Montana Public Montana Public Safety Wireless Safety Wireless The Road to The Road to Interoperability Interoperability
Dec 19, 2015
Montana Public Safety Montana Public Safety WirelessWireless
The Road to InteroperabilityThe Road to Interoperability
Interoperability in MontanaInteroperability in Montana• The need for interoperability was observed
in the 1980s – communications among multiple responders was needed for:– Forest fires– Major traffic accidents– Train derailments– Etc., etc., etc.
• A set of 14 Mutual Aid and 5 Common frequencies was established in 1990 to insure interoperability for multi-agency responses - Each channel was designated by a color
Region 25 800 MHz CommitteeRegion 25 800 MHz Committee
• The National Public Safety Plan Region 25 Planning Committee was established in 1991 to develop an 800 MHz frequency plan for the State of Montana
• Plan was completed in 1992 and submitted to FCC for approval
• Plan set aside a set of frequencies for interoperability
Montana Public Safety Montana Public Safety Communications Task ForceCommunications Task Force
• Established in 1994 to initiate public safety communications planning for Montana and address issues of “Refarming”
• Consultant hired to survey public safety agencies in the State and determine their priorities – interoperability and mobile data topped the list
• Consultant developed long range plan for implementation of a statewide system
Montana Public Safety Montana Public Safety Communications CouncilCommunications Council
• Established in 1997 to develop a detailed implementation plan, system budgetary estimates, etc.
• Plan was developed for a statewide trunked VHF hiband system based on Project 25 standards
• Estimated system budget was $250 million! A bit too much to be submitted to the Legislature
Montana Public Safety Communications Montana Public Safety Communications Council/Statewide Interoperability Council/Statewide Interoperability
Executive Council (SIEC)Executive Council (SIEC)
• Council reformulated in 2002 as the State’s SIEC
• Currently planning a statewide system based on P25, but not necessarily trunked
• Also, currently pursuing two major concept demonstration projects
Region 25 700 MHz CommitteeRegion 25 700 MHz Committee
• FCC established a set of 700 MHz frequencies for public safety use – strong emphasis on interoperability
• A Region 25 700 MHz planning committee formed in 2002 – currently developing plan for 700 MHz use in public safety in Montana
What’s Already Been DoneWhat’s Already Been Done• Palisades Project – Multi-agency, shared, RF
tower site developed by Montana Public Safety Communications Association & funded by PSWN (2001)
• Mobile Data Systems – Eastern & Western Montana mobile data systems currently being implemented (2001 – present)– EASTERN – Yellowstone County (in place), Butte-Silver Bow,
Cascade/Great Falls, Gallatin/Bozeman, Lewis & Clark/Helena, MHP
– WESTERN – Missoula (in place), Ravalli & Flathead Counties, MHP
The Montana Public Safety The Montana Public Safety Communications Communications
Council/Statewide Council/Statewide Interoperability Executive Interoperability Executive
CouncilCouncilBrian WolfBrian Wolf
State of Montana CIOState of Montana CIO
The Montana Consolidation Site Pilot—A Solution for Public Safety Interoperability
Derek Siegle, FBIWireless Montana Workshop
Montana State UniversitySeptember 26, 2003
TODAY’S BRIEFING WILL DISCUSS TODAY’S BRIEFING WILL DISCUSS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A THE DEVELOPMENT OF A
CONSOLIDATION SITE PILOT IN CONSOLIDATION SITE PILOT IN THE STATE OF MONTANATHE STATE OF MONTANA
Specifically, this briefing will—
Discuss the importance of wireless interoperability
Provide a quick overview of the Public Safety Wireless Network (PSWN) Program
Highlight the background, importance, and goal of the consolidation site pilot in Montana
Describe the key organizations and processes involved in developing the pilot
Provide best practices from the development and installation of the pilot
Emphasize how the pilot can be used to address Montana’s emerging communications needs
WHY IS WIRELESS WHY IS WIRELESS INTEROPERABILITY IMPORTANT?INTEROPERABILITY IMPORTANT?
