San Diego Regional Fire Communications Center Study

Transcription

1 Report for San Diego Regional Fire Communications Center Study Prepared for San Diego Urban Area Security Initiative November 2013 ARCHITECTURE ENGINEERING COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY AVIATION CIVIL CONSTRUCTION SERVICES DATA SYSTEMS ENVIRONMENTAL FACILITIES ENGINEERING GEOSPATIAL NETWORKS PUBLIC SAFETY TRANSPORTATION

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction Scope of Work Summary Methodology Key Definitions Current Conditions/Needs Assessment CAL FIRE, Monte Vista Operations Technology Facilities Assessment City of Escondido Operations Technology Facilities Assessment Heartland Communications Facility Authority Operations Technology Facilities Assessment North County Dispatch Joint Powers Authority Operations Technology Facilities Assessment City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department Operations Technology Facilities Assessment November 2013 Page i

3 3. Consolidation Benefits and Obstacles Consolidation Benefits Specific to the UASI Region Fire Communications Services Consolidation Obstacles Specific to the UASI Region Fire Communications Services Quality of Service Additional Consideration Local Support Reasons to Consider Consolidation Needs Not Currently Met Data Analysis and Recommendations Governance Governance Options Governance Mechanism Governance Structure Consolidation Models and Supporting Entities Cost Distribution Methodology Human Resources Salary Ranges Job Titles Call Processing and Dispatch Methodology Shift Supervision Union Issues Technology Radio Infrastructure and Non-Emergency Telephony Network Configuration and Equipment Computer Aided Dispatch CAD Mapping/GIS Voice Logging Recorder Radio Console System Fire Records Management System Mobile Data Facilities Current Facilities Future Facility November 2013 Page ii

4 4.7.3 Facility Best Practices Facility Cost Model 1 Heartland and North Comm Governance Model Options Organizational Structure Operations Staffing Dispatching Personnel Estimates Technology Facility Options/Recommendations Summary Model 2 Heartland, North Comm and City of San Diego Fire or City of Escondido Fire Communications Governance Model Options Organizational Structure Operations Staffing Call Taking Dispatching Personnel Estimates Technology Facility Options/Recommendations Summary Model 3 Heartland, North Comm, City of San Diego Fire and City of Escondido Fire Communications Governance Model Options Organizational Structure Operations Staffing Call Taking Dispatching Personnel Estimates Technology Facility Options/Recommendations November 2013 Page iii

5 7.7 Summary Model 4 - Heartland, North Comm, City of Escondido Fire and/or City of San Diego Fire and Cal Fire Monte Vista in a Co-Located Facility Governance Model Options Organizational Structure Operations Staffing Call Taking Dispatching Personnel Estimates Technology Facility Options/Recommendations Summary Model 5 - Heartland, North Comm, and Cal Fire Monte Vista in a Co-Located Facility Governance Model Options Governance Recommendations Organizational Structure Operations Staffing Call Taking Dispatching Personnel Estimates Technology Facility Options/Recommendations Facility Recommendations Summary Summary and Recommendations TABLE OF TABLES Table 1 Current Technology for CAL FIRE... 9 Table 2 Current City of Escondido Technology Table 3 Current Heartland Technology November 2013 Page iv

6 Table 4 Current North County Dispatch JPA Technology Table 5 Current City of San Diego Fire Rescue Department Technology Table 6 Authorized and Actual Employees Table 7 Current Salaries, Benefits and Support Staff Table 8 PSAP Participation in Union or Association Table 9 Cost of FRMS Interface Table 10 Dispatch Center Details Table 11 Model 1 Estimated Total Call Volume Table 12 Model 1 Hourly Call Volume Distribution and Workstation Count Table 13 Model 1 CAD Events Table 14 Model 1 Workstation Distribution Table 15 Model 1 Consolidated PSAP Staffing Table 16 Model 1 Technology Replacement Estimate Table 17 Model 1 Facility Cost Estimates Table 18 Summary of Cost Estimates for Model Table 19 Model 2 Estimated Total Call Volume Table 20 Model 2 Hourly Call Volume Distribution and Workstation Count Table 21 Model 2 CAD Events Table 22 Model 2 Workstation Distribution Table 23 Model 2 Consolidated PSAP Staffing Table 24 Model 2 Technology Replacement Estimate Table 25 Model 2 Facility Cost Estimates Table 26 Summary of Cost Estimates for Model Table 27 Model 3 Estimated Total Call Volume Table 28 Model 3 Hourly Call Volume Distribution and Workstation Count Table 29 Model 3 CAD Events Table 30 Model 3 Workstation Distribution Table 31 Model 3 Consolidated PSAP Staffing Table 32 Model 3 Technology Replacement Estimate Table 33 Model 3 Facility Cost Estimates Table 34 Summary of Cost Estimates for Model Table 35 Model 4 Estimated (Escondido, Heartland, North Comm and San Diego Total Call Volume Table 36 Model 4 Estimated Co-Located (CAL FIRE) Total Call Volume Table 37 Model 4 Hourly Call Volume Distribution and Workstation Count Table 38 Model 4 Co-Location Hourly Call Volume Distribution and Workstation Count Table 39 Model 4 Consolidated (Escondido, Heartland, North Comm and SDFR) CAD Events Table 40 Model 4 Co-Located (CAL FIRE) CAD Events Table 41 Model 4 Workstation Distribution Table 42 Model 4 Consolidated (Escondido, Heartland, North Comm & SDFR) PSAP Staffing Table 43 Model 4 Co-Located (CAL FIRE) PSAP Staffing Table 44 Model 4 Technology Replacement Estimate Table 45 Model 4 Facility Cost Estimates Table 46 Summary of Cost Estimates for Model Table 47 Model 5 Estimated (Heartland and North Comm) Consolidated Total Call Volume Table 48 Model 5 Estimated Co-Located (CAL FIRE) Total Call Volume November 2013 Page v

