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and respect? No, it never will, but technology is the catalyst for change – the type of change that is borne of efficiency and growth. The MPSCS partnership is always

growing as we have provided solutions for 83 counties since the inception of the contract more than 23 years ago.

MPSCS is more than just an office within state government; it has been a catalyst for sharing and partnering built on a foundation of trust.

It has taken time to develop and earn the

public’s trust, but collectively we feel that the State of Michigan has been much better poised than in the past to support day-to-day first responder operations and disasters inflicted by Mother Nature.

Through decades of shaking hands, opening doors, developing relationships, and fostering those relationships as leadership goes through transition, it has been

proved time and again: With each opportunity comes equal challenges, and conversely, challenges represent opportunities. The MPSCS will be here to ensure that the first responders in this state are focused on their day-to-day challenges, and we will continue to be part of their team ensuring that communications will be there when they need it.n

Contents

EVERY day there is some type of competition where one effort

wins and another loses, or one goes forward while the other stays frozen in time. As we look across the nation following the 2018 elections, we have witnessed plenty of changes. Opportunities and challenges are equally abundant as the election results become clear.

In some cases, the voters were asked to consider investments in their communities, and their priorities were recognized. Some of those instanc-es involved expanded partnerships with the Office of Michigan’s Public Safety Communications System (MPSCS). The people listened to their local leaders and voted to support the expansion of these partnerships which, along with the continued evolution in technology, will result in enhanced support to citizens.

These new opportunities will expand partnership capabilities across county lines and regions, and set forth the lessons learned regarding the value of partnerships through the inherent evolution of technology. The citizens become the greatest benefactor of these expanded partnerships, through better informed and well-connected public safety practitioners.

Does technology substitute for the need to treat people with dignity

MPSCS Public Service Remains SteadfastDirector commends partnerships, cooperation and technology

... Michigan is much better poised than in the past to support day-to-day first responder operations ...

MPSCS Director Brad Stoddard

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MPSCS Address:Michigan’s Public Safety Communications System, State Police Headquarters,7150 Harris Drive, Dimondale, MI 48821MPSCS Quarterly is produced by MPSCS Communications & Outreach. For questions, corrections, or story ideas contact Tom Black, Communications Representative, at BlackT8@michigan.gov.

1 MPSCS Public Service Remains Steadfast

2 MPSCS CAD Upgrade Project Will Pay Big Dividends

2 MPSCS Employees Participate in COMMEX Public Safety Training

3 MPSCS Steeplejacks Complete Rope Rescue Training

4 Remediation Project Into Final Phase in SE Michigan

5 Eaton, Jackson, Kent counties join MPSCS

5 System Snapshot - The Latest MPSCS Metrics

6 Encryption Vital to Many Public Safety Agencies

6 9-1-1 Education Month Offers Outreach Opportunities

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Division, the University of Michigan, and Michigan State Police. More than 100 local fire, EMS and law enforcement agencies are dispatched through MSP’s regional dispatch centers. MPSCS CAD integrates geospatial technology — Geo-

graphic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS) — with other compo-nents including law enforcement databases. This precise information helps dispatchers make better decisions on which resources to allocate. It also enables first responders to arrive on the scene quicker and make more informed decisions, thus im-proving outcomes. Incident manage-ment software provides real-time information, enabling dis-

patchers to promptly deploy assets and monitor the status of responding units. The MPSCS CAD upgrade involves installation of both hardware and software in compliance with state and federal regulations pertain-ing to system security and IT standards.n

A current upgrade of the MPSCS computer aided dispatching (CAD) system will include new system

architecture that improves performance and reliability while offering greater speed, enhanced features, and a reduction in required bandwidth.

The upgrade has been underway since March 2018, and should be completed by mid-2019. MPSCS CAD Version 4.3 will replace Version 3.3.1.The MPSCS centralized CAD system supports dispatch operations on behalf of the MPSCS, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement

The MPSCS CAD upgrade will improve performance and reduce required bandwidth.

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MPSCS Employees Participate in COMMEX Public Safety Training

MPSCS employees were among 15 trainees Sept. 19-20 during COMMEX, an exercise for people

involved in public safety communications who are seeking to become fully credentialed for deployment in the event of an emergency.

During the training, held at the North Oakland County Fire Authority in Hol-ly, MPSCS employees Randy Williams, Matt McCormick, Daryl Dunham and Dave Barnett were able to complete portions of their Position Task Book (PTB).

The PTB is a U.S. Department of Homeland Security document containing core competencies that must be mastered for public safety professionals to be fully credentialed under the Incident Command System.

Michigan’s Public Safety Commu-

nications Interoperability Board requires trainees to have performed the core competencies and have a completed PTB to be credentialed.

Williams was a trainee on the setup day, then helped administer the exercise as a Communications Unit Leader.