Wireless communications interoperability is necessary to—– Improve the ability of public safety officers to save lives and property– Facilitate rapid and efficient interaction among all public safety organizations– Provide immediate and coordinated assistance in day-to-day missions, task force operations,
and mass-casualty incidents
World Trade Center Attack, New York City—September 11, 2001– After the south tower collapsed, police helicopters relayed a message for public safety officials
to evacuate the north tower– Firefighters never received the police warning because their legacy radio systems
malfunctioned and did not interoperate with the police communications systems
Alfred P. Murrah Building Bombing, Okalahoma City—April 19, 1995– In the aftermath of the attack, 117 local, state, and federal agencies responded with more than
1,500 personnel on the scene– Overwhelming call volume and disparate frequencies complicated emergency response– Responders were forced to rely on relay runners to disseminate critical, time-sensitive
information
Wireless Interoperability is a Public Safety and Homeland Security Priority
THE PSWN PROGRAM HAS LONG BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A THE PSWN PROGRAM HAS LONG BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A LEADING RESOURCE FOR INTEROPERABILITY LEADING RESOURCE FOR INTEROPERABILITY
INFORMATION, STRATEGIES, AND SOLUTIONSINFORMATION, STRATEGIES, AND SOLUTIONS The PSWN Program was the Federal Government’s first dedicated and coherent effort to tackle the
lack of interoperability and the various impediments blocking it
Since 1996, the PSWN Program has provided the leadership and logical approaches to overcome challenges to achieving interoperability at the local, state, and federal levels
The program continues to innovate by expanding outreach efforts, implementing new solutions, and developing new practices that inform and shape new policy
The program is transitioning to become a critical foundation for the umbrella interoperability organization SAFECOM
THE PSWN PROGRAM WORKED WITH THE STATE OF THE PSWN PROGRAM WORKED WITH THE STATE OF MONTANA AND ITS MONTANA PUBLIC SAFETY MONTANA AND ITS MONTANA PUBLIC SAFETY
COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION (PSCA) TO DEVELOP A COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATION (PSCA) TO DEVELOP A
CONSOLIDATED TOWER PILOTCONSOLIDATED TOWER PILOT
Pilot stemmed from a statewide initiative to enhance and upgrade wireless communications systems
– Systems are integral to the safe and efficient completion of public safety missions
Selected site was a single shelter on Palisades Ridge near Red Lodge, MT
– Strategic location because of its use by multiple local, state, and federal radio users
Goal was to upgrade and assist multiple public safety agencies in consolidating their radio resources
Related objectives of the pilot include— – Fostering resource sharing– Improving wireless interoperability– Helping launch a repeatable site collection effort
State of Montana
Consolidation site at Palisades
Ridge
THE USER REQUIREMENTS OF SIX PUBLIC SAFETY THE USER REQUIREMENTS OF SIX PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES PARTICIPATING IN THE CONSOLIDATION AGENCIES PARTICIPATING IN THE CONSOLIDATION
EFFORT WERE RESEARCHED AND ADDRESSEDEFFORT WERE RESEARCHED AND ADDRESSED These agencies included—
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
CARBON COUNTY
FEDERAL BUREAUOF INVESTIGATIONS
MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
MONTANA HIGHWAY PATROL
U.S. FOREST SERVICE
The requirements were used as the basis for developing the tower design and constructing the new shelter
BASED ON THE PARTICIPANT’S INPUT, A STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) WAS DEVELOPED
The SOW was created for purposes of soliciting quotations from vendors—
– Called for a 52-foot tower and 22-foot by 12-foot shelter
– Tower specifications included a provision that allows future modification to extend its height to 100 feet
– Shelter specifications called for a robust structure that could withstand harsh weather conditions
Report on soil test finished and
delivered
Work suspendeddue to fire near
Red Lodge area
Work resumed
July, 2000 August, 2000 October, 2000
Shelter foundation installed
June, 2001
2001
July, 2001
New shelter delivered
A VENDOR WAS SELECTED AND WORK WAS UNDER WAY IN JULY, 2000
2000
Tower and new shelter installed in August 2001
THE CONSOLIDATED SITE REPLACES THE EXISTING TOWERS WITH A SINGLE, SELF-SUPPORTING 52-FOOT TOWER
A safety-climbing device is installed, which can be seen extending slightly above the main tower