7 Table 49 Model 5 Consolidation Hourly Call Volume Distribution and Workstation Count Table 50 Model 5 Co-Location Hourly Call Volume Distribution and Workstation Count Table 51 Model 5 Consolidated (Heartland and North Comm) CAD Events Table 52 Model 5 Co-Located (CAL FIRE) CAD Events Table 53 Model 5 Workstation Distribution Table 54 Model 5 Consolidated (Heartland and North Comm) PSAP Staffing Table 55 Model 5 Co-Located (CAL FIRE) PSAP Staffing Table 56 Model 5 Technology Replacement Estimate Table 57 Model 5 Facility Cost Estimates Table 58 Summary of Cost Estimates for Model November 2013 Page vi

8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY L.R. Kimball was hired by the San Diego Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) to produce a study focused on reducing the number of fire communication centers in the San Diego region with the creation of a modern regional emergency communications center. The focus of the study is to assess the current conditions of each center, then analyze the space, operational and technology needs that would form a basis for recommendations toward a regional center or centers. L.R. Kimball performed an analysis of the information captured in the needs assessment to produce recommendations for operational and technology improvements, and facility requirements and space needs based on industry best practices and standards. The scope of work included examining five specific consolidation models: Heartland and North Comm consolidate Heartland, North Comm and either the City of San Diego Fire communications or the City of Escondido Fire communications consolidate Heartland, North Comm, the City of San Diego Fire and the City of Escondido Fire communications consolidate Heartland, North Comm, City of Escondido Fire and/or City of San Diego Fire and CAL FIRE Monte Vista in a co-located facility Heartland, North Comm and CAL FIRE Monte Vista in a co-located facility Current Conditions/Needs Assessment The five Fire Communications Centers participating in this study are as diverse as they are similar. Overall L.R. Kimball detected no critical issues in how fire and medical calls are received, processed and dispatched. Each agency differs in their size and capacity, and in the range of services supported or provided. Common to all is participation or benefit from membership 1 in the San Diego County Fire Chiefs' Association (SDCFCA), specifically the Communications Section 2. There are also common issues found among the fire communications services studied. The most critical issue is the lack of viable back up plans. Each agency has some form of disaster recovery process in place that includes re-routing of calls and relocating in a temporary or long-term setting. These emergency operations plans (EOP) are inconsistently documented with some agencies having no documented recovery plan at all. Regardless of whether, or what type of, consolidation partnerships emerge following this study the development of a countywide master continuity of operations plan for fire communications services is recommended. Consolidation Benefits and Obstacles A more regionalized approach to fire communications in San Diego County will address aspects of all key areas of the interoperability continuum, governance, standard operating procedures, technology, training and exercises and usage. A regional fire emergency communications center (RFECC) will also make great strides toward improving 1 While CAL FIRE is not listed as a member of SDCFCA, contracted agencies such as San Miguel are. 2 November 2013 Page 1

9 critical infrastructure protection. Should the study participants have the opportunity to advance this initiative to a single countywide RFECC, then the ability to rapidly deploy response and recover will be elevated to a previously unattainable level the ability to protect a critical government facility (RFECC) and operation (emergency communications). L.R. Kimball has observed many roadblocks to consolidation initiatives that can all be grouped in one of three categories; politics, vision and funding. A lack of vision by the consolidation participants will result in an inability to move the consolidation forward. A clear and detailed roadmap developed from significant planning efforts is critical to a successful consolidation. And finally, inadequate funding will delay or stop a consolidation effort. A viable and sustainable funding mechanism must be established and agreed upon by all participating stakeholders. Data Analysis and Recommendations All five models examined in this study are feasible and provide improved service, technology and facilities. L.R. Kimball s overall recommendation however provides the optimum level of interoperability and infrastructure protection countywide. L.R. Kimball recommends full consolidation of all fire communications services as an ultimate interoperability goal for San Diego County. This recommendation addresses interoperability and protection of infrastructure through countywide consolidation of fire communications into a single operation located in a single facility; with CAL FIRE as a co-located partner. There are two methods for provisioning backup to a fully consolidated RFECC for San Diego County; 1) creating an appropriately sized new construction or renovated facility of a capacity to sustain long term operations; or 2) enter into a backup agreement with another entity of a size and capacity to accommodate short term and long term backup needs, such as another county or one of the larger capacity law enforcement communications centers in the county (e.g. City of San Diego Police or San Diego County Sheriff s Office). If full consolidation is not an option, Kimball recommends the consolidation of Heartland and North Comm with CAL FIRE as a consolidation or co-located partner. The Cities of Escondido and San Diego would act as physical and operational backup to the consolidated center and to each other. This option would still provide benefits in interoperability while partially meeting the county s goals. November 2013 Page 2

