Interoperability Through Gateways

1. InteroperabilityThroughGateways Officer Alan Felsen Montgomery County, MD Police Department

2. Types of Interconnects…. • Regional systems compatibility • Gateways • Radio exchange / radio cache

3. Interoperability Continuum

4. Regional Compatible Systems • The best way to achieve interoperability is if everyone involved shares a common radio system • National Capitol Region public safety agencies are on 800 MHz trunked Motorola systems • Shared operational talkgroups and interoperability talkgroups (pre-planning) • Very helpful in the initial response to the Pentagon

5. Regional Compatible Systems Benefits • Easily accessible interoperability (just change channels) • First responders bring a useable radio • More comfortable with their own radio • Instant availability – no switches to deploy, etc. • May be able to provide redundancy for one another

6. Regional Compatible Systems Implementation Challenges • Cost • Most communities can not avoid to change out their radio system(s) • Spectrum • Those who could afford a new system may not have licenses for compatible frequencies • No one band is ‘best’ • State police and highway patrol may opt for lower bands while fire fighters and local law enforcement may prefer higher bands.

7. Regional Compatible Systems Operational Challenges • Maintenance • Common resources for all subscriber units require ongoing coordination. If jurisdiction “A” makes a change then “B”, “C”, … must change their radio templates as well to remain in sync • User training • Users may not know how to access the capabilities of their radios if they don’t use them regularly • ID Number coordination • Trunked systems may have a fixed and limited number of subscriber ID’s

8. Interconnect Gateways • Types of deployment • Portable / tactical • Attach radios on the fly • Mobile Command vehicles • Mobile subscriber radios with the right antennas or telescoping masts increase range • Fixed site gateways and networked systems • NCR “MIRS”, Maryland MIMICS, etc. • 24-7 links vs. on-demand operation

9. Fixed Site GatewayThe Operation Test Bed (OTB) • AGILE (CommTech) implemented the OTB in Alexandria, VA to test an interconnect device operationally in public safety and publish ‘lessons learned’. • Why the Alexandria Police Department was chosen as the OTB • Willingness to accept new technology • Located in tri-state region (test ability to coordinate tri-state politics) • Located in conjunction to vast local, state and federal public safety agencies • Location with significant operational need • Ideal location to gather the most “Lessons Learned’

10. Effective InteroperabilityDeployments in the OTB • Inauguration • Presidential Motorcade Escort • 4th of July • Sniper Incident • National Police Week • Bike trail abduction • Main Repeater out of service

11. Original OTB switch configuration • Single ACU-1000 • Four partners – APD, MPD, USPP and Metro Transit • Six radios • First tested in mobile environment then migrated to fixed site concept Picture: This is the configuration of the fixed site gateway at the APD OTB during the Inauguration of President Bush. The Secret Service had requested creation of a common disaster channel by linking the Secret Service, FBI, U.S.P.P., U.S.C.P. and the DC Police.The link was active for 36 hours and tested every half hour around the clock. Luckily the disaster channel was never needed.

12. Early Lessons Learned • Starting with just a few partners allowed easier resolution of issues • Supporting equipment costs exceed gateway device cost in a fixed site installation and are the most likely to result in cost overruns (clogged conduit, etc) • Functional tests need to be progressive – start with a single monitoring (receive only), then a single unit to the switch (transmit), then move up to unit to unit tests and then finally to multiple agency links • Never jump on someone else’s channel without notifying them first – generally Alexandria called landline or via PMARS (MWCOG Police Mutual Aid Radio System)

13. Early Lessons Learned (cont.) • Connecting convention radio systems to trunked radio systems can be a technical challenge • Ping-pong effect (VMR helps) • Delay in acquiring tower in trunked system can drop the beginning word of a conventional system – not good in ‘shoot don’t shoot situations’. (Buffering helps) • Not all repeaters are the same. Squelch tail, tones, signaling, etc. vary greatly. A configurable switch is needed.

14. Early Lessons Learned (cont.) • Units need to use an agency prefix with its unit designation. • There may be a ‘Unit 17’ in more than one of the connected agencies. APD unit 17 or MPD unit 17 is appropriate in multi-agency communications. • Ten-codes are not universal • A 10-50 in Montgomery County is a ‘Police Officer in Trouble’; in Washington DC it is a ‘motor vehicle accident’. There is a big difference. • In multi-discipline connects terminology can be confusing • What does a ‘pumper truck’ look like anyway?

15. Early Lessons Learned (cont.) • Even “10-4” acknowledgements may not be universal. • DC police and Montgomery County each also use 10-99 as an acknowledgement to distinguish between one and two man units. • S.W.A.T. teams and fire fighters use numbers and/or letters to designate the sides of a structure but they are not consistent from agency to agency. • “Cover me” means different things in law enforcement circles than it does in the military!

16. OTB Switch Configuration Today • 2 - ACU-1000s • 19 radios • 2 – remoted low band radios • Telephone patch (PSTN) • Remote console attached • NXU-2 Internet control and switch to switch interface • ETS-1 Network control • 19 roof mounted antennas • Additional partners include • Fire, EMS • State police in MD, VA • DOT • Federal LE Agencies The OTB Switch after expansion

17. OTB SwitchSuccess and Growth • Early successes brought buy-in from other public safety agencies. • Agencies such as the U.S. Marshals Service, State Department and others have joined the project - often providing their own radios. • Non-aggressive approach in building partnerships and in use of the channels has proven successful. • PSWN - IPT followed the lead of this installation and installed four additional sites around the beltway. • Maryland State Police are deploying 18 additional sites modeled after the OTB.

