HomeMy WebLinkAbout6.h. Resolution to Approve the Outdoor Warning Siren System Narrow BandingAGENDA TEM: Resolution to Approve the Outdoor
Warning Siren System Narrow Banding
AGENDA SECTION:
Consent
PREPARE D BY: Gary Kalstabakken, Chief of Poli
AGENDA NO.
ATTACHMENTS: Resolution and Report on Work roup
Recommended Action
APPROVED BY
00J
RECOMM ENDED ACTION: Motion to approve a resolution adopting the Work Group's
outdoor warning siren narrow banding plan.
x ROSEMOUNr
CITY COUNCIL
City Council Meeting: February 15, 2011
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
BACKGRC UND
The City maintains outdoor warning sirens to alert the community in the event of severe weather or other
emergencies. Activation of the sirens is done through the Dakota Communications Center via radio
signal.
ISSUE
The Federal Communications Commission has established rules and regulations which will require the
reconfiguration of radio transmitters and receivers by January 1, 2013. This reconfiguration is commonly
referred to as narrow banding. A Work Group comprised of staff from Dakota County radio services, the
County's radio consultant, Dakota Communications Center and a cities representative have been meeting
to develop recommendations on how to accomplish the narrow banding most effectively and efficiently
within Dakota County. The recommendations include the use of funding, through grant funds, to assist
cities to pay for the required reconfiguration.
The City has allocated funds in the 2011 CIP in anticipation of the narrow banding project. Funding
recommended by the Work Group is to have costs split 50/50 between cities and grants from the Urban
Areas Security Initiative (UASI). Rosemount's estimated share of the costs is $8600. The Work Group
also suggests that cities have a contingency amount of $2500 for budgeting purposes. Because the City of
Rosemount installed five (5) new sirens since the narrow banding discussion began, our costs have been
reduced by $8750. The cost for the five new sirens will now be $200 each or $1000 (Rosemount's share
$500) total while previously it was calculated at $1950 each or $9750 total.
Work on the narrow banding will begin in 2011 and Rosemount is expected to be one of the first cities in
the project to have the work completed. The intention is to have the narrow banding completed early to
avoid competing for vendor /contractor resources as the deadline date approaches at the end of 2012.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Council adopt a resolution adopting the narrow banding plan.
CITY OF ROSEMOUNT
DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA
RESOLUTION 2011
A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE
OUTDOOR WARNING SIREN SYSTEM NARROW BANDING
WHEREAS, in 2007 the Dakota Communications Center (DCC) began to provide 9 -1 -1 call
answering, public safety radio dispatching, and related Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP)
services to the citizens and visitors of Dakota County; and,
WHEREAS, in 2008 the DCC and Dakota County (County) entered into an Agreement relating to
the maintenance, operation, and support certain fixed radio communications and signaling
equipment used to activate individual outdoor warning sirens located in various communities and
townships within or near Dakota County; and,
WHEREAS, individual outdoor warning sirens are owned and maintained by various entities
including cities, townships, and private enterprises (e.g. Xcel Energy); and,
WHEREAS, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has established Rules and
Regulations which require the reconfiguration of radio transmitters and receivers used in
conjunction with the outdoor warning siren system by January 1, 2013; and,
WHEREAS, the aforementioned transmitter /receiver reconfiguration is commonly known as the
First Phase Narrow Banding requirement; and,
WHEREAS, failure to comply with FCC Rules and Regulations may subject the County and /or the
Cities to possible sanctions including loss of FCC license authority and /or fines; and,
WHEREAS, representatives of the Cities and Dakota County staff (Work Group) have been
planning a method to narrow band equipment used by the DCC to activate outdoor warning sirens
as well as individually owned /operated sirens across the County; and,
WHEREAS, the DCC Joint Operations Committee has reviewed and recommended the Work
Group recommendations to the DCC joint power's board.
WHEREAS, the Work Group has recommended a migration strategy including funding assistance
to local communities to narrow band individual siren radio transmitter /receivers using technology
that will provide additional redundancy, faster signaling methods, and capability for future siren
status monitoring.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the City of Rosemount hereby endorses and
recommends the adoption of the Work Group's outdoor warning siren narrow banding plan.
ADOPTED This 15th day of February, 2011.