10 SAN DIEGO REGIONAL FIRE COMMUNICATIONS CENTER STUDY 1. INTRODUCTION Figure 1 Fire Servicess Map 1.1 Scope of Work Summary L.R. Kimball was retained by the San Diego Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) to produce a study focused on reducing the number of fire communication centers in the San Diegoo region with the creation of a modern regional emergency communications center. The focus of the study is to assess the current conditions of each center, then analyze the space, operational and technology needs that would form a basis for recommendations toward a regional center or centers. L.R. Kimball performed an analysis of the information captured in thee needs assessment to produce recommendations for operational and technology improvements, andd facility requirements and space needs based on industry best practices and standards. November 2013 Page 3

11 The scope of work included examining five specific consolidation models: Heartland and North Comm consolidate Heartland, North Comm and either the City of San Diego Fire communications or the City of Escondido Fire communications consolidate Heartland, North Comm, the City of San Diego Fire and the City of Escondido Fire communications consolidate Heartland, North Comm, City of Escondido Fire and/or City of San Diego Fire and CAL FIRE Monte Vista in a co-located facility Heartland, North Comm and CAL FIRE Monte Vista in a co-located facility 1.2 Methodology In order to determine the number of regional communications centers needed to provide the appropriate level of sustainable service and redundancy, L.R. Kimball considered several factors including: The total volume of calls for service The geographic distribution of the call volume The need for redundancy within the system to ensure continuity of operations L.R. Kimball utilized industry best practices and standards including: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Guide 361; the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Section 70 and 1221; Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and National Emergency Number Association (NENA); National Electrical Safety Code (NESC); NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code s latest publication (NFPA/NEC); American National Standards Institute/Telecommunication Industry Association/Electronics Industries Alliance standards (ANSI/TIA/EIA); the Building Industry Consulting Service International (BICSI) Telecommunications Distribution Methods Manual (BICSI- TDMM); Standards and Guidelines for Communications Sites (Motorola R56 standards, 2012) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) standards for electrical, grounding and communications systems design. 1.3 Key Definitions Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) Also called a center or dispatch center and is an emergency communications facility that receives calls. Dispatching of police, fire and emergency medical services (EMS) field personnel each may or may not be part of this facility. Emergency medical services calls are transferred to the appropriate third party providers Call Answering Equipment This term may be used interchangeably with customer premise equipment (CPE). Refers to the hardware and software that is used to receive and answer a call. Full PSAP Consolidation Full consolidation is defined as the consolidation of police, fire and EMS call handling and police and fire dispatch functions for a defined region into a single facility. Co-Located PSAPs PSAPs from separate entities sharing the same facility and critical PSAP systems such as computer aided dispatch (CAD), radio consoles, answering equipment and logging recorders. November 2013 Page 4

12 Shared Technology May also be called virtual consolidation. Two or more PSAPs share key PSAP systems such as computer-aided dispatch (CAD), radio, call answering equipment or logging recorders. Although technology is shared, each PSAP retains its existing organizational structure and remain in its own facility. This form of consolidation increases interoperability and allows for cost efficiencies through group purchases. Telecommunicator Refers to a PSAP employee who performs call taking and dispatch job functions. For purposes of this document, all PSAP staff is assumed to be telecommunicators, exclusive of supervision. Call taker Refers to a PSAP job function which includes the processing of incoming and administrative calls. Call taker may also be a job title in PSAPs where an employee performs only call taking functions. However, this document assumes all PSAP staff will perform both call taking and dispatch functions and will hold a telecommunicator job title. Dispatcher Refers to a PSAP job function which includes the dispatching of field personnel via radio to calls for service. Dispatcher may also be a job title in PSAPs where an employee performs only dispatch functions. However, this document assumes all PSAP staff will perform both call taking and dispatch functions and will hold a telecommunicator job title. The balance of this page is intentionally left blank. November 2013 Page 5

