costs, a ball park estimate for expanding the current PW system would be in the order of about $2+ million (including an upgraded Paging/Alerting system). Alternative 2 - Implement a Third Party Digital/Analogue System through an RFP This option is similar to alternative 1 in that they are both based on a digital/analogue system; however, in this case the upgrade Fire system are not limited to the technology of the new PW system but open to other vendor proposals. It would also include handling paging/alerting and conform to emergency services radio standards. Cost estimate is difficult to determine, however, a ball park estimate would be between $2-3 + million (including an upgraded Paging/Alerting system). Alternative 3 Implement a Third Party P25 based system A P25 system is the Cadillac option. It potentially would give the County the most advanced Radio Communications system available. It would be the most expensive as well. Operationally, it would not provide such overwhelmingly advanced features that the system must have to conform to emergency services radio standards or for interoperability. P25 based systems are not as yet common in Canada, and may not be so for years to come. In the county s case costs could exceed $8+ million and take several years to build and be expensive to maintain. The cost of the system, the implementation time and lack of a must have capability make this alternative unfeasible at this time and for the next number of years. Alternative 4 Move to the Provincial Fleetnet system FleetNet is the provincial government which is being upgraded; work is well underway; however, capabilities, pricing and availability of service have not been officially announced by Bell. This system offers a number of significant advantages over all other systems, namely to seamlessly provide interoperability with Police and Paramedic Services, both of which use FleetNet. Unfortunately, few details are available in terms of pricing etc. thus it is difficult to assess this option. 9/52

10 Of the four alternatives identified, two basic options stand out: implementation of a third party digital/analogue system (the third party could be either the current radio communications provider or a new one); or investigating the use of the provincial Fleetnet system. This study has identified the need to upgrade its Fire Radio Communications system. The question is really when and how. These are not easily answered, as demonstrated by the experience of the County of Frontenac and united Counties of Leeds/Grenville. In Renfrew s case, the County will need to address critical factors before proceeding with an upgrade. Recommendation No. 7 It is recommended that the County establish a special project under County oversight and funding, with a mandate to address the critical factors listed in section and that the project be the foundational vehicle for upgrading the Fire Radio Communications System. As part of the work handled by this project, further study and assessment of the four identified upgrade paths should be carried out. Recommendation No. 8 It is recommended that an RFI be prepared seeking vendor input for possible upgrades to the fire radio system. The RFI should not limit vendors, in terms of possible solutions, but should set out specific boundaries and requirements that would provide vendors with guidance as to the expectations and constraints of the County. Based on the results of this RFI a decision could then be made on the form of the desired solution and issue an RFP for its acquisition. Current Operational Environment for County s Municipal Fire Services This study s scope with regards to fire operations is limited to the over-all County level view and not individual Municipal level Fire Services. As such no in-depth analysis of each Fire Services operations was carried out; however, the study did a more global review, with the following observations and conclusions: Fire Services in the County operate independently but are linked by Mutual Aid agreements and a common goal to service the County residents. Each Fire Services is accountable to their particular municipality from which it receives funding. There is no direct oversight or formal link between the County and each Fire Service or Fire Chief. There are a number of important committees in place which help disseminate information and coordinate efforts for common needs which operate apart from the County. Two such committees are the Renfrew County Fire Communications Committee (RCFCC) and the Fire Chiefs Committee (FCC). 10/52

