The last portable to declare an emergency is the one that needs to clear it. If they don’t know who the last one was then they will need to identify one portable or mobile, declare an emergency, then proceed with these steps…
1. They must be on the talk group that has the emergency raised. This will be indicated by an asterisk beside the talk group
a. Ex. TEST 1 * is what an active emergency on TEST 1 talk group would look like.
2. Press and hold side lower button (button that has a bump sticking out).
3. While keeping that button pressed in, press the emergency button until the emergency goes away.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Newly Amended Communications Manual Addressing Emergencies
11.14 FIREFIGHTER DOWN / DISTRESS COMMUNICATIONS PROCEDURES
A. General Information
Emergency Button Functionality
Depressing the emergency button on an emergency capable talk group will cause the following to occur within the radio system.
There is no “Hot Mic” (dedicated open mic after activation) for Fire Service radios. Upon activating the Emergency Button, fire fighters must depress the mic and transmit the appropriate information. There will be a 10 second “Hot Mic” for the EMS and Fire Police services.
Dispatchers will receive audible and visible notification of the emergency, including assigned radio ID.
A second or subsequent emergency button activation on a talk group already in emergency status will only audibly alert on the radio declaring the emergency. Other radios on the incident and the communications center will not receive an audible alert. It is imperative a firefighter who is in a situation that deems emergency button activation on a talk group already in an emergency active state to verbally hail “Mayday-Mayday-Mayday” to capture attention of command and the communications center.
Mobile Radio Functionality:
Audible alert and visible indicator display will occur on the radio declaring the emergency, and all radios that contain the affected talk group in the profile loaded at the time. The talk group that the emergency is declared will display an asterisk at the end of the alpha/numeric name. If a mobile radio has the talk group in emergency in the loaded profile, but not selected, the audible and visual indicators will activate. To find and participate in the emergency, the user wishing to join must scroll through the talk groups to find the one displaying the asterisk.
Portable Radio:
Audible alert and visible indicator display will occur on the radio declaring the emergency, and all radios that contain the affected talk group in the profile loaded at the time. The LED indicator blinking in orange will denote the talk group that the emergency is declared. If a portable radio has the talk group in emergency in the loaded profile, but not selected, the audible and visual indicators will activate. To find and participate in the emergency, the user wishing to join must scroll through the talk groups to find the one displaying the blinking orange indicator.
Emergency Activation Talk Group Defaulting- Non Defaulting
Any activation of the Emergency Button for the Fire Services will cause the radio to immediately default to the Fire-EMS Emergency default talk group which is talk group 16 in the radios. The exception to this are the Ops talk groups two through seven (2-7) where the emergency will remain on that talk group.
Any activation of the Emergency Button for EMS Services and the Fire Police will cause the radio to immediately default to their Emergency default talk group which is talk group 16 in the radios.
EMS will default to the Fire-EMS Emergency talk group and Fire Police to the Fire Police talk group.
B. Incident Guidelines
Fire Incident Mayday Declaration
If a fire fighter is in distress or in need of assistance due to a life-threatening situation, the firefighter will activate the emergency button and transmit “Mayday-Mayday-Mayday” and provide a brief situational status report if possible using the following guidelines using the acronym LUNAR -
L – Location
U – Unit
N – Name
A – Assignment at time of Mayday
R – Resources/Help needed
The Emergency Responder shall then activate their Personal Alert Safety System device.
Headquarters will confirm with Command that they acknowledge the emergency and copied the information unless it is obvious Command has acknowledged the event and understands the message provided.
Incident Command will communicate with the firefighter and initiate necessary actions.
Units operating on the scene will immediately cease transmitting unless they have urgent traffic related to the distress call. Units will await instructions from Command.
If needed, Headquarters will intervene and announce
“Attention units operating on Box _____, clear the air for mayday transmissions”.
Specific rescue operations will remain on the assigned operational talk group. Additional talk groups may be requested if needed for
suppression activities to assure clear communications for any rescue operations. Caution needs taken due to potential VTAC actions which may jeopardize the victims and rescue operations with regard to obtaining additional talk groups for non-Mayday operations. Portables which may be attached to a VTAC may lose connectivity if an associated VTAC is moved to another talk group.
Upon conclusion of the situation, Command will notify Headquarters and advise of updated talk group requirements. At that time, Headquarters will clear the emergency from the system.
Fire Incident Activations that occur without a verbal transmission for help
Activations during an incident that are not followed with a plea for help will be immediately checked by Headquarters.
“Unit Designation or Alias from Headquarters, verifying your emergency?”
If contact is made, verify if an emergency is occurring and
respond appropriately as the conditions require by either clearing the emergency or verifying Command has copied if an actual emergency is occurring. If no contact is made, Incident Command will be contacted.
EMS Only Incidents
If a unit or portable activates the emergency button during an
EMS event, the Com Center will do the following if an emergency message is not provided:
Make radio contact with the unit to confirm the emergency.
“Unit Designation or Alias from Cumberland Med, verifying your emergency?”
If contact is made, verify if an emergency is occurring and
respond appropriately as the conditions require.
If no contact is made, the Com Center will page the unit.
If the unit fails to respond, the Chief of the unit will be paged and apprised of the activation. The local police will also be made aware of the situation and requested to respond to verify the safety of the unit.
Accidental Incident Activations
Should a responder accidentally activate the emergency button, the user must verbally advise that it was an accidental activation. Headquarters will clear the emergency from the system. The field user is capable of clearing the emergency after verification with Headquarters of their status. This is accomplished by pressing and holding the side lower button (button has bump sticking out) in and then pressing the emergency button at the same time until the emergency is reset.
C. Non Incident Related Fire and EMS Activations
If a unit or portable activates the emergency button during a non
dispatched event, the Com Center will do the following:
Make radio contact with the unit to confirm the emergency.
“Unit Designation or Alias from Headquarters/Cumberland Med, verifying your emergency?”
If contact is made, verify if an emergency is occurring and
respond appropriately as the conditions require.