13 2. CURRENT CONDITIONS/NEEDS ASSESSMENT The five Fire Communications Centers participating in this study are as diverse as they are similar. Overall L.R. Kimball detected no critical issues in how fire and medical calls are received, processed and dispatched. Each agency differs in their size and capacity, and in the range of services supported or provided. Common to all is participation or benefit from membership 3 in SDCFCA, specifically the Communications Section 4. Along with the internal management of each agency toward following industry standards and best practices, the guidance and standards set by the SDCFCA Communications Section have created a common performance and service platform for all fire services in San Diego County. There are also common issues found among the fire communications services studied. The most critical issue is the lack of viable back up plans. Each agency has some form of disaster recovery process in place that includes re-routing of calls and relocating in a temporary or long-term setting. These emergency operations plans (EOP) are inconsistently documented with some agencies having no documented recovery plan at all. The agencies can also utilize interoperability components of the Regional Communications System (RCS) or their own systems to address dispatching needs during a response and recovery situation. However, all agencies will benefit from an up to date master plan that identifies resources, locations, capacity, transition, connectivity and interoperability. The current countywide picture is not consistent and is not sustainable for long-term displacement scenarios. Regardless of whether, or what type of, consolidation partnerships emerge following this study, the development of a countywide master continuity of operations plan for fire communications services is recommended. This would be an appropriate issue for SDCFCA to address. Another issue shared by most of the study participants is how well their facilities comply with current 2012 NFPA 1221 standards for hardened and secure sites. The City of Escondido has the most modern and most compliant of the facilities. Escondido is also the only facility that appears to have expansion capabilities within the current building envelope that could accommodate a countywide consolidated operation serving all study participants. Each of the other study participants would require new construction or significant renovations to accommodate any expansion of their operations floor. All centers currently meet the individual agency space needs, with the exception of the City of San Diego which has exceeded their space and are in critical need of space. For all individual agencies, technology is not an issue. There are replacement plans in place and all systems are well maintained. There are some outdated systems that will require updates or replacement to meet industry direction to be internet protocol (IP)-capable for future NG needs. The common use of the San Diego County-Imperial County RCS continues to provide interoperability solutions across all Public Safety services. There are issues however within the inconsistencies found in backup planning that indicate that user protocols/up to date agreements do not exist for providing dispatch services from outside of an impacted jurisdiction when 911 calls are re-routed. For 3 While CAL FIRE is not listed as a member of SDCFCA, contracted agencies such as San Miguel are NENA Master Glossary definition: NG9-1-1 is an Internet Protocol (IP)_based system comprised of managed Emergency Services IP networks (ESInets), functional elements (applications), and databases that replicate traditional E9-1-1 features and functions and provides additional capabilities. NG9-1-1 is designed to provide access to emergency services from all connected communications sources, and provide multimedia data capabilities for Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and other emergency service organizations. November 2013 Page 6

14 example, if one agency is impacted by an event that causes their calls to be re-routed to another agency, that agency may/may not have the ability, training and agreement in place to then fully process those calls by entering them into CAD and dispatching them out to the appropriate response agency(ies). Capabilities may exist, but up to date plans, agreements and training may not. Consideration must also be given to the capacity and expansion levels and other backup agreements as to the impact on the agency(ies) that may serve as a backup for another agency. The Regional CAD Interoperability Project (RCIP) has introduced and improved data interoperability to the participating agencies; however it is an ongoing initiative that has not attained countywide implementation as yet. 2.1 CAL FIRE, Monte Vista Operations The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) operates the Monte Vista Inter-Agency Communications Center (MVCC) that serves as a fire communications center for CAL FIRE state fire response and coordination, local fire response and coordination for/with unincorporated areas of San Diego County and through local contracts (e.g. San Miguel). The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) communications for the region are co-located with CAL FIRE. CAL FIRE is participating in this study as they are a critical partner in the fire services countywide and therefore will find benefit or bring benefit to any pursued consolidation or co-location model. CAL FIRE differs from the local agency participants in size/capacity and focus on larger response (e.g. wildfires), and that they are a state entity and have both a local level of response, as well as a state level of response. Other differences include how their operations are funded, how resources are owned and shared, and how their internal organization configuration allows them complete continuity of operations should their local point of presence be compromised. While the local agencies are fully engaged in multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional responses such as wildfires, the local agencies are focused on localized response in their daily operations role. Local agencies also have limited or no ability to continue operations if their point of presence, in this case their communications centers, are compromised. For the purposes of this study CAL FIRE is examined for its role as a local fire services provider, and specifically the communications (call taking and dispatching) aspect of their operation in San Diego County. CAL FIRE provides local fire communications services to the largest geographical area of the County encompassing the eastern portion of the County, this includes several reservations 6. The facility that houses CAL FIRE is part of a campus of non-sustainable structures that have been retrofitted to accommodate emergency communications. The facility and grounds do not meet 2012 NFPA 1221 standards for facility hardening and security. However, a renovation is planned for January 2014 for an estimated cost of $1.4 M. It is unknown if the renovated facility or campus improvements will meet NFPA standards, though this opportunity will allow for the inclusion of additional facility and campus improvements that address standard hardening and security features. One of the noted additions to the campus may be an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant access (e.g. ramp) from the road to the center reportedly at a cost of $250,000-$300,000. This renovation is 6 The Bureau of Indian Affairs often contracts with local Fire agencies for Fire services November 2013 Page 7