11 Presently the governance model for Fire Services in the County is completely decentralized to the municipal level. The County plays little or no role in coordination or guidance for its municipal Fire Services. In terms of radio communications, a newly re-constituted (and/or re-named) RCFCC could be an excellent conduit for information flow for the municipal Fire Services. Membership would be at the discretion of municipalities, with the focus being on fire operations, not contract administration. The FCC could provide direct oversight for his committee. Both the new RCFCC and FCC could be important instruments for municipal Fire Operations in the County. This is not currently recognized or supported by either the County or the Municipalities. For these committees to succeed requires support and assistance along with commitment from all parties. Establishing the proper context and purpose for these committees to exist is important. Our review noted that most (perhaps all - our study scope did not include a review of all 19 Municipalities) did not have a Master Fire Plan or its subset a Fire Communications Plan (FCP - for fire). The FCP would be a good foundation for establishing common practices and a framework for more effective Fire Services operations within the County. This plan could be one specific task of the new RCFCC, thus empowering it with real responsibility and mandate. All municipalities would have to participate in some form or other; i.e. whether in the form of sub committees, or regular open forum meetings. The new Renfrew County Fire Communications Committee (RCFCC) and the Fire Chiefs Committee (FCC) can play a vital and important role in the County for the maintenance of effective Fire Operations for all County municipalities Recommendation No. 9: It is recommended that the two committees be officially recognized by the local municipalities within the area which encompasses the County and receive support by establishing authorized mandates to act as coordinating and information dissemination vehicles for Municipal Fire Services. Appropriate reporting structures would have to be established and regular reporting maintained. The creation and use of a Fire Communications Plan (FCP) for Fire Services is a best practice followed by many counties, cities, and regions. It would benefit the municipalities within Renfrew County to follow the same practice. The new RCFCC could be the ideal operational vehicle to maintain and be the holder of the FCP. This could also form the basis for the development of a future Master Fire Plan involving all municipalities in the County. Recommendation No. 10: It is recommended that the new RCFCC be empowered and supported by the local municipalities for the development of an official Fire Communications Plan for Fire Services within Renfrew County and that it continue to receive support for maintenance and distribution of the FCP. 11/52

12 1 Introduction 1.1 Study Background Dawnex Corp. was engaged by the County of Renfrew Emergency Services Department to undertake a review of the Fire Communications Systems within the County in order to assess its current state and develop recommendations to ensure effective operations for the next 10 to 15 years. At the centre of Fire Communications is the County s Emergency Services dispatching provided under contracts with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care Renfrew Central Ambulance Communications Centre (CACC) which was installed in the late 1990 s. This covers multiple area Fire Services dispatching supported by communications over an analog two way radio system. The current communications system has been identified as not well suited to support interoperation communications between the various emergency providers. This weakness was identified as a significant risk factor for the provision of optimal emergency response services (especially Fire Services) to the citizens of the County. Given the age of the current communications system along with significant advances in technology and emergency best practise standards (most notably the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) guidelines) the County has recognized the need to address an upgrade to the County wide Fire communications system. A number of significant problem areas have been identified: Lack of Fire specific dispatch system (i.e. a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system) specifically designed to support and manage Fire Services response. Migration methods for handling use of advance communications systems such as VOIP (Voice over IP) and Cellular communications. Upgrading of Fire operational procedures to align with demands of new standards and communication systems. Lack of complete interoperable radio communications coverage for the entire County. This study is in response to the problems identified by the County of Renfrew Emergency Services and the Municipal Fire Services in the County. 1.2 Purpose The purpose of this study is to: Establish a baseline for the current Fire Communications System by identifying the technology components; Identify options for future fire communications upgrade path (with magnitude costs); 12/52

13 Identify current Renfrew County Fire Operations environment and possible upgrade improvements; Prepare recommendations for County consideration and action. 1.3 Scope The scope of this study includes County fire communications, portions of the municipal fire communication systems and the facilities used by CACC to support the County s Municipal Fire Services. It does not include any Police, Paramedic communications systems or the individual Municipal Radio communication systems. 1.4 Project Approach The approach used in this study follows a Structured Analytical method. It consisted of an accelerated step-wise methodology (utilizing various analytic techniques) together with established project check-point reviews, as follows: Step 1: Establish Project Framework Identify and confirm project parameters (i.e. key stakeholders, data sources, reporting requirements, project plan and check-points); project kick-off and contract finalization. Step 2: Establish Baseline Environment This consisted of project kick-off and compilation and gathering of sufficient data and information to establish the context and status of the current environment. The end of Step 2 had a check point review. Step 3: Analysis and Solution Set Identification Various analysis techniques (e.g. root cause analysis) was performed to identify root issues and key business requirements. Based on this analysis a set of solution options was formulated and costed. Step 4: Preparation of Preliminary Report Based on the information and data gathered and analysed a draft preliminary report was prepared and communicated to stakeholders for input. Revisions were made and a Preliminary Report for presentation prepared. The end of Step 4 had a check point review. Step 5: Preparation of Final Report Based on input and review of the Preliminary Report a Final Report was prepared with a presentation submission to the Director of Emergency Services. This approach emphasizes careful data gathering followed by in-depth analysis, it also relies heavily on client participation and client communications - essential indigents for a successful project. 13/52