If no contact is made, the Com Center will page the unit and
Notify the Chief of the unit if no contact is made.
. Fire Police
Fire Police Activations
All Fire Police radios will default to their Fire Police Emergency Talk Group for any activations of the emergency button. This Talk Group will only be monitored by the Communications Center during emergency activations.
Fire Police Incident Activations
The same procedures will be followed for fire police operations as is followed for other users. Incident Command will be contacted if the emergency activation is legitimate or no acknowledgement is received when the unit is called for verification.
Fire Police Non Incident Actions
If a unit or portable activates the emergency button during a non
dispatched event, the Com Center will do the following on the appropriate Emergency Fire Police Talk Group:
Make radio contact with the unit to confirm the emergency.
“Unit Designation or Alias from Headquarters, verifying your emergency?”
If contact is made, verify if an emergency is occurring and
respond appropriately as the conditions require.
If no contact is made, the Com Center will contact the Fire Police Captain or other officer of the unit. The Com Center will accept further instructions at that time from the contact person.
A. General Information
Emergency Button Functionality
Depressing the emergency button on an emergency capable talk group will cause the following to occur within the radio system.
There is no “Hot Mic” (dedicated open mic after activation) for Fire Service radios. Upon activating the Emergency Button, fire fighters must depress the mic and transmit the appropriate information. There will be a 10 second “Hot Mic” for the EMS and Fire Police services.
Dispatchers will receive audible and visible notification of the emergency, including assigned radio ID.
A second or subsequent emergency button activation on a talk group already in emergency status will only audibly alert on the radio declaring the emergency. Other radios on the incident and the communications center will not receive an audible alert. It is imperative a firefighter who is in a situation that deems emergency button activation on a talk group already in an emergency active state to verbally hail “Mayday-Mayday-Mayday” to capture attention of command and the communications center.
Mobile Radio Functionality:
Audible alert and visible indicator display will occur on the radio declaring the emergency, and all radios that contain the affected talk group in the profile loaded at the time. The talk group that the emergency is declared will display an asterisk at the end of the alpha/numeric name. If a mobile radio has the talk group in emergency in the loaded profile, but not selected, the audible and visual indicators will activate. To find and participate in the emergency, the user wishing to join must scroll through the talk groups to find the one displaying the asterisk.
Portable Radio:
Audible alert and visible indicator display will occur on the radio declaring the emergency, and all radios that contain the affected talk group in the profile loaded at the time. The LED indicator blinking in orange will denote the talk group that the emergency is declared. If a portable radio has the talk group in emergency in the loaded profile, but not selected, the audible and visual indicators will activate. To find and participate in the emergency, the user wishing to join must scroll through the talk groups to find the one displaying the blinking orange indicator.
Emergency Activation Talk Group Defaulting- Non Defaulting
Any activation of the Emergency Button for the Fire Services will cause the radio to immediately default to the Fire-EMS Emergency default talk group which is talk group 16 in the radios. The exception to this are the Ops talk groups two through seven (2-7) where the emergency will remain on that talk group.
Any activation of the Emergency Button for EMS Services and the Fire Police will cause the radio to immediately default to their Emergency default talk group which is talk group 16 in the radios.
EMS will default to the Fire-EMS Emergency talk group and Fire Police to the Fire Police talk group.
B. Incident Guidelines
Fire Incident Mayday Declaration
If a fire fighter is in distress or in need of assistance due to a life-threatening situation, the firefighter will activate the emergency button and transmit “Mayday-Mayday-Mayday” and provide a brief situational status report if possible using the following guidelines using the acronym LUNAR -
L – Location
U – Unit
N – Name
A – Assignment at time of Mayday
R – Resources/Help needed
The Emergency Responder shall then activate their Personal Alert Safety System device.
Headquarters will confirm with Command that they acknowledge the emergency and copied the information unless it is obvious Command has acknowledged the event and understands the message provided.
Incident Command will communicate with the firefighter and initiate necessary actions.
Units operating on the scene will immediately cease transmitting unless they have urgent traffic related to the distress call. Units will await instructions from Command.
If needed, Headquarters will intervene and announce
“Attention units operating on Box _____, clear the air for mayday transmissions”.
Specific rescue operations will remain on the assigned operational talk group. Additional talk groups may be requested if needed for
suppression activities to assure clear communications for any rescue operations. Caution needs taken due to potential VTAC actions which may jeopardize the victims and rescue operations with regard to obtaining additional talk groups for non-Mayday operations. Portables which may be attached to a VTAC may lose connectivity if an associated VTAC is moved to another talk group.
Upon conclusion of the situation, Command will notify Headquarters and advise of updated talk group requirements. At that time, Headquarters will clear the emergency from the system.
Fire Incident Activations that occur without a verbal transmission for help
Activations during an incident that are not followed with a plea for help will be immediately checked by Headquarters.
“Unit Designation or Alias from Headquarters, verifying your emergency?”
If contact is made, verify if an emergency is occurring and
respond appropriately as the conditions require by either clearing the emergency or verifying Command has copied if an actual emergency is occurring. If no contact is made, Incident Command will be contacted.
EMS Only Incidents
If a unit or portable activates the emergency button during an
EMS event, the Com Center will do the following if an emergency message is not provided:
Make radio contact with the unit to confirm the emergency.
“Unit Designation or Alias from Cumberland Med, verifying your emergency?”
If contact is made, verify if an emergency is occurring and
respond appropriately as the conditions require.
If no contact is made, the Com Center will page the unit.
If the unit fails to respond, the Chief of the unit will be paged and apprised of the activation. The local police will also be made aware of the situation and requested to respond to verify the safety of the unit.
Accidental Incident Activations
Should a responder accidentally activate the emergency button, the user must verbally advise that it was an accidental activation. Headquarters will clear the emergency from the system. The field user is capable of clearing the emergency after verification with Headquarters of their status. This is accomplished by pressing and holding the side lower button (button has bump sticking out) in and then pressing the emergency button at the same time until the emergency is reset.