15 funded in part by CAL FIRE and USFS. Future plans may include seeking grant funds to construct a new communications center in which there may be opportunity to co-locate a local regional communications operation. One of the regional coordination response roles of CAL FIRE is as the Operations Area Coordinator (OAC) for the statewide Resource Ordering Status System (ROSS) 7. North Comm serves as the backup OAC for the region. As noted, the San Miguel area of the county recently contracted with CAL FIRE for local dispatch and response services. San Miguel had previously been served by Heartland Joint Powers Authority (JPA). The reason for the transition is reportedly cost savings. CAL FIRE assessed the impact of taking on the San Miguel service and added for full time employees (FTEs) 8, no systems upgrades were needed. The addition of San Miguel services added approximately 15,000 calls annually, more than double what was anticipated. As is the case with all study participants, CAL FIRE is a secondary PSAP that receives all calls as transfers from primary PSAPs operated by local and county law enforcement agencies. CAL FIRE receives the majority of their calls from California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the San Diego Sheriff s Office (SO). Also common is the staffs membership in a collective bargaining unit. The local services provided by CAL FIRE are enhanced by the provision of emergency medical dispatch (EMD). Private medical transport companies provide contracted transportation services to the areas of the county in the CAL FIRE response area. Command staff provide technical or GIS support within CAL FIRE, however these are peripheral duties and there is no dedicated on-site support. Command staff and senior operations staff administer a formal training program. A continuity of operations plan is under development and there is an agreement with North Comm for default routing of calls to go to North Comm should CAL FIRE network, system or facility become compromised. CAL FIRE does attempt to segregate call taking and dispatching functions; however during peak periods it is common for call takers to also dispatch the incident. Supervision is provided by an on-duty on-site Captain. The on-duty Captains work a 24 hour shift with appropriate rest breaks and are trained to fill in during peak hours or staff shortages. Operational staff is provided headsets but there was no observed use of these headsets; L.R. Kimball observed opportunities for missed radio traffic due to the noise level in the room and the multiple speakers used for monitoring radio channels. CAL FIRE reported occasional CAD outages and advised that CAD data is backed up at five minute intervals to a server that can be relocated during an evacuation. There are also pre-cad type tools (e.g. wall status board) that are still used by senior staff that is used in conjunction with CAD and during CAD outages. 7 A database for coordinating resources for wildfire response operated and maintained by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) 8 FTE is an acronym used in staffing calculation programs to mean full time equivalent or full time employee November 2013 Page 8

16 The USFS occupies the same room as CAL FIRE and has some cross-trained staff that can assist with call taking during peak periods; including certified EMD providers. USFS has a law enforcement component equipped with access to criminal justice information (e.g. NCIC) 9 that requires all those that have access or may view the information to be certified or under the training and supervision of certified personnel Technology CAL FIRE Technology CPE Positron Viper version CAD Northrup Grumman Altaris RMS CAIRS (California All Incident Reporting System) Mapping/AVL/GIS ARC GIS version 10 Mobile Data Radio Motorola VHF and Motorola 800 MHz Paging Mod-U-Com Logging Recorder Dynamic Instruments, Reliant V.7.1 Administrative Phone System Toshiba, DKT digital system Internet enabled No Table 1 Current Technology for CAL FIRE Customer Premise Equipment CAL FIRE currently processes calls from the five positions that have been transferred from the California Highway Patrol and the San Diego County Sheriff s Department on a Positron Viper controller, version system installed in 2009 with a Windows XP operating system. CAL FIRE has a Gold Elite Consoles system for dispatching and Mod-U-Com consoles for paging. It is unknown if or when the last system upgrade occurred. The calls are received over four trunk lines provided by AT&T from a central office located in San Diego. CAL FIRE currently has external ring down circuits to SDFR, Heartland, North Comm and at multiple fire stations. 9 November 2013 Page 9

