Minutes 10-02-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I'm wearing three hats tonight: Citizen Pete, 20 years with Efland Fire, Deputy Chief Pete, and PageTrack Pete. What is PageTrack? A little over a year ago, I started a software company that has developed a real time tracking system for fire, EMS, and rescue responders. It's web based and runs on smart phones, iPads, and desktops. It is currently being used by many departments in the county. Those departments can use the system for free forever. I am submitting a document with my detailed questions and concerns about the OSSI path that the county is on. There is no easy way to summarize all the points. The agenda for this meeting says that after the OSSI demonstration, "The system was well- received by the stakeholders." The problem is that an email was sent out on a Wednesday that gave Fire just two days to voice any concerns about the system. Many concerns that I had voice anywhere from 1 to 5 months ago had not been address by Emergency Services. There's been talk of the strained relationship between ES and the fire departments, and the CC said that we all need to communicate better. Well, fire should have voiced any concerns they had, and ES should not have taken silence to be the same as approval. So we are on a path where this is a good chance there will be friction once again between the groups. If the fire departments can't use PageTrack with OSSI, and have to switch to the OSSI A.V.L. system, they will lose capabilities they have now while spending as much as nine times as much money. So this lack of communications could cost the fire departments .5 million dollars at start up and $50,000 per year ongoing costs. The scheduling of this vote is sad, since the CC will meet with the fire departments in just two days. A communications opportunity lost. There's a lot of talk about all the stakeholders having a voice in the development of the system. It seems to me that after the purchase, those options go down substantially. So please read my concerns. I want to avoid a situation where a year down the road everyone is yelling at each other because the system is not what they want or cost too much to implement. And even if you approve the purchase tonight, please work with Fire so that you can insure their concerns are met. Historically, Fire has not had much success convincing ES to change how they do things. Deploying this new CAD system is an opportunity to fix that problem and have better emergency service to people that are in trouble. Commissioner McKee said that there was an opportunity for a demonstration of this at the Emergency Services work group. He said that he felt that the intention is to keep an open dialogue with the fire departments. He does not want to close the door to further dialogue. Commissioner Jacobs asked if the contract could be signed after the meeting with the fire departments and rescue squad on Thursday.