C. Non Incident Related Fire and EMS Activations
If a unit or portable activates the emergency button during a non
dispatched event, the Com Center will do the following:
Make radio contact with the unit to confirm the emergency.
“Unit Designation or Alias from Headquarters/Cumberland Med, verifying your emergency?”
If contact is made, verify if an emergency is occurring and
respond appropriately as the conditions require.
If no contact is made, the Com Center will page the unit and
Notify the Chief of the unit if no contact is made.
. Fire Police
Fire Police Activations
All Fire Police radios will default to their Fire Police Emergency Talk Group for any activations of the emergency button. This Talk Group will only be monitored by the Communications Center during emergency activations.
Fire Police Incident Activations
The same procedures will be followed for fire police operations as is followed for other users. Incident Command will be contacted if the emergency activation is legitimate or no acknowledgement is received when the unit is called for verification.
Fire Police Non Incident Actions
If a unit or portable activates the emergency button during a non
dispatched event, the Com Center will do the following on the appropriate Emergency Fire Police Talk Group:
Make radio contact with the unit to confirm the emergency.
“Unit Designation or Alias from Headquarters, verifying your emergency?”
If contact is made, verify if an emergency is occurring and
respond appropriately as the conditions require.
If no contact is made, the Com Center will contact the Fire Police Captain or other officer of the unit. The Com Center will accept further instructions at that time from the contact person.
November PTT Report
Statistics on Push-to-talk (PTT): The number of times a radio was used to make a voice transmission. The following stats are discipline specific county wide.
Law Enforcement – 110,925
Fire – 82.694
EMS – 100,435
Agencies – 70,783
DPS – 1,883
County Agencies – 67,059
Municipal – 6,820
Total County Wide – 440,599
JUNE 2011 PTT’s from the main dispatch (9-1-1 Center) talk groups:
Fire – 12,849
EMS – 46,066
Police West – 21,031
Police East – 65,226
Police Data – 16,298
Daily Average Total of PTT’s 14,687
Site Utilization (Percentage of site use)...
Forward = Calls to the sites from the radios
Reverse = Calls from the sites to the radios
Lambs Gap- 8.85% Forward 3.43%Reverse
Reesers Summit- 10.1% Forward 1.91% Reverse
Prison- 7.81% Forward 1.91% Reverse
Courthouse- 9.73% Forward .7% Reverse
Commonwealth Technology Center- 8.64% Forward .37% Reverse
3 Square Hollow- 6.58% Forward .63% Reverse
Ship Cell- 9.9% Forward .41% Reverse
South Mountain- 6.51% Forward .41% Reverse
Waggoners Gap- 6.65% Forward .63% Reverse
Rose Garden- 7.21% Forward .26% Reverse
Boiling Springs- 4.99% Forward .10% Reverse
Shippensburg- 5% Forward .28% Reverse
Dickinson Twp- 7.08% Forward .11% Reverse
Holy Spirit- 5.42% Forward .14% Reverse
Kings Gap- 4.45% Forward .06% Reverse
Pine Grove- 3.12% Forward .02% Reverse
There was no reported queuing for the month of November.
As of this report we have 2,502 radios on the system in Cumberland County.
Control Stations: 29
Mobiles: 679
Portables: 1794
Talk Groups: 495
Law Enforcement – 110,925
Fire – 82.694
EMS – 100,435
Agencies – 70,783
DPS – 1,883
County Agencies – 67,059
Municipal – 6,820
Total County Wide – 440,599
JUNE 2011 PTT’s from the main dispatch (9-1-1 Center) talk groups:
Fire – 12,849
EMS – 46,066
Police West – 21,031
Police East – 65,226
Police Data – 16,298
Daily Average Total of PTT’s 14,687
Site Utilization (Percentage of site use)...
Forward = Calls to the sites from the radios
Reverse = Calls from the sites to the radios
Lambs Gap- 8.85% Forward 3.43%Reverse
Reesers Summit- 10.1% Forward 1.91% Reverse
Prison- 7.81% Forward 1.91% Reverse
Courthouse- 9.73% Forward .7% Reverse
Commonwealth Technology Center- 8.64% Forward .37% Reverse
3 Square Hollow- 6.58% Forward .63% Reverse
Ship Cell- 9.9% Forward .41% Reverse
South Mountain- 6.51% Forward .41% Reverse
Waggoners Gap- 6.65% Forward .63% Reverse
Rose Garden- 7.21% Forward .26% Reverse
Boiling Springs- 4.99% Forward .10% Reverse
Shippensburg- 5% Forward .28% Reverse
Dickinson Twp- 7.08% Forward .11% Reverse
Holy Spirit- 5.42% Forward .14% Reverse
Kings Gap- 4.45% Forward .06% Reverse
Pine Grove- 3.12% Forward .02% Reverse
There was no reported queuing for the month of November.
As of this report we have 2,502 radios on the system in Cumberland County.
Control Stations: 29
Mobiles: 679
Portables: 1794
Talk Groups: 495
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Transitions...
While moving day went off without any major hitches, we certainly have encountered some hurdles as we settle into our new home. This is the third move for our 9-1-1 communications center, so we knew to expect a few obstacles and challenges.
The months following our move have involved what we like to refer to as fine tuning of the numerous systems that make our 9-1-1 center function. Until we were fully moved into our new site we could not truly, effectively test all aspects of our 9-1-1 center. Many of our system vendors have been camped out at 1 Public Safety Drive, helping us to test and modify things so that we can reach our optimal operating standard. Audio settings are being dialed in so that the volume and quality of our phones and radio transmission from the 9-1-1 center are ideal. The testing and adjusting process is ongoing until we get it right.
We have navigated through several issues with paging. Multiple issues have already been corrected and we are actively working towards resolving the remaining issues. Our ability to page involves not only the Harris Corporation (radio system) but also Archonix (Computer Aided Dispatch-CAD). The software that links these two operations together allowing for automatic paging from the CAD screen is being adjusted currently as well. We have experienced instances of pager activation with no voice transmission and the software modification will help us to address this issue. It is important to note that any issues we are experiencing with paging involve only the conventional part of our Harris System. The OpenSky 800 MHz system is separate from this and we are pleased to say has not been adversely affected by the move.