17 The call statistics are tracked by an ECaTS 10 call records management system installed and maintained by the State of California for access by and reporting to the state entity. While this can be accessed and used by CAL FIRE staff to monitor productivity, statistics and workload, it does not appear to be used or accessed by CAL FIRE. CAL FIRE dispatch currently uses a Dynamic Instruments Reliant Version.7.1 recording system originally installed in February 2008 and updated in January 2013 that is provided by the State of California. The system operates on a Windows XP platform and has a 48 channel capacity that can be expanded with additional cards. Of the 48 channels being used 34 for radio channels, 10 for telephone lines, and 4 for trunks. The calls are recorded by trunk and position and can be remotely accessed from the Dispatch Chief s desk. All five positions in the dispatch center have interfaces for instant recall recorders of the calls and radio communications. The recording system crashed approximately one year ago and according to feedback provided to Kimball, has not worked well since that time. The administrative phone system is a Toshiba DKT digital system. This system is not interfaced to the system Computer Aided Dispatch The CAD system currently being used by the CAL FIRE dispatch is the Altaris version of a Northrop Grumman CAD and has a five year cycle for upgrades that was last updated in March It interfaces with the Records Management System (RMS), Mod-U-Com Tone/Paging and the EMD protocol system ProQA. ARC Mapping/GIS is the Environmental System Research Institute s (ESRI) based Altaris version provided by Northrop Grumman. The mapping system covers the county boundary and portions of adjacent counties. The system layers include roads, facilities, incidents, Campfire Permit Notices (CPN), rivers and power lines. This CAD system has a CAD-to-CAD interface with the CAL FIRE Riverside district. Currently there is no backup if the CAD system fails. There are discussions of placing a backup CAD server in Sacramento. The CAD does go down occasionally. CAL FIRE has a standalone PC that refreshes off of CAD every five minutes. The PC is used should the facility have to be evacuated. The California All Incident Reporting System (CAIRS) RMS is currently interfaced with the local CAD system. The medical RMS is provided by County of San Diego EMS iqcs. This system is interfaced with the local CAD system. Currently the systems operated by CAL FIRE are not controlled by a system master clock. CAL FIRE and their co-location partner, US Forest Service are on different CAD systems Radio CAL FIRE is a member of the regional radio communications system serving San Diego County and Imperial County. A primary very high frequency (VHF) system is operated from five CentraCom Gold Elite dispatch consoles. The dispatch has simulcast capabilities with the Motorola Astro 800MHz system. CAL FIRE has thirteen mountaintop VHF repeater sites In California, ECaTS is deployed at all 464 PSAPs on more than 13 different CPE platforms. Data from all PSAPs is compared on a daily basis. November 2013 Page 10

18 The radio communications system provides wireless 800MHz voice (radio) and data communications on separate networks to over 200 local, county, state and federal Public Safety and public service agencies in San Diego County, California and Imperial County, California. The day-to-day operations are managed by the Wireless Services Division of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. The radio communications system voice network is a Motorola Type II SmartZone 800MHz trunked, simulcast system. It supports mixed mode analog and digital communications and is digital encryption capable. CAL FIRE is connected to the statewide radio system via microwave. These stations are connected to the radio communications system via a microwave hop located at the dispatch facility. CAL FIRE also has a complete mobile command vehicle that provides complete radio and remote operations should the dispatch center become incapacitated. The CPE and radio systems are protected from power outages by a standalone battery system and the facility is protected by a Kohler propane powered generator. Each dispatch position has an individual uninterruptible power source (UPS) unit. The system is tested every Sunday. The generator and transfer switch are housed in a separate facility located next to the equipment room and are protected by a secured key lock exterior door into the facility. The equipment room is located in a separate facility between the dispatch area and the emergency generator building. It is climate controlled and has restricted access through controlled access key locks. The equipment room is quite crowded and does not contain any room for expansion with the current configuration. The equipment room is not protected by a fire suppression system. All systems within the equipment room are properly grounded. The grounding systems are all interconnected and provide the necessary protection Facilities The facility or campus that CAL FIRE operates is a four building complex located within the CAL FIRE compound. This campus is also shared with staff and dispatchers for the US Forest Service. The administrative section is housed in one building and the dispatch center is in an adjacent building connected via sidewalk. The dispatch center is connected to the equipment building and the generator building is at the end of the complex. The equipment room is climate controlled and has access controls for entry. The room is over utilized and the need for additional space it evident. There is a lack of an automated fire suppression system. The facility does not meet current NFPA 1221 facility standards Assessment CAL FIRE is a unique environment from a technology perspective. Most of the technology is provided under state contracts and is furnished by agencies located in Sacramento. There is a large diversity of technology and inter-connectivity between those systems. While this methodology appears to work well for the mission of CAL FIRE, most of the technology is regulated to the rest of the state agencies and is not necessarily compatible with the local agencies surrounding the CAL FIRE district. Of primary concern is the absence of a local Information Technology November 2013 Page 11