An additional 48-foot section can be added to the tower to bring the total height to 100 feet
Step bolts for climbing are installed on one of the three legs of the tower
THE EXISTING SHELTER HAS BEEN COMPLETELY RENOVATED AND IMPROVED FROM ITS ORIGINAL STRUCTURE
A meter is installed adjacent to the door of the shelter
MAIN POWER (i.e., COMMERCIAL POWER) IS DELIVERED TO THE UPGRADED SHELTER VIA UNDERGROUND CABLES
Before After
Equipped with back-up battery power and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC)
THE PILOT SUCCESSFULLY CONSOLIDATED THE RADIO EQUIPMENT FROM MULTIPLE PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES INTO A SINGLE TOWER AND SHELTER
The pilot yielded several best practices—
Maintain the continuity of a single point of contact (POC) for the duration of the job whenever possible
Consider site geography for scheduling and planning purposes
Develop processes for documenting key design decisions to ensure the traceability of requirements
Use a configuration control process to ensure all parties involved in the consolidation are aware of the design baseline and what changes are being made
Complete geotechnical survey for multiple locations at the site, and give results to the tower and shelter installer prior to issuing a purchase order
Identify all constraints that might be present at the site, discuss early on in the project, and make part of the request for proposals for the installer
Consider carefully the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system requirements relative to the weather conditions and elevation of the site
Develop an acceptance test checklist to ensure compliance with all requirements
MOVING FORWARD, THE CONSOLIDATION PILOT CAN BE LEVERAGED TO MEET THE DIVERSE COMMUNICATIONS NEEDS OF THE MONTANA COMMUNITY
The pilot reduces the overall Palisades Ridge electronic site footprint and improves the overall quality and reliability of the radio communications services provided
Local, state, and federal agencies within Carbon County are now able to communicate effectively
The pilot project establishes a process that can cost-effectively be repeated across the state of Montana
More detailed information about the Montana consolidation pilot can be found at www.publicsafetywins.gov
Region 25 – 700 MHz Region 25 – 700 MHz PlanningPlanning
Dan Hawkins,Chair
Region 25 700 MHz Planning Committee (RPC)
Region 25 – 700 MHz PlanningRegion 25 – 700 MHz Planning
• August 1998 – FCC designation of spectrum– Available no later than December 2006– Unused in Montana
• January 2001 – FCC adoption of standards– National Coordination Committee (NCC)– State interoperability executive committees– Wide and narrowband channels– Interoperability channels and standards
Region 25 – 700 MHz PlanningRegion 25 – 700 MHz Planning• December 2001 – State of Montana activities
– Licensure of State Channels (2.4 MHz)• Designation of Region 25 Planning Committee as executor
– Notice to FCC on Interoperability Channels (2.6 MHz)
• Designation of Region 25 Planning Committee as executor
• May 2002 – Convening Announced– 800 MHz Chair designated Jeff Brandt as convener– FCC Public Notice and mailing to over a thousand
parties
Region 25 – 700 MHz PlanningRegion 25 – 700 MHz Planning
• July 17, 2002 – Regional Planning Committee– Convened– Officers elected
• Dan Hawkins, Chairman
• Leo Dutton (Lewis & Clark Co.), Vice Chairman
• Jesse Gonzalez (City of Billings), Secretary-Treasurer
– Working subcommittee established– Preliminary by-laws adopted– Regional plan template examined
• August 5, 2003 - Planned RPC Meeting– Postponed upon MT Dept of Administration request
Region 25 – 700 MHz PlanningRegion 25 – 700 MHz Planning
• Reallocation of 4.9 GHz band– FCC Docket 00-32 - May 2, 2003
• 50 MHz of spectrum
• From federal government use, to Public Safety
• For fixed and mobile digital broadband use
– Channelization• Ten - 1 MHz channels
• Eight - 5 MHz channels
• Aggregation allowed to 20 MHz
Region 25 – 700 MHz PlanningRegion 25 – 700 MHz Planning
• Reallocation of 4.9 GHz band (cont.)– Licensing
• Primary Uses: Mobile, Fixed hotspot, temporary fixed
• Secondary Use: Permanent fixed point-to-point
• Eligible Licensees– Every public safety agency– For primary uses of the whole band– Covering entire jurisdiction
– 700 MHz RPC coordination for: • Incident management protocols
• Interference avoidance
• Interoperability
Region 25 – 700 MHz PlanningRegion 25 – 700 MHz Planning
• Project MESA– “An international partnership producing globally
applicable technical specifications for digital mobile broadband technology, aimed initially at the sectors of public safety and disaster response.”