14 1.5 County of Renfrew Background Context Renfrew County is the largest County in Ontario (in area size) with an estimated population of just over 100,000 people. There are 19 separate municipal governing bodies within its boundaries, each with its own Fire Services most of which are staffed by volunteers with the exception of Arnprior, Pembroke, CFB Petawawa, Renfrew, Deep River and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) at Chalk River. The municipalities included in this study were: 1. Admaston/Bromley 2. Algonquins of Pikwakanagan 3. Arnprior 4. Bonnechere Valley 5. Brudenell, Lyndoch & Raglan 6. Deep River 7. Greater Madawaska 8. Head, Clara & Maria (has no Fire Services) 9. Horton 10. Killaloe, Hagarty & Richards 11. Laurentian Valley 12. Laurentian Hills 13. Madawaska Valley 14. McNab/Braeside 15. North Algona Wilberforce 16. Pembroke 17. Petawawa 18. Renfrew 19. Whitewater The County s has inconsistent geographic terrain which can pose a challenge to radio communications, something noted by most of the municipalities. The County has no direct input into any of the Fire Services operations nor exercises any oversight authority. The CACC is the one centralized component for the County s Municipal Fire Services, providing a central Call Taking and dispatch function for the municipalities under contract to the County. All groups were contacted and included in fact finding information collection for this study, input was received from all municipalities (refer to Appendix A for Municipal Radio Inventory). 1.6 Standards and Best Practices Throughout the report reference is made to standards, as a point of comparison; in most cases specific item references are not given as this study is not an audit, but an analysis 14/52

15 using a number of reference points. Where reference is made to standards these refer to one or more of the following: NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) standards Ontario Fire Marshal standards Industry standards Radio vendor standards National Public Safety Telecommunications Council standards P25, phase 1 & 2 Specification Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (formerly Industry Canada) Standards The term best practices is also used throughout the report, in this context the term refers to processes and procedures recognized as best of breed amongst peer Fire Services. These are usually practices employed by large municipal Fire Services. In this case it refers to practices of: Fire Services of Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton International Computer Aided Dispatch Consortium (ICC) Canadian Armed Forces RCMP 2 Fire Operations within Renfrew County 2.1 Current Fire Dispatch Operations - Central Ambulance Communications Centre (CACC) The CACC represents the common denominator for all the Fire Services in Renfrew County. It has the primarily responsible for call taking and dispatching for almost all of the County s municipal Fire Services. It should be noted that the CACC is not a full-service Fire dispatch centre. It does not handle any fire incident support role including: equipment tracking and allocation; simultaneously documenting specific fire incident events, handling requests for additional resources (except for mutual aid), and the recording of fire incident tactical radio traffic. Basically, all on scene (i.e. the location of the emergency) incident management is entirely the responsibility of the municipal Fire Services. CACC processes for emergency fire services consist of two separate components: notification of an emergency and response initiation. The notification processing starts with North Bay 911 (it is Ontario s primary Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for all Municipalities in Renfrew County). North Bay receives the 911 call and if it is for a request for Fire Services response the call is transferred downstream to the Renfrew CACC fire services response line. 911 calls for police are not transferred to CACC but to Smiths Falls (OPP). 15/52