AT'T'EST:
Amy Domeier, City Clerk
William H. Droste, Mayor
Background
Dakota County
Outdoor Warning Siren
Activation System Recommended Board Action (RBA)
Public out door warning sirens within Dakota County are activated via radio from the DCC. The
currenr warning sirens use "wide band" radio technology that must be retired prior to January 1,
2013. The radio conversion from wide band to narrow band operation is required by published
FCC Rules. A staff work group from the County and the Cities has examined the issue and
recommended upgrades to the siren warning activation method. The group has further
considered and recommends standards for:
1. Improved operational performance; and,
2. Two -way configuration of the system that would permit individual communities or siren
owner /operators to monitor and know if a siren(s) activated or were otherwise ready for
activation; and,
3. Faster and more secure activation technologies that could be implemented as part of FCC
narrowband compliance; and,
4. A structure to permit financial assistance from Dakota County grants for siren owners
that elect to utilize the strategies recommended by the Siren Work Group.
At their October 16, 2008 meeting, the DCC Board adopted an Agreement with Dakota County
which establishes responsibilities for outdoor warning siren activation and central transmission
equipment maintenance. This Agreement continued the past practice of making individual
communities and responsible for their local siren equipment.
The siren Work Group reviewed various technologies and operational concepts relating to siren
activation and monitoring. The Work Group also explored opportunities to expedite and simplify
siren activation for DCC staff based upon migration to a common activation technology for more
than 115 outdoor warning sirens within Dakota County.
Work Group Recommendation Summary
The Work Group makes the following recommendations:
1. All sirens within Dakota County be converted to use a common signaling format which
will permit a streamlined activation method. A common activation code plan will need to
be developed for all sirens across the County. Several technologies were explored and it
was determined that DTMF signaling offered the best price -to- performance ratio. Some
sirens within the County already use this signaling format but will still need to be
converted for narrow band operation.
2. County financial assistance should be made available, using the Attachment below as the
basis for the level of assistance. Receipt of this assistance assumes that communities
conform to the common alerting policies and procedures established by the Outdoor
Warning Siren Work Group and approved by the County relating to Outdoor Warning
siren hardware and software.
3. That each siren operator be polled to determine their interest and willingness to utilize
status reporting siren technology.(This technology would permit communities, either
individually or in groups, to poll the "health and welfare" status of their outdoor warning
sirens if they chose to invest in technology to accomplish this. Siren status polling would
not be a DCC responsibility.)
PSC Alliance Inc.
Page 1
DRAFT 6
November 29, 2010
Dakota County
Outdoor Warning Siren
Activation System Recommended Board Action (RBA)
4. That policies and procedures be developed amongst interested communities for shared
use of siren status monitoring equipment and software.
Recommended Resolution
Attached to this RBA is a suggested resolution for consideration by individual siren
Owners /Operators within the County. In order to achieve the recommendations of the Outdoor
Warning Siren work group it will be necessary to all siren owner /operators to adopt a common
signaling method. The common signaling method must be compatible with narrow band FCC
regulatory requirements and suitable equipment purchases and programming modifications to
the activation equipment used by the DCC will be necessary.
Study Group Participants
The following people participated in a study group which evaluated various options and
recommend the strategy contained in this document to siren owners:
Notes:
PSC Al iance Inc.
Dakota Communications Center (DCC): Diane Lind, Acting Executive Director
Dakota County: Dave Gisch, Chair, County Emergency Manager
BJ Battig, Manager Risk Management Homeland Security
Ron Jansen, Coordinator Radio Services
Lakeville: John Kornmann
Nelcom: Steve Nelson
PSC Alliance: Jeff Nelson
1) This 2 -way handshake design contemplated in this white paper requires that some siren
"handshake" messages be passed from one siren to another in certain locations in a
daisy -chain fashion. In order to effect this strategy all sirens in a particular daisy chain
will need to be outfitted with 2 -way capability if desired by the participating community.
2) Siren owners seeking a transition path into a 2 -way capability should contemplate these
rough budgetary estimates to outfit siren radio signaling logic:
$1,500 per siren if two way capability is added at the time of the initial purchase
of a siren
$4,500 per siren if the two way capability is added after the initial purchase and
installation of a siren assuming siren upgrade compatibility.
Note these costs are related to the "radio package" at individual sirens only and neither
purchase nor replace a siren itself. The costs for outfitting sirens with two way
communications are outside the scope and mobilization of the narrowband conversion
project, but should be considered by siren owners if they are buying new sirens
concurrent with the implementation of narrow banding and wish to have monitoring in
capability in the future.
3) If desired, communities wishing to do so could also acquire separate equipment to locally
activate their sirens. This would create a third level of redundancy in addition to the
primary and backup transmitters which would be installed at Empire and Palomino as
part of the narrowbanding project.
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DRAFT 6
November 29, 2010
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