As we continue to work through some of these issues we would like to encourage our field users to report any issues they may experience. We need your help in this transition process. If you experience an issue with voice quality or volume or an issue with paging, please contact the shift supervisor and be prepared to provide a detailed report (date, time, location, conditions, etc).
The months following our move have involved what we like to refer to as fine tuning of the numerous systems that make our 9-1-1 center function. Until we were fully moved into our new site we could not truly, effectively test all aspects of our 9-1-1 center. Many of our system vendors have been camped out at 1 Public Safety Drive, helping us to test and modify things so that we can reach our optimal operating standard. Audio settings are being dialed in so that the volume and quality of our phones and radio transmission from the 9-1-1 center are ideal. The testing and adjusting process is ongoing until we get it right.
We have navigated through several issues with paging. Multiple issues have already been corrected and we are actively working towards resolving the remaining issues. Our ability to page involves not only the Harris Corporation (radio system) but also Archonix (Computer Aided Dispatch-CAD). The software that links these two operations together allowing for automatic paging from the CAD screen is being adjusted currently as well. We have experienced instances of pager activation with no voice transmission and the software modification will help us to address this issue. It is important to note that any issues we are experiencing with paging involve only the conventional part of our Harris System. The OpenSky 800 MHz system is separate from this and we are pleased to say has not been adversely affected by the move.
As we continue to work through some of these issues we would like to encourage our field users to report any issues they may experience. We need your help in this transition process. If you experience an issue with voice quality or volume or an issue with paging, please contact the shift supervisor and be prepared to provide a detailed report (date, time, location, conditions, etc).
Friday, December 9, 2011
Emergency Button Training
As Fire begins training on the emergency button before full activation of the button in 2012, we be posting several training tips and reminders. Here is a reminder on clearing an emergency on your radio.
The last portable to declare an emergency is the one that needs to clear it. If they don’t know who the last one was then they will need to identify one portable or mobile, declare an emergency, then proceed with these steps…
1. They must be on the talk group that has the emergency raised. This will be indicated by an asterisk beside the talk group
a. Ex. TEST 1 * is what an active emergency on TEST 1 talk group would look like.
2. Press and hold side lower button (button that has a bump sticking out)
3. While keeping that button pressed in, press the emergency button until the emergency goes away.
Happy Training!
The last portable to declare an emergency is the one that needs to clear it. If they don’t know who the last one was then they will need to identify one portable or mobile, declare an emergency, then proceed with these steps…
1. They must be on the talk group that has the emergency raised. This will be indicated by an asterisk beside the talk group
a. Ex. TEST 1 * is what an active emergency on TEST 1 talk group would look like.
2. Press and hold side lower button (button that has a bump sticking out)
3. While keeping that button pressed in, press the emergency button until the emergency goes away.
Happy Training!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Knox Boxes
Knox Box paging capabilities are again working at the 9-1-1 center. The functionality was lost as part of the move to the new building. Thank you for your patience while this problem existed.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
We're Movin' On Up
We're movin' on up....literally! With the move of our 9-1-1 center this morning, our department is above ground for the first time in our history and happily settling into our new home at 1 Public Safety Drive, Carlisle. At 3:30am this morning, additional staff manned what would become the old communications center and the new communications center to prepare for the switch. At 4:03am phones lines were switched, so that dispatchers in the new center would be answering calls. At 4:08, the 800 MHz radio system was switched over to the new center. Moments later staff answered the first 9-1-1 phone call in their new home and we were officially moved! At no time during the switch to our new center were 9-1-1 services interrupted.
This move has taken more than a year of intense planning and many extra hours for our staff in recent weeks. Our staff has been working persistently these past few weeks preparing for today's move by testing phone lines, radios and paging capabilities as well as training on the new technology and equipment being utilized in the new communications center.
A big thank you to our AMAZING staff for their hard work and diligence during this move. Thank you to Mission Critical Partners, Century Link, The Harris Corporation, Cassidian, B. Moyer Communications, Verizon, Kova, Alcatel, Versar, Sage Technology Solutions, Cumberland County IMTO staff and many others for helping to make this possible!
*For our emergency services history buffs, Upper Allen Fire Department (23) was the last company to be dispatched from the old communications center and the Carlisle Barracks Fire Department (38) was the first company to be dispatched from the new center.
This move has taken more than a year of intense planning and many extra hours for our staff in recent weeks. Our staff has been working persistently these past few weeks preparing for today's move by testing phone lines, radios and paging capabilities as well as training on the new technology and equipment being utilized in the new communications center.
A big thank you to our AMAZING staff for their hard work and diligence during this move. Thank you to Mission Critical Partners, Century Link, The Harris Corporation, Cassidian, B. Moyer Communications, Verizon, Kova, Alcatel, Versar, Sage Technology Solutions, Cumberland County IMTO staff and many others for helping to make this possible!
*For our emergency services history buffs, Upper Allen Fire Department (23) was the last company to be dispatched from the old communications center and the Carlisle Barracks Fire Department (38) was the first company to be dispatched from the new center.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Public Safety Building Grand Opening
The Grand Opening for the new home of the Cumberland County Department of Public Safey will be held on October 13th at 2pm. The event will be held rain or shine.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
New 9-1-1 Center Cutover – Radio System Outage
On Wednesday October 5, 2011 at approximately 04:00 HRS, radio services will move from the current 9-1-1 center to the new center in the Public Safety Building. As part of move of the radio systems, an outage will occur on the 800 MHz OpenSky radio system. This is necessary to turn down the current voice switch and activate the new voice switch located in the new building. The outage is necessary since the old and new network systems cannot run concurrently and therefore the old switch must be disabled before the new switch is enabled. Duration of the network outage is estimated to be 15 minutes.
Conventional radio circuits used for paging and alerting will not be affected and will continue to function for Fire and EMS dispatch.