• Formed in May 2000• Originally known as ‘APCO Project 34’
– Organizational Partnership• Open to standards development organizations• Currently: TIA and ETSI
– Public Safety Membership• Currently: APCO, NTIA, NIJ, FBI, and others
– www.projectmesa.org
Bridging the Digital DivideBridging the Digital Divide
Dr. Bill GillisDr. Bill GillisWSU Center for Bridging the WSU Center for Bridging the
Digital DivideDigital Divide
Northwest RegionalNorthwest RegionalE-SafetyE-Safety
OpportunityOpportunity
Promoting collaboration and data sharing to enhance emergency response, mitigation, and homeland security.
The Regional and National The Regional and National SignificanceSignificance
THE ISSUE:
How To Deal With Communications and InformationAbout Deadly, Unexpected Events
Individual: Car Crashes (Leading Killer of Americans Aged 5-29), Suicide Attempts
(Seattle Bridge Incident), Health Problems (Heart Attacks, Seizures, Strokes), Crime
Mass: Terrorist Attacks (Oklahoma City, World Trade Center, Pentagon), Shootings (Columbine), Severe Weather ( Flash Floods, Earthquakes), Forest Fires, Hazmat Spills
The Problem:The Problem: Emergency CommunicationsEmergency Communications
Are Not in the Information AgeAre Not in the Information AgeEmergency response communication still largely“voice-centric”
No statewide mechanism to capture data createdduring emergency events and share among multiple agencies and jurisdictions
Limited fusion of existing data sources (e.g. real time traffic data, weather information, emergency medical readiness) to support emergency response and homeland security
No comprehensive statewide directory or “address book” to share event information electronically among “need-to-know” parties
Integrated Emergency Communications
Incident Data
Federal/State/Local Agency
Voice
PSAP
HospitalERTrauma
Police Dept.
Traffic OperationsCenter
Voice Comm.Among Agencies
INCIDENT INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION
The Public
Tools:
Electronic Emergency Agency Registry
&
Event Mapping
Electronic directory of “need to know” parties supporting local emergency response decisions on data flow Web-based event map: allow multiple agencies to view and share incident data on an electronic map; cost effective and useful interoperability tool for multiple purposes
ComCARE is a non-profit Alliance of more than 85 organizations representing the full range of emergency response and management, automotive, citizens, communications, technology, and transportation.
Strategic E-Safety Focus
Emphasis on creation of open and interoperable systems creating shared data supporting public safety and homeland security
Advocate broadly accepted vision for telematics use in public safety-DEMAND CREATION
Sustainability through creation of market potential with private partners (ACN, Telematics providers, data integrators, others)
Benefits to Montana and Region
Enhance regional and interagency effectiveness in emergency response and mitigation through availability of shared data.
Facilitate development of new public safety enterprises enhancing emergency response and homeland security.
Improve response times saving lives.
Positioning Montana and Northwest as a national leader in applying technology to public safety and homeland security.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Bill Gillis, DirectorWSU Center to Bridge the Digital DividePO Box 646229Pullman WA [email protected]
Thank you ComCARE for providing supporting graphics and materials for this presentation.