Richard Winters of the Grand Region Service Center assisted with Communications Technicians training.n

Mackinac County 9-1-1 Coordinator Bryce Tracy speaks during a training session on public safety communications.

MPSCS CAD Upgrade Project Will Pay Big Dividends

SAFETY is job one for MPSCS steeplejacks. A key part of ensuring safety is conducting regular

training on rope rescue techniques.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administra-tion (OSHA) and its Michigan counterpart – MiOSHA – mandate annual tower rescue training for steeple-jacks. In June MPSCS steeplejacks trained at Tower 1106 in East Lansing, joining firefighters from USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) Region 1, which consists of Ingham, Clinton and seven other counties.

The ability to perform tower rescues is vital, since steeplejacks work hundreds of feet off the ground, and an injury or medi-cal condition could incapacitate a worker and necessitate a rescue operation.

Steeplejacks are at the front lines of reliability, as they

MPSCS Steeplejacks Complete Rope Rescue Training

troubleshoot and repair essential components, and must do so in all kinds of weather.

Capt. David Babcock of the Lansing Fire Department led the training, which enabled the steeplejacks to earn their annual re-certification.

MPSCS site manager Rodney Anway said the firefighters’ expertise helps his employees, and USAR also benefits since its members can get training on towers they otherwise would not have access to. “It’s a win-win,” Anway said.n

Steeplejacks and firefighters practice rope rescue proce-dures at Tower 1106 in East Lansing.

Lansing and East Lansing fire-fighters trained in rope rescue techniques.

MPSCS steeplejacks and firefighters from USAR Region 1 put on their climbing gear in preparation for their rope rescue training session.

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ABOUT THE MPSCS SYSTEM MPSCS’s cutting edge network provides interoperable statewide coverage for over 99,000 radios used by Michigan’s first responder community. MPSCS serves 1,832 agencies at all levels: State, local, federal, tribal & private public safety agencies all rely on MPSCS for critical public safety communication services. We pro-vide world class infrastructure, expertise and 24/7/365 support to public safety agencies within Michigan.

Across MPSCS

AGENCIES

Statewide Remediation Project Now Into Final Phase

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NINETY percent of Michigan’s land area already benefits from the MPSCS life cycle remediation

project, a $150 million undertaking that began in 2015.

Remediation is now in the home stretch with Phase IV, which began in 2018 and will wrap up by mid-2020. Ten southeast Michigan Simulcast systems, which enable multiple towers within a county to act in uni-son, have been undergoing an upgrade of hardware and software.

Two of the 10 Systems were completed in 2018; the remaining eight are slated to be completed by first quarter 2019. Each Si-mulcast System includes several simulcast sites (towers).

“Depending on the system, hardware and software will be changed. For some of them, it’s just software,” said Theron Shin-ew, MPSCS deputy director.

During 2018, MPSCS microwave infra-structure was converted from a T1 circuit to Ethernet/IP protocol. Generators and/or antennas were replaced at several doz-en towers. Additionally, work began – and is still ongoing – on replacing or upgrad-ing Simulcast components, including:

• 665 new 800 MHz Simulcast GTR transmitter / receiver stations affecting six counties;

• 443 upgraded 800 MHz Simulcast GTR transmitter / receiver stations with coverage in eight counties.

Later this year and extending into first quarter 2020, the Astro radio network will get a software upgrade – from Motorola Astro P25 7.17 to 7.19.

All towers within a single Simulcast System must be upgraded at the same time. MPSCS makes every effort to minimize the inevitable outage times and incidents of reduced coverage. Notifications are sent out to allow

agencies to plan for disruption of coverage or service during scheduled times of remediation work.

In conjunction with the IP/Simulcast improvements, local 9-1-1 call centers are being asked to invest in Ethernet/IP transmission lines to replace aging T1 lines in the “last mile” – the portion of cable from MPSCS towers to 9-1-1 centers.

Not all have done so, but this upgrade must be com-pleted by Oct. 31 to prepare these locations for the Astro 7.19 software upgrade. n

Phase IV of the MPSCS Life Cycle Remediation involves 10 Simulcast Systems: The City of Detroit plus the counties of Genesee, Lapeer, Ma-comb, Midland, Monroe, Saginaw, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne.

99,165 RADIOS

4,649 FIRE PAGERS LIVE

1,832 AGENCIES SERVED Includes State, Local, Federal, Tribal & Private Public Safety Agencies

System Snapshot | MPSCS By the Numbers (current as of March 2019)

259TOWER SITESIncludes 64 sites locally owned but integrated into MPSCS

819-1-1 DISPATCH CENTERSSupporting 415 console positions

12.4 million PUSH-TO-TALKS PER MONTH

ACROSS MPSCS

Eaton, Jackson and Kent Counties Joining MPSCS System

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THREE more counties are joining the MPSCS sys-tem: Eaton, Jackson and Kent. They follow by just

a few months Saginaw and Midland counties, which finished integrating in late 2018.

