Request for information on Statewide Credentialing Programs In February 2014, after a tracking demonstration at the Wildfire Academy, DHSEM SEOC Operations and Logistics Managers had a meeting with Brenden Ourth, of Midwest Card and ID Solutions for Identification and Access needs at the State EOC. Midwest Card was contracted to print and track all of the attendees at the 2014 Emergency Managers Conference in Loveland, as part of a proof of concept for issuing Identification, credentials and physical access to the SEOC facility. As a result of the proof of concept demonstrations, Midwest Card was asked to submit a bid for supplying the State EOC with an identification, credential, and physical access solution for the facility. This process will supply the state with the following services; Policy is being drafted with Midwest Card that will be in place BEFORE credentials are issued by the state Several states in FEMA Region VIII are using the same system offered by Midwest Card Solutions, which will allow for greater interoperability between states- Value Added Benefit Several Counties in the South end of the State and all tem of the counties in the Northwest Region have already purchased Midwest Card Solutions as their main credential platform, which allows for easier state intergradation with those systems. The State Credential program will be managed by ONE agency, eliminating failure due to communication and agreements. Midwest Card developed a template system that will visually identify Emergency Support Functions on the face of the card and capture credential information that is being used and validated in multiple counties in Colorado and in several Regional States. NCR spent over $1,000,000.00 of Federal Grant funds on equipment for the last credential program. Midwest Card Solutions can utilize over 75% of that equipment purchased from prior grants (this will more than pay for the new system in savings). The Mobile Incident Management software which is included in this project was used during the last credential program and many local, county and state agencies are familiar with the use and system abilities. Midwest Card will include software updates to current systems already owned by local agencies. Midwest Card Solutions current line of this single factor authentication credential is still in line with HSPD5 and OMB-11-11 which mandates Federal Government and State Government must utilize a credential program which is NIMS compliant. Federal policy and several state policy directives accept this level of credential as a mid-level credential between stand-alone systems and smart-card technology (Chip). FIPS 201.2 identified this credential as a Tier 2 credential for State to State acceptance and is in line with PIV and PIV-I credential programs which will be the accepted norm within five years. The security feature available from Midwest Card Solutions is
an elevated fraud protection over standard identification systems currently in use. Technology standards vs. cost of this system are appropriate for Colorado until FIPS 201.2 can be fully implemented. Physical access using Midwest Card Solutions is more cost effective as employee access cards are replaced; the credential standard template is simply printed on already purchased physical access card stock. Savings in multiple cards being generated for one employee, time and cost for agencies is reduced. The Rapid Tag System that is part of the Resource Management program, included with Midwest Card system will allow agencies to Tag each piece of equipment with a barcode that will capture all the relevant information on that piece of equipment. Homeland Security All-Hazards Regional Information North Central Region Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, City and County of Broomfield, Clear Creek, City and County of Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, Jefferson- Purchased Elliot- Multicard Systems South Central Region El Paso, Chaffee, Lake, Park, Teller Considering Midwest Card Solutions Southwest Region Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma, San Juan, Southern Ute Indian Tribe and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe - Considering Midwest Card Solutions San Luis Valley Region Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache West Region Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, Ouray, San Miguel- Considering Midwest Card Solutions South & Southeast Region Baca, Bent, Crowley, Custer, Fremont, Huerfano, Kiowa, Las Animas, Otero, Prowers, Pueblo- Purchased and using Midwest Card Solutions Northeast Region Cheyenne, Kit Carson, Larimer, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Philips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, Yuma Purchased and using Midwest Card Solutions
Northwest Region Eagle, Garfield, Grand, Jackson, Mesa, Moffat, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, Routt, Summit- Purchased Midwest Card Solutions ID Systems and Credentialing by Region; either complete or in process Vendor Midwest Card Multi Card It should be noted that neither of these two systems replace the Smart Card (Piv/PIV-I) Four Factor Authentication Credential, which is federally mandated under FIPS201-2, HSPD 5, and OMB-11-11 documents. Both of these systems are based on a Tier II credential or Single Factor Identification credential. State EOC Logistics and Operations met with Field Services Manager in an attempt to coordinate a state wide system for credential and ID Systems, as well as meeting with the NCR Exercise and Training Committee and Credentialing Working Group in 2013 and 2014 and shared with NCR the direction the State was exploring for ID and Credentialing systems. What other states have a working program? See the map below for a list of states that are currently using Midwest Card & ID Solutions South Dakota / Iowa / Nebraska / Colorado / Kansas / Oklahoma / Missouri / South Carolina with Wyoming / and Montana under consideration. Kansas Division of Emergency Management Angee Morgan, Deputy Director County Accountability Manager James Steele james.steele@snco.us Kansas Highway Patrol Captain Eric Pippin epippen@khp.ks.gov Franklin County IMT Alan Radcliffe- aradcliff@mail.franklincoks.org 785.229.3505 Nebraska Office of Emergency Management Al Berndt Director 402-471-7410 Exercise Training Officer - Dave Reisen 402.471.7177 dave.reisen@neberaska.gov North Central District Health Dept Ryan Parks 402.340.4522 ryan@ncdhd.gov Missouri State Emergency Management Agency Ron Walker Director 573-526-9101 Iowa WMD Response Team Lead Jim Clark jimclark@sioux-city.org - 712.279.6022 Colorado is enrolled in the Midwest System at https://colorado.responders.us, with information and video demonstrations on the capability of the program that the State EOM would like to issue statewide. There are several State Homeland Security Regions that have purchased the Midwest Card system or are looking to purchase the system; NCR is the only region in the state looking at a different credentialing system.