Announcements will be made before the outage and again once the new system is on line. If any active incidents are in progress, the outage will be delayed until the incident is stabilized or the 9-1-1 center move postponed to a later date.
Considerations for Police:
It is recommended that on duty police departments have an officer on station to receive by telephone any police incidents occurring during outage. If staffing the station, please notify the communications center prior to the planned outage. 800 MHz single site trunking from four high profile sites is available for emergency communications needs during the outage, but it is effective only for mobile operations. Portable radio communications on these sites should not be relied on. VTAC radios will continue to support portable operations. Conventional 800 MHz is also a consideration for local onsite incident communications.
Considerations for Fire Services:
As stated previously, conventional low band radio will be available for paging and dispatch. 800 MHz single site trunking from four high profile sites is available for emergency communications needs during the outage, but it is effective only for mobile operations. Portable radio communications on these sites should not be relied on. VTAC radios will continue to support portable operations. Conventional 800 MHz is also a consideration for local onsite incident communications.
For those companies that still have low band radios installed, they can be used for communications during the outage for incident response and on scene communications. Prior to the cutover, it is suggested that those agencies with low band radios verify the proper tone guard is in place on the transmit side of the radio. The receive side of the radio is to be non-tone guard or “carrier squelch”. The tone guard for Fire 1 (46.06 MHz) is 97.4; Mutual Aid 2 (46.00 MHz) is 88.5; and Mutual Aid 3 is 85.4.
Considerations for EMS:
As stated previously UHF radio will be available for paging and dispatch. BLS transport and ALS mobile units should still be equipped with UHF Med radios. Med 10 will be available for communications during the 800 MHz network outage and should be utilized for response. Communications with hospitals during the 800 MHz outage is not available and cellular phone should be used for any hospital notification needs.
Conventional radio circuits used for paging and alerting will not be affected and will continue to function for Fire and EMS dispatch.
Announcements will be made before the outage and again once the new system is on line. If any active incidents are in progress, the outage will be delayed until the incident is stabilized or the 9-1-1 center move postponed to a later date.
Considerations for Police:
It is recommended that on duty police departments have an officer on station to receive by telephone any police incidents occurring during outage. If staffing the station, please notify the communications center prior to the planned outage. 800 MHz single site trunking from four high profile sites is available for emergency communications needs during the outage, but it is effective only for mobile operations. Portable radio communications on these sites should not be relied on. VTAC radios will continue to support portable operations. Conventional 800 MHz is also a consideration for local onsite incident communications.
Considerations for Fire Services:
As stated previously, conventional low band radio will be available for paging and dispatch. 800 MHz single site trunking from four high profile sites is available for emergency communications needs during the outage, but it is effective only for mobile operations. Portable radio communications on these sites should not be relied on. VTAC radios will continue to support portable operations. Conventional 800 MHz is also a consideration for local onsite incident communications.
For those companies that still have low band radios installed, they can be used for communications during the outage for incident response and on scene communications. Prior to the cutover, it is suggested that those agencies with low band radios verify the proper tone guard is in place on the transmit side of the radio. The receive side of the radio is to be non-tone guard or “carrier squelch”. The tone guard for Fire 1 (46.06 MHz) is 97.4; Mutual Aid 2 (46.00 MHz) is 88.5; and Mutual Aid 3 is 85.4.
Considerations for EMS:
As stated previously UHF radio will be available for paging and dispatch. BLS transport and ALS mobile units should still be equipped with UHF Med radios. Med 10 will be available for communications during the 800 MHz network outage and should be utilized for response. Communications with hospitals during the 800 MHz outage is not available and cellular phone should be used for any hospital notification needs.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
New Encoder Tone- Communications Center Status
At the August 2011 Fire Chiefs meeting, a request was made for an encoder tone for County wide dissemination of pertinent information. Since none existed previous, a new encoder tone is now assigned. The encoder tone for Fire 1 (46.06 MHz) and Med 10 (462.975 MHz) is 910 – 871. It will be activated as part of weather announcements (advisory, watches, and warnings); Communications Center status change; and other pertinent county wide emergency information.
The encoder tone will be effective starting Monday October 10, 2011.
The encoder tone will be effective starting Monday October 10, 2011.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Solution to Battery Life Indicator Issues Released
DPS has been notified by the Harris Corporation that a solution has been created for the P7200 series portable radio battery life indicator issues some of you may have been experiencing. For those of you who are unaware of these issues we will provide a little background.
Several months ago, DPS began receiving complaints regarding the battery life on portables. Within our own office a number of portables also exhibited premature battery life based on the battery indicator icon on the display screen. DPS immediately began working with Harris to address the issue and it was discovered that it was not in fact a battery issue, but rather the battery display icon. This means that while the portable was displaying a low battery symbol on the screen, the battery was in fact well charged and had several hours of performance available.
DPS office radios with the faulty display exhibited at least two different conditions. The one radio displayed a partially filled battery indicator when a fully charged battery was first used, and quickly emptied. Another radio displayed a full battery indicator with a charged battery, but within two hours the battery display indicator was empty. In both cases the portables continued to function for another eight or more hours until the battery empty indicator started to flash and the audible low battery indicator activated.
Harris has worked diligently to find a resolution to this problem and is ready to deploy a solution at this point in time. The solution does require the portable to be touched, but only portables presenting the problem will need worked on. Harris technicians will recalibrate the portables, a process that takes less than two minutes.
If you have radios that have been experiencing the issues described in this notice, please contact Brian Hamilton (bhamilton@ccpa.net) so that we may compile a list of portables requiring recalibration.
Several months ago, DPS began receiving complaints regarding the battery life on portables. Within our own office a number of portables also exhibited premature battery life based on the battery indicator icon on the display screen. DPS immediately began working with Harris to address the issue and it was discovered that it was not in fact a battery issue, but rather the battery display icon. This means that while the portable was displaying a low battery symbol on the screen, the battery was in fact well charged and had several hours of performance available.
