Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8626 A INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8626 Tit Date: 8/10/04 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 1 of 3 SUBJECT: Public Safety Communication Systems In May of 2004, Councilmember Silcox requested a comprehensive review of current communication systems in Police/Fire vehicles to determine the appropriate level of technology needs for public safety. The question emphasized the visibility of data and functionality to the end user. This informal report identifies the current status of mobile data computers in the Police and Fire Departments as well as the improvements that will occur in the near future with technology investments that are underway. Fire Department Mobile Data Computers The Fire Department began a three-year lease of DCI Predator 11 mobile data computers (MDC's) in 2001 to install the first equipment of th-is kind into emergency apparatus by the Fort Worth Fire Department. These leases will begin expiring in November 2004 so the Fire Department is currently developing specifications of replacement equipment. A decision package will be presented to the City Council during FY2005 budget ' deliberations to include 120 MDC's that will equip all units, reserve units and allow for a 5%-10% spare level on hand for repairs. rr .'efore the implementation of MDC's, emergency dispatch information was received at the Fire Station through a printer connected to the Fire Station Alerting System and by voice radio transmissions. If the fire company was away from the station at the time of dispatch, the information was voiced by radio only. Status changes from a fire company were transmitted through the mobile voice radio by pressing multiple buttons on the radio keypad and/or by voice over the radio. In the three years that the department has operated with MDC's it has become an invaluable communications tool. The NlDC is equipped with hardware needed for Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL), which functions based on the GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) system. The use of a GPS receiver allows the Fire Alarm Office to dispatch the closest fire company (as the crow flies) instead of the previous method of which Fire Station was closest to the incident. Other functionality of the MDC currently includes call record data i.e. caH location, NWSCO coordinates, caller name and telephone number along with responding unit information. The computer also allows for transmission of sensitive messages, text messages between units, unit status changes, and quefies of databases including call history. The MDC has a one-button press that alerts the Fire Alarm Office of an emergency The desirable future functionality includes adding software that allows for the integration of pre-fire plans into a GIS map. This software would utilize the CFWs GIS map and display each structure. In addition to pre-fire plan software, all Battalion Chief vehicles could be outfitted with Incident Command Software that r, "uld allow for more efficient documentation of emergency incidents. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8626 T4 Date: 8/10/04 da-11, lbra To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 2 of 3 14'rs SUBJECT: Public Safety Communication Systems A major improvement that is on the horizon is the ability to disseminate large amounts of information in a wireless environment. Currently all updates requires a physical hands on transfer of information to each unit. Recently a minor adjustment was made to the MDC software (MAKO) requiring a person to travel to each Fire Station and manually load software on each apparatus. Staff is evaluating a wireless system called "Blue- Tooth" that could send out updates via transmitters to any vehicle that was equipped with the necessary wireless network card. Instead of traveling to each station to touch each unit, the unit would travel anywhere within the prescribed airwave coverage area such as Battalion Headquarters and they would automatically receive the update. This system is comparable to the way IT Solutions transfers computer updates to all network users instead of touching each City computer individually. Police Department Mobile Data Computers The City Council was recently briefed (5/4/04)on the Records Management System project and how this relates to the replacement and ftinctionality of the Mobile Data Computers in police cars. Staff from IT Solutions, the Police Department, and the RMS project consultant met to establish the timeline. As a result of that meeting, several concurrent initiatives were identified as follows: * The Records Management System (RMS) software contract has been executed and hardware specification development is underway. This system will provide the backbone of data that will make more information available to officers in the field and analysts in the office. * Replacement Mobile Data Computer(MDC) selection is underway with the research of viable options. Officers and staff will have the opportunity to evaluate demonstration units in late September. Installation of the units is anticipated by May 2005 in order to coincide with the RMS implementation date and necessary software installation. The hardware specifications will be consistent with the need to be able to transfer data to the MDC's for officer use as well as the need to implement field-based reporting and electronic daily worksheets. * Infrastructure Improvements will occur in two phases beginning with the addition of three radio channels to the existing Mobile Data System to allow for expanded AVL capabilities. The second phase will entail the installation of new technology that will increase the system performance to improve the speed of transfer and availability of larger amounts of data in the field. The Police Department will also be considering putting in "hot spots" in conjunction with the Fire Department plans to provide automatic updates of information on the MDC's. All of these improvements combined will enhance the functionality of the MDC's in vehicles making offense reports, mug shots, and crime data available, and allowing for the submission of reports and worksheets in the field. The officers in the field should begin seeing dramatic improvements in the functionality in less than 12 ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS r INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS NO. 8626 Date: 8/10/04 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council Page 3 of 3 C SUBJECT: Public Safety Communication Systems Conclusion Staff will continue to explore new equipment such as wireless environments and handheld computers that may be useful to Police bike units and Fire inspectors. Associated infrastructure improvements will continue to be presented to the City Council as funding becomes necessary. Please feel free to contact Peter Ungar in IT Solutions at 817-392-7889 if you have additional questions. a ac n City anager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS