Orange County NC Website
4 <br /> 1 Phillip Nasseri said fires in general are on the decline, but the fires that do occur are <br /> 2 more severe in nature due to modern construction techniques. He said calls tend to be rescue <br /> 3 based. <br /> 4 <br /> 5 2. Radio Infrastructure Including Paging <br /> 6 <br /> 7 Background Information: <br /> 8 The Countywide Radio Communications Interoperability and Systems Engineering Services <br /> 9 Committee was established in January 2016. A Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued on <br /> 10 January 29, 2016 for a vendor neutral consultant who could determine the most efficient and <br /> 11 effective method for designing a countywide radio system. A total of seven (7) Fire/Rescue <br /> 12 representatives —four (4) from the Chief's Association and three (3) from Municipal <br /> 13 Departments — make up this committee along with a representative from every Law <br /> 14 Enforcement Department and four (4) representatives from Orange County Government. The <br /> 15 committee conducted an interview assessment and met afterwards to discuss and deliver a <br /> 16 recommendation of the selected consultant. Efforts are currently in the contract stage. <br /> 17 <br /> 18 Phillip Nasseri said this project is costly but vital to Orange County for communications. <br /> 19 Commissioner Price asked if there is anything Orange County can do in reference to the <br /> 20 infrastructure. <br /> 21 Phillip Nasseri said when the contract is awarded it would be helpful to have the Board <br /> 22 of County Commissioners to support the consultant's recommendations. <br /> 23 Commissioner Dorosin asked if Phillip Nasseri could detail the current challenges with <br /> 24 the communication infrastructure. <br /> 25 Phillip Nasseri said the current 800 system, the VIPER Network System, being used by <br /> 26 the State and Orange County has limited user sites and limited coverage area. He said there <br /> 27 are minimal towers, which are used by multiple jurisdictions leading to overuse. He said on a <br /> 28 day-to-day basis, things function fairly well, but in times of inclement weather or greater <br /> 29 emergencies, the system is not sufficient. <br /> 30 Commissioner Dorosin said the problem is insufficient capacity. <br /> 31 Phillip Nasseri said that is correct, and some problems are due to aging equipment. <br /> 32 Commissioner Price asked if it is possible to communicate between various counties <br /> 33 across the State, during emergencies. <br /> 34 Phillip Nasseri said there are statewide channels, which can be used. He said the <br /> 35 problem being discussed this evening is a local one. <br /> 36 Dinah Jeffries said the currently used 800mz does not allow data information on it, or <br /> 37 non-public safety entities to use it; for example: schools, animal control, transportation, etc. <br /> 38 She said it was designed very much for Highway Patrol. <br /> 39 <br /> 40 3. Discussion on PageTrack Software <br /> 41 <br /> 42 Background Information: <br /> 43 This item provides an opportunity to discuss issues and opportunities relating to PageTrack <br /> 44 software. Emergency Services is working closely with Efland Deputy Chief Pete Hallenbeck. <br /> 45 Efforts have been made to configure some Gateway boxes to talk to the PageTrack server, <br /> 46 meaning that fire and Emergency Medical Services can see one another. Work is continuing on <br /> 47 getting the remaining Gateway boxes configured and Deputy Chief Hallenbeck has suggested a <br /> 48 meeting to figure out what can be done with this capability and how to manage it. <br /> 49 <br />