DPS office radios with the faulty display exhibited at least two different conditions. The one radio displayed a partially filled battery indicator when a fully charged battery was first used, and quickly emptied. Another radio displayed a full battery indicator with a charged battery, but within two hours the battery display indicator was empty. In both cases the portables continued to function for another eight or more hours until the battery empty indicator started to flash and the audible low battery indicator activated.
Harris has worked diligently to find a resolution to this problem and is ready to deploy a solution at this point in time. The solution does require the portable to be touched, but only portables presenting the problem will need worked on. Harris technicians will recalibrate the portables, a process that takes less than two minutes.
If you have radios that have been experiencing the issues described in this notice, please contact Brian Hamilton (bhamilton@ccpa.net) so that we may compile a list of portables requiring recalibration.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
June PTT Report
Statistics on Push-to-talk (PTT): The number of times a radio was used to make a voice transmission. The following stats are discipline specific county wide.
Law Enforcement – 112,486
Fire – 59,215
EMS – 47,429
Agencies –106,119
DPS – 2,020
County Agencies – 61,454
Municipal – 11,569
Total County Wide – 400,292
JUNE 2011 PTT’s from the main dispatch (9-1-1 Center) talk groups:
Fire – 29,014
EMS – 39,969
Police West – 22,984
Police East – 66,624
Police Data – 17,734
Daily Average Total of PTT’s 13,343
Site Utilization (Percentage of site use)...
Forward = Calls to the sites from the radios
Reverse = Calls from the sites to the radios
Lambs Gap- 10.37% Forward 7.91%Reverse
Reesers Summit- 11.31% Forward 3.43% Reverse
EOC- 9.05% Forward 2.13% Reverse
Courthouse- 9.65% Forward .79% Reverse
Commonwealth Technology Center- 9.83% Forward .49% Reverse
3 Square Hollow- 7.26% Forward .54% Reverse
Ship Cell- 8.61% Forward .44% Reverse
South Mountain- 7.37% Forward .40% Reverse
Waggoners Gap- 8.05% Forward .56% Reverse
Rose Garden- 7.42% Forward .30% Reverse
Boiling Springs- 6.39% Forward .14% Reverse
Shippensburg- 7.46% Forward .25% Reverse
Dickinson Twp- 7.08% Forward .20% Reverse
Holy Spirit- 7.12% Forward .15% Reverse
Kings Gap- 5.12% Forward .11% Reverse
Pine Grove- 3.86% Forward .08% Reverse
There was no reported queuing for the month of June.
As of this report we have 2,496 radios on the system in Cumberland County.
Control Stations: 27
Mobiles: 677
Portables: 1792
Law Enforcement – 112,486
Fire – 59,215
EMS – 47,429
Agencies –106,119
DPS – 2,020
County Agencies – 61,454
Municipal – 11,569
Total County Wide – 400,292
JUNE 2011 PTT’s from the main dispatch (9-1-1 Center) talk groups:
Fire – 29,014
EMS – 39,969
Police West – 22,984
Police East – 66,624
Police Data – 17,734
Daily Average Total of PTT’s 13,343
Site Utilization (Percentage of site use)...
Forward = Calls to the sites from the radios
Reverse = Calls from the sites to the radios
Lambs Gap- 10.37% Forward 7.91%Reverse
Reesers Summit- 11.31% Forward 3.43% Reverse
EOC- 9.05% Forward 2.13% Reverse
Courthouse- 9.65% Forward .79% Reverse
Commonwealth Technology Center- 9.83% Forward .49% Reverse
3 Square Hollow- 7.26% Forward .54% Reverse
Ship Cell- 8.61% Forward .44% Reverse
South Mountain- 7.37% Forward .40% Reverse
Waggoners Gap- 8.05% Forward .56% Reverse
Rose Garden- 7.42% Forward .30% Reverse
Boiling Springs- 6.39% Forward .14% Reverse
Shippensburg- 7.46% Forward .25% Reverse
Dickinson Twp- 7.08% Forward .20% Reverse
Holy Spirit- 7.12% Forward .15% Reverse
Kings Gap- 5.12% Forward .11% Reverse
Pine Grove- 3.86% Forward .08% Reverse
There was no reported queuing for the month of June.
As of this report we have 2,496 radios on the system in Cumberland County.
Control Stations: 27
Mobiles: 677
Portables: 1792
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Updates
There are still a few portables left in the county that have not been updated...please follow the procedure below to ensure your portables are updated.
REMINDER - All of your radios are loaded into the automatic update program. We will let this program run for as long as it takes but we’d like for you to try and take the opportunity to get your portables turned on for about 5 minutes. Once we have the majority of the radios updated we will reconcile the master list and make individual contacts to catch the remaining radios. The update is transparent to the users but the radio must be in good radio coverage. After that time frame you can turn the radio off, no need to contact anyone. If a radio is missed we will be following up as mentioned.
Just for clarity this procedure is in addition to the touch the County and Harris just completed with you. This is a needed process to correct an issue that surfaced immediately but was caught just as quick for remediation.
REMINDER - All of your radios are loaded into the automatic update program. We will let this program run for as long as it takes but we’d like for you to try and take the opportunity to get your portables turned on for about 5 minutes. Once we have the majority of the radios updated we will reconcile the master list and make individual contacts to catch the remaining radios. The update is transparent to the users but the radio must be in good radio coverage. After that time frame you can turn the radio off, no need to contact anyone. If a radio is missed we will be following up as mentioned.
Just for clarity this procedure is in addition to the touch the County and Harris just completed with you. This is a needed process to correct an issue that surfaced immediately but was caught just as quick for remediation.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Reminder...
A large number of radios still need to log onto the system to be updated...
REMINDER - All of your radios are loaded into the automatic update program. We will let this program run for as long as it takes but we’d like for you to try and take the opportunity to get your portables turned on for about 5 minutes. Once we have the majority of the radios updated we will reconcile the master list and make individual contacts to catch the remaining radios. The update is transparent to the users but the radio must be in good radio coverage. After that time frame you can turn the radio off, no need to contact anyone. If a radio is missed we will be following up as mentioned.