19 (IT) or systems specialist. Work performed on any system requires someone to come on site for repairs or replacements. The Positron Viper CPE system is four years old and there is no record of any updates to the system. This system is IP capable with additional modules. The lifespan of CPE varies with the type of equipment. Backroom equipment, such as equipment racks and line cards, with their respective controller cards plugged into a backplane, can be expected to last at least 10 years. Backroom servers may last up to seven years with proper care and environmental controls, e.g., keeping the area that it resides in clean and keeping the temperature and humidity at the manufacturer-recommended levels. The consoles are Mod-U-Com with an interface into the system and the radio system. Workstations and telephones located in the call-taking area have a lower lifespan due to the constant 24/7 use. Workstations may last up to five years before hard drives begin to fail. Operating temperatures at the location of the workstation can also reduce lifespan. Workstations that have reached an age of six years should be replaced regardless of what type of backroom equipment is used. When a workstation reaches this age, hardware failure becomes imminent because it is a piece of equipment that is used 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The logging recorder was identified as failing quite regularly and is in need of repair or replacement. In order to be Next Generation (NG9-1-1) compatible, a new logging recorder would need to be installed. The operating system has a Windows XP platform and according to Microsoft, Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 will go out of support on April 8, The CAD system is fully functional and has been recently updated; however, there is currently no backup should the server on which the application resides fail. As a failsafe, there is a standalone PC that refreshes from the CAD every five minutes. This is primarily used as a methodology to take the CAD functionality to the mobile command vehicle if activated. There is a CAD-to-CAD interface with the CAL FIRE Riverside district. The Centracom Gold Elite dispatch consoles are no longer being manufactured and are nearing end of life cycle. While it has not been determined specifically when Motorola might announce the end of life for these products, they are older technology and should be considered for replacement. CAL FIRE operates in a VHF radio environment which is not in the same operating spectrum as the surrounding agencies, requiring all agencies to function with two separate radio systems when operating in a mutual aid situation with CAL FIRE units. It is understood that all agencies are part of the radio communications system, of which the primary operational radio system is 800MHz. During any event involving CAL FIRE most entities have to switch to a VHF system or receive tactical radios for that specific incident which hinders true interoperability. CAL FIRE has the ability and does routinely perform a simulcast broadcast when dispatching units. Currently there is not a single UPS source for all of the technology. In most cases, each individual piece of equipment has its own battery backup. While this is a workable solution, it could create an issue with testing the UPS and could cause issues in a power failure until the generator is brought on line. November 2013 Page 12

20 2.2 City of Escondido Operations The City of Escondido (City) operates a consolidated communications center that provides call taking and dispatching for the City s Police and Fire Departments. For the purposes of this study only the Fire communications aspects of this operation are examined. Any inclusion of Escondido Police operational components in this discussion are related to or have bearing on the Fire services. The participation of the City in this study is unique in that the current fire communications services are provided wholly by the City Police communications division. Any fire communications services consolidation into another entity/location would require the City to de-consolidate City Police and Fire communications in order to isolate and extract Fire out of the City center and into a fire centric communications entity; potentially a countywide consolidated center or regional operation. During the interview enhanced fire on scene communications support was cited as a primary reason for Escondido Fire s participation in this fire centric consolidation study. Observation in the communications center did not reveal any sub-standard handling of fire communications; however operational staff appears to be more focused on the law enforcement aspects of center operations. The Escondido Fire Department has an Insurance Service Office (ISO) rating of 2 meaning that the City has a superior fire suppression rating. The dispatch component of the service factors into that rating and supports the idea that fire communications is adequately supported. The perception from the Fire representative and from the communications operations staff is that fire communications are not given equal priority as law enforcement. This is a common perception and in many cases the reality when one type of agency operates the communications center, or is the largest/heaviest user of the system. This perception exists no matter which type of agency operates the communications center. It was observed that the Escondido communications center provides the required basic fire communications support services, however any support services beyond the basic dispatch are not provided unless requested, and only if resources within the communications center operations can accommodate the request. It is not common practice, for example, to perform tactical dispatching 11 or incident command system (ICS) level support beyond initial dispatch, monitoring of the radio traffic, making notifications when advised and dispatching additional apparatus when directed. On scene communications needs are reportedly not being met for the Escondido Fire Department. This appears to be caused by limited staffing available for assignment to more than one fire position in the communications center, and to limited training and/or development/advancement of a tactical fire dispatching program within the communications operation. Geographic information system (GIS) and support are reported as having limited automation and Public Safety GIS needs are given a low priority. This lack of support is due to limited staffing supporting GIS and the age of the equipment, specifically the mobile units used by the response agencies. 11 Note that tactical dispatching may or may not include incident dispatching on scene. The tactical dispatching that occurs within a communications center involves dedicated incident command communications support. November 2013 Page 13

21 The city s GIS manager oversees the provisioning of technical support to all city departments, with direct CAD Tier 1 technical support located at the Police Department; however there is no additional dedicated Public Safety communications technical support staff. One of the issues cited by city Fire is a lack of or limited access to the Internet in the communications center. This is reportedly due to city policies. Limitations to expanding the fire communications position include funding, in that the communications budget is embedded in the police budget. This has proven to be an obstacle to providing improvements to the fire communications aspect of the operation. The city has established with AT&T that default routing of calls go to Carlsbad. However there is no back-up plan or dedicated connectivity in place to allow for the processing (CAD entry) or dispatching of the calls at Carlsbad or any other site. Meaning calls received in Carlsbad for Escondido response would be transferred back to Escondido administrative lines for dispatching. Without a back-up plan, agreement or site the city has no ability to continue critical communications operations if the current facility must be abandoned due to a short- or long-term relocation. The current facility is the most modern facility among the study participants, and is a hardened and secure facility meeting the 2012 NFPA-1221 standards. This facility is the only one with operations space and building envelope that has the ability to expand to accommodate all the participants communications needs. In 2009, prior to the construction of the current Escondido facility North Comm and the City had discussed co-locating North Comm operations in the new facility, however those discussions did not continue. More recently North Comm has approached the City again about co-locating in the facility. This would require repurposing space that is currently used by city police and is reportedly not a desired direction that the city is willing to consider. North Comm is also reported to have requested that Escondido serve as a backup center to North Comm operations; as of this writing there is no agreement in place. November 2013 Page 14

