Consent 1.E.
Regular City Council Meeting
- Meeting Date:
- 10/10/2017
- TITLE
- Dispatch Radio Consoles
- PRESENTED BY:
- William Rash
- Department:
- Fire
Presentation:
No
PROBLEM/ISSUE STATEMENT
The City of Billings has a Master Contract with Airbus DS Communications which covers the 800 MHz digital trunked radio system. The new 9-1-1 facility will require that two additional radio positions are equipped. An addendum to the Master contract is required to purchase these two additional radio consoles, upgrade the existing PCs that support current radio consoles, and to provide on-going technical support and maintenance to these essential components.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYZED
City Council may:
- Approve the Addendum to the Master Agreement the City of Billings has with Airbus DS Communications to provide two new radio consoles to the 9-1-1 Center to better meet the existing and ever increasing demand for public safety services, or;
- Not Approve the Addendum to the Master Agreement the City of Billings has with Airbus DS Communications. The new 9-1-1 Center facility would operate with the existing problematic limitations of the current 9-1-1 Center.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The cost to upgrade the existing PCs supporting the radio consoles and provide two additional radio consoles is $140,972.05 and includes five years of maintenance, hardware support and technical support. These funds are available in the 9-1-1 Fund.
BACKGROUND
The confines and limitations of the current 9-1-1 Center have posed operational problems as the numbers of work positions are not adequate to effectively handle the demand for services. The new 9-1-1 facility, which is currently under construction, will allow an increase in the number of work stations and also an increase in the on-duty personnel available to support both routine and emergency events. Five (5) new additional work stations must be equipped, two of which will be dedicated for the radio support of emergency responders. The current 9-1-1 Center is maxed with five radio positions, two to support the Billings Police Department, one for the Yellowstone County Sheriff, one for Fire/EMS, and one at the supervisory position. There is no back-up position to support radio operations during periods when radio consoles are down for routine maintenance or console failure. Additionally, the current single fire/EMS position must simultaneously handle all city and county fire and EMS deployment and provide unit support on 12 separate radio channels in addition to being the third 9-1-1 operator. The work load for this position is nearly unmanageable. The two additional radio consoles will allow city and county fire/EMS operations to be handled independently and provide a back-up radio position that can support extraordinary or extended emergency incidents. Airbus DS Communications has provided a P25 digital trunked radio system and all associated maintenance and system support to the City of Billings through a 2011 Master Agreement. The two new radio consoles, their incorporation into the City’s existing system, and the associated maintenance and system support of these consoles will be facilitated through an addendum to the 2011 Master Agreement. As part of this project, the existing PCs supporting the current radio consoles will be upgraded.
STAKEHOLDERS
Stakeholders include but are not limited to the Billings Police Department, Billings Fire Department, Yellowstone County Sheriff, Yellowstone County Fire Departments, city and county EMS responders, and members of the community.