Just for clarity this procedure is in addition to the touch the County and Harris just completed with you. This is a needed process to correct an issue that surfaced immediately but was caught just as quick for remediation.
REMINDER - All of your radios are loaded into the automatic update program. We will let this program run for as long as it takes but we’d like for you to try and take the opportunity to get your portables turned on for about 5 minutes. Once we have the majority of the radios updated we will reconcile the master list and make individual contacts to catch the remaining radios. The update is transparent to the users but the radio must be in good radio coverage. After that time frame you can turn the radio off, no need to contact anyone. If a radio is missed we will be following up as mentioned.
Just for clarity this procedure is in addition to the touch the County and Harris just completed with you. This is a needed process to correct an issue that surfaced immediately but was caught just as quick for remediation.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
P-7200 Series Portable Battery Indicator
We have received some field reports of possible poor battery performance or incorrect display of remaining battery life on P7200 series portables. Some portable radios in our office incorrectly display remaining battery life, often displaying and empty battery icon long before the radio starts to display a flashing empty battery icon and emitting an audible low battery indicator. Harris is currently investigating these reports to determine numbers of radio affected and action to correct the display settings. Until a solution is determined, we recommend that you ignore a premature empty battery icon display, and only take action to charge or replace a battery when the empty battery icon display starts to flash and/or the audible battery indicator sounds.
Will release more information regarding this issue as we get it.
Will release more information regarding this issue as we get it.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Radio Update Reminder
REMINDER - All of your radios are loaded into the automatic update program. We will let this program run for as long as it takes but we’d like for you to try and take the opportunity to get your portables turned on for about 5 minutes. Once we have the majority of the radios updated we will reconcile the master list and make individual contacts to catch the remaining radios. The update is transparent to the users but the radio must be in good radio coverage. After that time frame you can turn the radio off, no need to contact anyone. If a radio is missed we will be following up as mentioned.
Just for clarity this procedure is in addition to the touch the County and Harris just completed with you. This is a needed process to correct an issue that surfaced immediately but was caught just as quick for remediation.
Just for clarity this procedure is in addition to the touch the County and Harris just completed with you. This is a needed process to correct an issue that surfaced immediately but was caught just as quick for remediation.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Cumberland/Franklin County Interoperability Update
Harris will be supplying two loaner control stations to Franklin County for console to console patch capability. The PA Office of Public Safety Radio Services (OPRS) will be paying for the installation under an existing interoperability grant. This project should be completed and operational in the near future.
FCC Narrowbanding
The FCC has set the deadline date for FCC Narrowbanding for January 1, 2013!
What is Narrowbanding?
Most public safety radio systems use 25 kHz wide channels. In an effort to create more channels on the same spectrum, the FCC is requiring those operating below 512 MHz to move to 12.5 kHz wide channels. Again this is done in an effort to allow for more channels to exist in the same spectrum. Those who do not meet narrowbanding requirements face the loss of their communication capabilities. Some users will need to upgrade equipment so that it is 12.5 kHz capable.
Cumberland County is in line to meet the FCC deadline of narrowbanding. Narrowbanding will effect EMS paging and Cumberland County is currently seeking a solution.
What is Narrowbanding?
Most public safety radio systems use 25 kHz wide channels. In an effort to create more channels on the same spectrum, the FCC is requiring those operating below 512 MHz to move to 12.5 kHz wide channels. Again this is done in an effort to allow for more channels to exist in the same spectrum. Those who do not meet narrowbanding requirements face the loss of their communication capabilities. Some users will need to upgrade equipment so that it is 12.5 kHz capable.
Cumberland County is in line to meet the FCC deadline of narrowbanding. Narrowbanding will effect EMS paging and Cumberland County is currently seeking a solution.
P7200 Performance Issue Update
P7200 Series Portables; M7200 and M7300 Series Mobile Radios – Performance Issues Update
Following reports from various field services of performance issues with P7200 series portable radios (also applicable to M7200 and M7300 series mobile radios) occurring after “Touch Two” agency visits, Harris conducted extensive field investigations and identified incorrect configuration settings used as part of the R17 subscriber software update. Configuration settings are extremely complex that control all aspects of radio performance, features, and functionality. Harris after adjusting the two settings in radios used for testing, were able to correct the “thrashing” problem reported that resulted with out of range tones, garbled and dropped transmissions. Harris is adjusting these settings using over-the-air programming that is part of registration with the system when the radio is first turned on. Additional radios were updated over the weekend and testing with those supported the Harris findings.
The Update Process:
Harris will and has began the process of imbedding the configuration change in the registration process that occurs when a radio is first turned on. The update will download during the data registration part of the affiliation with the voice switch. The update should not cause any added time for the radio to register with the system. Harris will track the radios registering with the system receiving the update. After a couple of days following the availability of the update on the radio system, the re-banding team will make agency contact informing the agency having radios not updated to ask they perform the update process. It is very important to note this does not affect M803 series mobile radios and VTAC’s. A couple of agencies that did not receive the software update during “Touch Two” agency visit once the performance issues were reported, will be re-contacted for a field visit to receive the complete software update.
Starting this past Monday, Police radios were added to the update process and EMS will follow. Fire radios will be updated after EMS, and then all remaining radios in the County will be updated.
Recommended Procedure for the Update Download:
1. Make sure the radio is in good coverage. For portables if poor or marginal radio coverage is suspected, take the portable radio outdoors.
2. Turn the radio on and allow the radio to register to the system. When the radio is fully registered, a “martini glass” symbol will appear in the lower left portion of the display (for M7200 and M7300 series mobiles – this symbol is in the upper left hand corner of the display).
3. The update only takes a few seconds to complete but to be sure please allow a few minutes to pass before powering the radio back off.