16 In 2014 the CACC received approximately 30,000 calls 1500 of which were for Fire Services. In the meetings with County Fire Chiefs, none expressed dissatisfaction with the services received by CACC. In fact, most commended CACC for the excellent service provided apart from radio system performance. Calls processed by CACC are done so within accepted Ontario standards. The Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) software used to collect the caller information at Renfrew CACC is supplied by TriTech Software Systems (current version Ariss II version 4.5). This is the software application is used by the Ministry of Health across Ontario for Emergency Medical Dispatch. Currently event times and incident information for fire calls handled by the CAD are compiled manually and faxed to each Fire Service following an incident. Notification begins when a call is transferred to CACC, it is answered according to a defined procedure. The current process is being performed within accepted standards for Ontario. Briefly, the process is: The emergency information is entered into their TriTech Aris II computer dispatch system. The installed version of CAD is not fire specific, and only allows for the entry of basic incident information needed to perform dispatch. Depending on the origin of the call for Fire Services the dispatcher accesses paper based Fire Cards (different for each fire district) for guidance on what information to compile for the responding Fire Services. The CAD information entry is completed. With this completed the Response to the request for emergency assistance is initiated: The dispatcher then moves to the Paging or Altering systems and re-enters the appropriate information and the response request goes out to the Fire Services responders. The incident information is populated with available information and faxed to the appropriate Fire Services authority. The Dispatcher then waits for a voice radio response on the Renfrew County radio system from the dispatched Fire Services indicating that they have received the call and are responding. There is no automatic indicator to dispatch indicating that the page or alert was received. The overall process follows accepted Ontario standards; Fire Chiefs have indicated that they are satisfied with the service provided by the CACC. A more efficient and effective dispatch requires a full-service Fire Dispatch module operating in the CACC. This would provide Fire specific data capturing with linkages to paging and alerting systems a utility that does not currently exist. This would need to be done in concert with an upgrade to Paging/Alerting system. Paging should allow for both 16/52

17 voice and text, facilitating the use of cellular networks. This capability is common to all modern Fire CAD systems and a best practices standard. Although cellular devices can be used as paging receivers; it is not advisable to move to an only cellular based paging system because of coverage and reliability issues. Cellular use should be used to augment, not replace paging systems. The use of status head messaging on mobile radios (refers to the ability to press buttons on mobile radios that are pre-programmed to send a text file over channels; text message can be: on scene, responding, all clear or other message; each time the buttons are pressed a time stamped message is sent). This would also augment the responding and on location times currently done through voice. In this instance an upgraded CAD could handle the notification through a two way radio interface. Implementing such an upgrade would provide a number of significant benefits: The CAD information could pre populate fire response documentation, allowing for web based access to incident reporting. Call for Fire Services would be initiated in a shorter time. Expand response information dissemination and coverage through cellular use. Allow the use of whosreponding.com. Used by many municipalities to aid in fire response and incident reporting. Enhance reporting by better mechanisms for determining when a call is being responded to and when responders are on scene. The provision of a Fire specific CAD module and leveraging of Fire RMS systems would greatly benefit the County s Fire Services. These capabilities, along with associated upgrade to newer more a modern Paging/Alerting system would provide significant efficiency and effectiveness gains and enhance the County s risk mitigation for fire services response. It would also move CACC to a best practices process model. Recommendation No. 1: It is recommended that the CACC CAD be upgraded to include a Fire CAD module. This should be done in concert with an upgrade to the Paging/Alerting system. Acquisition of a Fire CAD module could be accomplished in a number of ways, however, given that the CACC has a TriTech CAD the simplest would be to obtain a TriTech fire CAD module. This would provide all the required integration linkages and could become part of the regular maintenance and support activities of CACC s current CAD system. This should be aligned and coordinated with any upgrade made to the Paging/Alerting system. Before going ahead the County should prepare a document outlining the specifications required. The County may be able to take advantage of provincial pricing and standing offers held with TriTech for negotiating the acquisition of their Fire Module. Although costing for this acquisition was not immediately available a magnitude estimate is that the project should be under $100k. 17/52