18. Formal Agreements (MOUs) • In our MOUs the agency where the switch is located is termed the ‘host’ agency. • Host agencies agree to provide interconnect between agencies even if they are not a part of the operation. (APD was not linked in during the Inauguration) • Host agencies are NOT necessarily the IC. • Regional meetings aid in continued coordination and advancement. • Should include language to cover regular maintenance, testing and upgrade of equipment. • There should be formal agreements for the region and each jurisdiction should develop their own more specific SOP.

19. Types of Activations to Cover in SOPs • Planned • Many events that require Interoperability are known well advance. The 4th of July, Inauguration, IMF demonstrations, etc. • Unplanned • Many events can be spontaneous such as wild fires, earthquakes, storms, riots, etc. • Radio to landline telephone interface

20. Channel Considerations • National Calling Channels • Put them in the system even if they are not monitored in your area yet. • Weather channel • Put the National Weather Service channel on one of the radios. You never know when it might come in handy. • FRS • Program the capability to link in the FRS channel. These little radios can be obtained easily and can be a great aid in a disaster. • School bus and or local bus service channels • These vehicles may be used in mass evacuations or mass arrest situations.

21. Other Considerations • Field Operations on channels that are not monitored by a dispatcher may be dangerous • Originating radio ID’s are lost when the audio passes through a switch • The radios attached to the switch need to transmit identifiers • These switches are passing clear audio. Use of encrypted radios is possible but the switch itself is unencrypted • Often ‘tac’ channels are used for these interconnects and in many cases these channels are not recorded

22. More Lessons Learned • The need for training was underestimated • Interoperability doesn’t come naturally • Switches are best suited for short-term on-demand use • They do not add spectrum or fix a failing radio system • They do not extend system footprint • To become Interoperable you must first be operable • Not everyone wants to share even when they should • The technology is the easy part • The difficulty lies in the three P’s: People, politics and paperwork

23. Training Considerations • There are various levels of training required • Technical training – for those who will set-up and maintain the communications gateway and its infrastructure • Dispatcher training – the people who will actually make and break the connections • Field unit training – for the front line personnel using the radio system(s). • Command level personnel – need to be aware of the capabilities to interconnect

24. Training ConsiderationsTechnical Training • Many gateways, including the ACU-1000, have sophisticated settings that may need to be tweaked. Technical staff but not necessarily a radio expert should be the only ones adjusting these settings. • Programming radios in the switch may be necessary as new partners are brought in or in the event of an unanticipated player in an emergency. • Technicians may need to install a new communications device (radio, cell phone, SatCom) for an emergency.

25. Training ConsiderationsDispatch Training • Making and breaking interconnects is usually rather simple. Knowing when to make an interconnect is not as simple. • Monitoring the channels and reminding the users to use plain English is important. • Dispatchers need to know the nuances of multi-agency, multi-discipline communications.

26. Training ConsiderationsField Unit Training • Field units • Need to be aware that an interconnect is available to them. • Need to know to use plain English and understand that they are not just talking within their own ranks. • Must have sufficient practice to remember that the interconnect is there and to use it during an emergency. • Need to be completely comfortable with it

27. Training ConsiderationsCommand Staff Training • Field commanders are sometimes reluctant to use an interconnect because are unfamiliar with it • They need to be trained and to be completely comfortable in an interoperable mode. • Commanders need to know the full capabilities of the interconnect – vertical links between nets, telephone interfaces, SatCom, etc.

28. Training ConsiderationsOther • Don’t wait for an emergency to use the interconnect • Get comfortable with using it before you really need it • Try to conduct join field exercises, mock demonstrations, etc. to practice • Conduct regular tests • This not only makes sure the equipment is working but it also builds comfort on the part of the person test and it reminds everyone on the channel(s) about the interconnect device

29. Gateways • You can’t plan too much for these projects. • Early buy-in by all parties is vital. • Training is probably the most important factor to consider. • Technology is not difficult – getting people to change the way they do things is! • Regional committees on Interoperability are a sure way to achieve the best possible program.

30. NCR Emergency Radio Cache • Purchased with UASI funds • Result of lessons learned from the attack on the Pentagon

31. NCR Emergency Radio Cache • 1,000 Motorola XTS-5000 800 MHz radios • 500 stored in Montgomery County, MD • 500 stored in Fairfax County, VA • Leveraging existing US&R team abilities • Each radio is programmed with 14 different trunked radio systems plus NPSPAC and RINS channels • Each cache includes • 1,000 Ni-Cad batteries & chargers • 1,000 single-use Li-Ion batteries

32. NCR Emergency Radio Cache • Each cache includes: • 1,000 Ni-Cad batteries with chargers

33. NCR Emergency Radio Cache • Each cache includes: • 1,000 single-use Li-Ion batteries • Shoulder mics and carrying cases

34. NCR Emergency Radio Cache • Each cache includes: • Support equipment • Computers with inventory software, printers, bar-code readers

35. NCR Emergency Radio Cache • Each cache includes • JPS ACU-T gateways • VHF/UHF radios

36. NCR Emergency Radio Cache • Three P’s • The radios were procured, programmed, and deployed for the 1st time before the MOU’s or deployment protocols were finalized

37. NCR Emergency Radio Cache • One-stop shopping for Interoperable Communications • Free local delivery!

38. Ongoing NCR Initiatives • Additions to radio cache to provide capability in METRO tunnel system if fixed infrastructure is disabled • Regional adoption of standardized police radio codes with emphasis on plain speech when possible • Pre-planning of MIRS interconnections for specific needs • Creation of an online interoperability asset database

39. Final Thoughts Interoperability • Effective interoperable communication requires an effective incident command system • Interoperability is not the goal • The goal is effective operations • Operational requirements dictate the communications solutions • When done right interoperability become invisible

40. Web Resources www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij www.AGILEprogram.org www.nlectc.org

41. InteroperabilitythroughGateways Questions?