Jackson County will have a total of five tower sites as part of its simulcast system, according to John Warner, supervisor of the Capital Region radio shop. He added the county’s microwave backbone closes the loop from Tower 2602 in Ann Arbor to Tower 5702 in Albion, improving redundancy in the system.

“Everything is going pretty smoothly in Jackson Coun-ty,” Warner said, adding the county expects to come onto the system in May. On March 18, technicians conducted a “Can You Hear Me” test – using portable radios to check every channel on every tower.

Eaton County is adding five sites, including Tower 1107 in Sunfield Township, which was recently erect-ed, plus new towers in Olivet, Delta Township and Charlotte, where Eaton County Dispatch is located. The county also is co-locating on an Eaton Rapids tow-er owned and operated by Channel 47 of Lansing. The owner will need to upgrade that 50-year-old tower, so

it will be several months before Eaton County is fully integrated into the MPSCS system.

There will be 12 Kent County towers integrated into MPSCS, said Project Manager Rich Nita of Motorola Systems, Inc. These include three that are attached to existing water towers, one that was recently complet-ed, and three others soon to be built. Grand Rapids Dispatch and the Kent County Sheriff’s Dispatch are also joining MPSCS – neither as RF sites, but both with microwave connectivity. Kent County is scheduled to be fully integrated into MPSCS by the end of 2019.

Among the issues to deal with when building new towers are zoning laws, obtaining permits, conducting an Envi-ronmental Assessment, completing soil tests and comply-ing with Federal Aviation Administration requirements.

MPSCS Grand Region Supervisor Dennis Fountain said choosing tower sites is often a balancing act, including factors such as whether an existing tower conforms to MPSCS standards, how it fits into the overall coverage map, and whether the structure includes room for fu-ture expansions. Jurisdictional issues can also present challenges. n

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Radio Encryption is Vital for Many Public Safety Agencies

ENCRYPTION of two-way radio messages has be-come vital for many public safety agencies seeking

to ensure their transmissions are accessed only by au-thorized personnel, and that their communications are kept off police scanners and the Internet.On Feb. 20, Radio Tech Todd Velderman gave a presentation (see “Radio Encryp-tion” link at michigan.gov/miinterop) on encryption during the Statewide Interop-erability Conference in Traverse City. Speaking to an audience of 70 people, he described encryption as a way to secure communications between two or more radios using the same algorithm, and load the keys into those radios so that only authorized parties can access the messages. In some cases, encryption is not advisable, such as when agencies use a shared talk group that includes radios without encryption.There are three types of encryption: ADP (Advanced Digital Privacy) – the lowest level, often loaded in templates, and not compliant with the P25 standard used by today’s two-way radios; DES-OFB (Digital Encryption Standard Output Feedback) – midlevel, usually loaded with a key loader; and AES

(Advanced Encryption Standard) – highest level; the federal encryption standard that can be loaded with a key loader or software. MPSCS uses DES-OFB.

The key loader is a device used to manually load encryption algorithms (represented by key data) into a radio or console. Besides installing software or using a key loader, there is a third way to encrypt: Using OTAR (Over The Air Re-keying).The challenge for the MPSCS Radio Programming Unit (RPU) is working toward seamless communications between encrypted and non-encrypt-ed talk groups, and guarding against over-encryption. When a patch is created in a console, a Supergroup Key is created, consoli-

dating multiple talk groups with varied encryptions into a single resource. This serves as a figurative master key, provid-

ing a common encryption path.Fortunately for the MPSCS RPU, “Most people use only one or two talk groups about 90 percent of the time,” Velderman said. Still, the RPU workload never lets up, as MPSCS continues to grow. n

Keyloader hooked to port-able radio.

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APRIL is National 9-1-1 Education Month, a broad-based effort to promote 9-1-1 and in-

crease awareness of its benefits.

An excellent informational source for those wanting to launch awareness campaigns or host 9-1-1-relat-ed events is the National 9-1-1 Education Coalition (www.know911.org).

The website serves as a clearinghouse of 9-1-1 educational resources. Available free materials include banners, posters, sample news releases and a toolkit with tips on hosting a tour of your Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

A year ago, 9-1-1 turned 50. It all started with a 9-1-1 call made from a landline at the Haleyville, Ala., City Hall on Feb. 16, 1968. In the decades since, the service has grown tremendously and evolved into more sophisticated versions including Enhanced 9-1-1 and Next Generation 9-1-1.

Related sites providing helpful information and links include APCO International (www.apcointl.org), the National 9-1-1 Program (www.911.gov), and the National Academies of Emergency Dispatch (www.emergencydispatch.org). n

National 9-1-1 Education Month Offers Outreach Opportunities