18 Recommendation No. 2: It is recommended that first consideration for a Fire CAD be given to the TriTech Fire Module as an enhancement to the current TriTech CAD system being used at the CACC. Addressing the need for an upgraded CAD (to utilize a Fire specific component) and an upgraded Paging/Alerting (this facility is dealt with in more detail in Chapter 3 Fire Radio Communications) would go a long way to supporting the Municipal Fire Services. As mentioned, the municipal Fire Chiefs expressed satisfaction with CACC services, however, they knew little about how the CACC processes worked or how CAD maintenance occurred. It would be very helpful and advantageous if these were documented and communicated to all County Municipal Fire Services (the Fire Chiefs Committee could be a good contact point). This is especially important where CAD is upgraded or modified or where the Paging/Alerting systems are modified. By understanding the processes and change procedures Fire Services could better support the changes and prepare for them. Managing change is an important component to any successful implementation. The goal is to make Fire dispatching more effective; to accomplish this will require an understanding on both CACC and Municipal Fire Services of their roles and processes. 2.2 Current Fire Services Operations Support and Reporting All Fire Services require support and reporting facilities. Support in terms of managing delivery of service (e.g. fire prevention, training etc.); report creation support (e.g. for reports. to municipal officials and the Fire Marshal s Office). The best practice method to assist and manage this function is through the use of a Fire Records Management System (RMS). Some, but not all Fire Services in the County have such a system. Currently there is no facility at CACC to leverage RMS systems operating in County s Municipal Fire Services. At present CACC Dispatch and the various Fire Services use faxes to transfer the incident information to those requiring it (especially incident reporting to the Fire Marshal s Office). The current method is an old and inefficient way for information reporting. It is labour intensive, error prone and requires hard copy file storage. Retention times vary by municipality. Paper files could be destroyed, sometime after 3-7 years depending on municipal retention requirements. Current RMS software packages allow for the completion, retention and sending of Incident reporting. The retention factor can be augmented by the electronic ability of managing statistics. All Fire services understand the requests by their Council for current statistics that allow for budgeting requests. The ability of a Fire Chief to correctly quote statistics is becoming the most important aspect of their jobs. The stats can be used for individual incidents or conglomeration of response, geography, weather, catastrophes, and other pertinent events. Facilitating the acquisition of RMS systems for all Fire Services and exploiting their use would be of great benefit to all concerned. 18/52

19 Upgrades to CAD (and Paging/Alerting) would allow for digital flow of information to a Fire Services Record management System (RMS) with minimal human processing. This is the current norm for best practices Fire Communications centres. A number of Fire Services (the larger municipalities) have a Fire RMS, acquisition of a Fire CAD and the upgrading Paging/Alerting system could significantly enhance the use of Fire RMS for Fire Services support and reporting. Recommendation No. 3: It is recommended that further to Recommendation 2 any upgrades to CAD and Paging/Alerting also allow for links to current Municipal Fire Services RMS systems, and that a process is established for assisting those Fire Services without an RMS to acquire one. This area is a prime candidate for upgrade within the CACC and improvement for Municipal Fire Services support. 2.3 Alternatives for Future Fire Dispatch Operations The above sub-sections dealt with key aspects of current Fire Dispatch Operations within the County of Renfrew and the current in-place model used by the County for support and service to each of the municipal Fire Services. Analysis focused on the current state and possible improvements to the current state. The question arises: Are there alternatives to the current model? This section addresses this question. Three alternatives are identified and assessed: Alternative 1: As described above, the current Fire Dispatch Operations Model is based on decentralized Fire Services (at the municipal level) with centralized call taking and dispatch at the CACC. It represents the status quo or the no change option; CACC is used for call taking and dispatch to municipal Fire Services in which the CACC is not a full service Fire dispatch centre. Its services are contracted out to the County which flows through monies collected from each municipality to the province for payment. The administration of the contract and governance oversight by the County is through the Director of Emergency Services with equipment maintenance (dispatch consoles and radio system) being handled by the Director of Public Works & Engineering. The current budget/costs of Alternative 1 are as follows: Total annual monies collected from the County municipalities for CACC services is approximately $100,000. Total annual county budget for radio equipment maintenance etc. is approximately $30, /52