Agencies currently using the Midwest Card System for ID/Credentialing and Equipment Resource Management in Colorado
Map of States currently using Midwest Card & ID Solutions and number of responders and equipment entered.
There are currently over 180 resources that have been entered into the Midwest Resource Manager system at the County level, that have barcodes that can be transferred into WebEOC and tracked at the State EOC. All resources in WebEOC (over 11,500) can have a barcode attached to the resource for quick efficient resource deployment and tracking both on the equipment and in the electronic database. Additional Information When the COFRAC initiative was started back in 2009, the State picked up on the contracts that were being used by NCR, as a test of the Colorado ID using smart card technology. This contract was initiated by State OIT and General Dynamics for system support working through Multi-Card of Colorado which, at the time was a sole source company using Salamander Technologies. Many of the local agencies wanted a barcode on the back of the State Credential that would work with local systems. As a result, Multi-Card used the Salamander barcode which is proprietary for Salamander Technologies Inc.. This barcode was placed on all COFRAC cards issued. Midwest Card and ID Solutions is the sole source supplier for Salamander Technologies in Colorado, and supplied the State with the necessary sole source documents for purchasing. Midwest also uses InterTrax Exchange, a cloud based data exchange system that was also used during the COFRAC initiative, as well as Mobile Command Incident Management software which was also used during the COFRAC initiative. The Purchase Authorization was cleared with Toni Rigirozzi, DHSEM Procurement Officer The goal of any new 2014 Colorado State issued credential plan (Level I or level II) has always to been to remain consistent with the Federal guidelines outlined during the COFRAC program and maintain the systems and equipment that were purchased by local government through state credentialing grant funds. Midwest Card Solutions is the only company that will allow the state to utilize pre purchased equipment, software and tracking systems that the locals were issued during the COFRAC initiative. Field Managers in several regions are in the process of updating equipment, purchased in 2009; i.e. Handheld card readers, management software, credential issuing equipment and other systems, at no new cost, to function using the Midwest Card and ID Solutions systems. In a meeting of the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championship Safety and Security Working Group, Friday, July 18 th 2014, in Edwards Colorado, the committee voted to utilize Midwest Card and ID Solutions as the source for responder and volunteer event credential system and Incident Management solution. Adams County, Boulder County, Weld County and South Metro Fire & Rescue are opting out of the NCR plan to change direction with a new credential program.
The state of Kansas has just signed an agreement with Midwest Card & ID Solutions which will cap the state maintenance cost at approximately $65,000.00 per year for ALL State employees, First Responders, Hospital and School programs. This cap program, would be offered to Colorado, which would greatly decrease the stove pipe processes that are currently spread throughout the state, and although the NCR system is not compatible with Midwest, if agencies want to get into a state system, the agency could simply have two ID cards (I currently hold four card for three agencies) Please feel free to contact me directly with any questions; Bill Miederhoff State of Colorado Department of Public Safety Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management State Resource Mobilization Program Manager 720.852.6689 / 720.219.3411 william.miederhoff@state.co.us July 30, 2014