22 2.2.2 Technology City of Escondido Police/Fire Department Technology CPE Positron Viper, installed 04/10 CAD Northrup Grumman updated 08/09/2011 RMS FirePoint updated 2013 Mapping/AVL/GIS Northrup Grumman, Altaris updated 08/07/2012 Mobile Data Radio Paging General Dynamics, Motorola backbone Kenwood VHF, Motorola 800 MHz US Digital Design, Regional Communication System Logging Recorder NICE Mirra IV installed 04/10 Administrative Phone System Internet enabled CISCO Call Manager updated 02/11 part of the city-wide system Yes Customer Premise Equipment Table 2 Current City of Escondido Technology Escondido Fire Department dispatch is co-located with the Escondido Police dispatch and currently processes calls that have been transferred from the Escondido Police Dispatch on a Positron Viper system installed in April This system is IP capable. There is a possibility that additional modules could be installed in order to make the system IP enabled. The calls are received over six trunk lines provided by AT&T from selective routers located at the central offices in Escondido and Mira Mesa. Escondido Fire dispatch currently has external ring down circuits to Palomar Hospital and the City of SDFR. The Police dispatch has nine Russ Bassett Desience console workstations that were installed in January The City currently uses a NICE Mirra IV recording system, originally installed in April The system has a 96 channel capacity, of which 58 channels are being used 16 for radio channels, 36 for telephone lines, and 6 for trunks. The calls are recorded by position only and can be remotely accessed from the Communications Center Supervisor s office. Each position in the dispatch center has a Positron interface for instant recall recorders of the calls and radio communications. The administrative phone system is an IP Cisco Call Manager installed in April 2010 and updated in February This system is interfaced to the system through a session initiation protocol (SIP) trunk connection. The CPE system located within the dispatch center is under time synchronization controlled by a Spectracom Master Clock No other automated systems appear to be ported to this device. November 2013 Page 15

23 Computer Aided Dispatch The CAD system currently being used by the City is the CommandPoint version of a Northrop Grumman CAD originally installed in October 2008 and updated in August of It is running on a Windows platform and a 2003 server that interfaces with the Tone/Paging and Mobile Data Communications/Automatic Vehicle Location/ Management Information System (MDC/AVL/MIS) along with their ProQA system, which is currently being tested. Altaris Mapping/GIS is Esri based and is provided by Northrop Grumman. This application was originally installed in October 2008 and last updated in August The mapping system covers the city boundary and some areas outside the boundary. The system has street centerlines, address ranges and parcel identifiers, hydrants and response areas. The system provides for fire station alerting through a US Digital Design system. The FirePoint RMS version was installed in 1993 and was last updated in early 2013 and is currently not interfaced with the CAD system. The medical RMS is provided by Field Saver and has epcr included. This system is also not interfaced with the CAD system Radio Escondido Police/Fire dispatch is a member of the RCS and is the primary radio dispatch for Escondido Police and Fire. This dispatch center is a joint police and fire dispatch agency. Fire Dispatch operates from four CentraCom Gold Elite dispatch consoles which were last updated in August This 800MHz system is connected to the RCS via a microwave hop located at the dispatch facility. When mutual aid or communications outside the department are required, dispatch can switch and operate on the RCS 800MHz Motorola Astro desktop mobile system accessible from the dispatch consoles. As a backup system, the fire department operates on a standalone VHF Kenwood TK 790 radio system that was last updated in August All system grounding requirements were being met and found to be very accessible. The telephone system and IT systems were connected to an acceptable grounding buss. The equipment room provided a grounding buss that connected all systems to the building ground. Escondido police/fire dispatch shares a server room with the other city facilities. An additional equipment room located next to the dispatch floor houses most of the and radio technology. L.R. Kimball believes ample room for expansion is available, but the floor space is controlled by the city IT department. City IT personnel maintain all systems used by dispatch and maintain access control to both equipment rooms. The main server room has a raised floor and equipment elevator. Both rooms are protected by a Halon system which can be remotely activated. The building is a new building and has generators and a UPS system that supports the server room Facilities The city owned facility that Escondido fire dispatch operates is a new facility designed with the ability to expand the operations floor for future growth. This facility is also shared with staff and dispatchers for the Escondido police. There are two equipment rooms that are climate controlled and have access controls for entry. The rooms are well maintained with one room housing most of the and dispatch related technology and the other housing the rest of the city s technology. There is room for growth in both rooms. An automated fire suppression system is within both rooms. The facility appears to meet current NFPA 1221 standards. November 2013 Page 16