20 The total County annual expenditures for the County in support of Fire Dispatch Operations is $130,000. This represents the baseline cost for Fire Dispatch Operations and the comparison amount against which other alternatives can be compared. Alternative 2: This alternative is based on Fire emergency response remaining with the municipalities (i.e. as under the current model); and a fully functioning Fire Dispatch operated in a County run facility. This would entail the following: The building or allocation of space in a current County held property for a fire communications centre. The square footage required would be in the order of around 1000 sq. ft.; that size requirement could probably be found in existing County inventory. Assuming it can, the opportunity cost of allocating the space to Fire would be in the order of at least $20,000/year. A dedicated CAD system and supporting computer infrastructure would have to be purchased, installed and made operational; staff hired, communications equipment purchased and maintained etc.. Based on the city of Ottawa experience for accomplishing a similar endeavour and accounting for a reduced project size, the approximate costs in setting and running the centre would be: $150,000 (setup cost)- CAD System purchase and implementation (it is assumed implementation also takes into account all the upgrade interfaces identified for the current CACC) $100,000 (setup cost) computer infrastructure (computer, networking, workstations assuming reuse of some of the current consoles) $50,000 (setup cost) office facilities and dispatch workstations $75,000 (setup cost) - Hardware for linkages to Paging/Alerting and Voice Radio, voice recorder for dispatch and at least a 5K UPS power supply. $595,000/year (ongoing)-hiring of call takers/dispatchers to cover the current 1500 calls a year 7/24 operations would require at least 1 person per shift, allowance for vacation/sick/training time. Total minimum staff required would be: 1 supervisor, 6 dispatchers at a total salary and benefit cost of at least $85,000/person/year. $50,000/year (ongoing) equipment/computer hardware/software maintenance and support. $40,000 (setup) backup generator. $20,000 (on-going) Office supplies, cleaning, office facilities. The setup/transfer to the new fire communications centre would take between months and require the services of a project manager and County staff (approximately $150,000 for external PM) and a transition contingency budget of $100,000. Not included in costs is the provision of a backup dispatch site. Total approximate (minimum) setup cost would be: $1, Total approximate (minimum) on-going annual cost would be: $685,000 20/52

21 The primary advantages of having a County owned and run fire communications dispatch are: Local government governance and oversight; and A full-service Fire dispatch center offering incident management support to the municipal Fire Services. The County would control the service levels and performance of the centre. For large cities (e.g. Ottawa) having local control brings a degree of direct accountability to the community being serviced. For large disperse areas that do not have the dense population distribution, this is less important. In addition, large municipalities require a full service Fire dispatch to actively manage equipment and assist with Fire incidents, since they regularly have several Fire incidents occurring at the same time. This is not often the case for the County. This alternative would support the County s move to provide a higher level of Fire Services support. The main disadvantage of course is the added cost in setting up the centre, annual higher costs and in providing a backup centre - in the end it boils down to affordability. Alternative 3: This alternative is essentially alternative 1 only instead of CACC as the dispatch centre another organization is contracted to be the Fire dispatch. It would take over the current functions of the CACC. The rationale for this is either cost, i.e. finding a provider that is cheaper than CACC or dissatisfaction with CACC and the desire to have improved service. The County could investigate the possibility of using another organization, however, given that the municipal Fire Chiefs have indicated their overall satisfaction with CACC performance; and the fact that it would be unlikely that another organization would contract to do it much cheaper (the cost of moving alone would just about disqualify that possibility). This alternative is dismissed as not a viable option for consideration at this time. The above alternatives describe three possible options for Fire Dispatch Operations, of these: Alternative 3 was dismissed as cost reduction would be most unlikely and current CACC service performance is more than acceptable. Alternative 2 requires an initial investment of at least $1, , and an annual budget of at least $685,000. For call taking and dispatching; this alternative will not provide the Fire Services in the County any significant benefits over Alternative 1(status quo), provided that Alternative 1 includes upgrades noted in the recommendations. However, if the County decides it wishes to invest in higher support levels for municipal Fire Services, then this could be a viable option. At present, the County has not stated this. 21/52