Following the Update:
If you continue to experience performance issues not previously noticed prior to the “Touch Two” agency visit, please report those to Brian Hamilton at bhamilton@ccpa.net. If reporting, please be very specific to the performance issue being experienced; the specific location it occurred; the date and approximate time of occurrence; talk group selected; and the readings noted in the display if you have the opportunity to view it. Harris field teams may be in contact for further information.
Future Updates:
At least one additional over-the-air configuration update is anticipated for the P7200; M7200; and M7300 series radios that are not related to the performance issue concern. At least one configuration item needs changed, and possibly one other. These are not being done at this time since the changes related to the performance changes are a critically needed update.
Additional Information:
System information and updates can be found at www.dps800.blogspot.com. Please check this site regularly or when directed to with notice from our office.
Following reports from various field services of performance issues with P7200 series portable radios (also applicable to M7200 and M7300 series mobile radios) occurring after “Touch Two” agency visits, Harris conducted extensive field investigations and identified incorrect configuration settings used as part of the R17 subscriber software update. Configuration settings are extremely complex that control all aspects of radio performance, features, and functionality. Harris after adjusting the two settings in radios used for testing, were able to correct the “thrashing” problem reported that resulted with out of range tones, garbled and dropped transmissions. Harris is adjusting these settings using over-the-air programming that is part of registration with the system when the radio is first turned on. Additional radios were updated over the weekend and testing with those supported the Harris findings.
The Update Process:
Harris will and has began the process of imbedding the configuration change in the registration process that occurs when a radio is first turned on. The update will download during the data registration part of the affiliation with the voice switch. The update should not cause any added time for the radio to register with the system. Harris will track the radios registering with the system receiving the update. After a couple of days following the availability of the update on the radio system, the re-banding team will make agency contact informing the agency having radios not updated to ask they perform the update process. It is very important to note this does not affect M803 series mobile radios and VTAC’s. A couple of agencies that did not receive the software update during “Touch Two” agency visit once the performance issues were reported, will be re-contacted for a field visit to receive the complete software update.
Starting this past Monday, Police radios were added to the update process and EMS will follow. Fire radios will be updated after EMS, and then all remaining radios in the County will be updated.
Recommended Procedure for the Update Download:
1. Make sure the radio is in good coverage. For portables if poor or marginal radio coverage is suspected, take the portable radio outdoors.
2. Turn the radio on and allow the radio to register to the system. When the radio is fully registered, a “martini glass” symbol will appear in the lower left portion of the display (for M7200 and M7300 series mobiles – this symbol is in the upper left hand corner of the display).
3. The update only takes a few seconds to complete but to be sure please allow a few minutes to pass before powering the radio back off.
Following the Update:
If you continue to experience performance issues not previously noticed prior to the “Touch Two” agency visit, please report those to Brian Hamilton at bhamilton@ccpa.net. If reporting, please be very specific to the performance issue being experienced; the specific location it occurred; the date and approximate time of occurrence; talk group selected; and the readings noted in the display if you have the opportunity to view it. Harris field teams may be in contact for further information.
Future Updates:
At least one additional over-the-air configuration update is anticipated for the P7200; M7200; and M7300 series radios that are not related to the performance issue concern. At least one configuration item needs changed, and possibly one other. These are not being done at this time since the changes related to the performance changes are a critically needed update.
Additional Information:
System information and updates can be found at www.dps800.blogspot.com. Please check this site regularly or when directed to with notice from our office.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Fire Paging Update
DPS is planning the replacement of the current Fire 1 base stations. This would also include spares for quick repairs as low band equipment can take time to procure. The new transmitters would replace the four current stations that range in age from 20-40 years old. This will allow us to continue to page on Fire 1 for years to come as long as low band tone and voice pagers remain available. Maintaining the current system would come with no financial impact to the fire service community beyond the normal maintenance and purchase of their own equipment. Cumberland County will continue to explore this and other possible changes and updates to the Fire paging system in the future.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Cumberland/Franklin Interoperability Update
Cumberland and Franklin County are actively working together towards a common goal of interoperability. One small step towards this goal has been made as Cumberland and Franklin have provided each others respectful mobile units with a mobile radio for interoperability.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
June 8, 2011- IMPORTANT Radio Information
During the recent Touch II project, rebanding teams worked to remove old channel lists from your portables and mobiles and Cumberland County took advantage of this opportunity to also upload the most recent software upgrade. As this software has rolled out across the County, a few performance issues have been reported. As is customary, Harris was immediately notified of these issues and is actively investigating and testing in the area to seek a resolution. As soon as the issue is properly identified and an acceptable resolution is determined, we will inform you. As always, we remain committed to being transparent and keeping the communication flow open with you, the user, and hope to have an update for you soon.
It is important to note that when dealing with any digital radio system, periodic software upgrades are necessary and will occur. This is a stark change from the way we did business with our analog system. Your radios are essentially computers, and just like your computer at home or work, they will require updates that improve performance. While our system comes with the benefit of being able to conduct some upgrades and programming over the air, software upgrades may require your radio to be “touched." While it may be tedious at times to participate in these upgrades, they are necessary and important to the performance and integrity of our system as a whole.
It is important to note that when dealing with any digital radio system, periodic software upgrades are necessary and will occur. This is a stark change from the way we did business with our analog system. Your radios are essentially computers, and just like your computer at home or work, they will require updates that improve performance. While our system comes with the benefit of being able to conduct some upgrades and programming over the air, software upgrades may require your radio to be “touched." While it may be tedious at times to participate in these upgrades, they are necessary and important to the performance and integrity of our system as a whole.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
April 2011 PTT Report
Statistics on Push-to-talk (PTT): The number of times a radio was used to make a voice transmission. The following stats are discipline specific county wide.
Law Enforcement – 112,486
Fire – 59,215
EMS – 47,429
Agencies –106,119
DPS – 2,020
County Agencies – 61,454
Municipal – 11,569
Total County Wide – 400,292
April 2011 PTT’s from the main dispatch (9-1-1 Center) talk groups:
Fire – 29,014
EMS – 39,969
Police West – 22,984
Police East – 66,624
Police Data – 17,734
Daily Average Total of PTT’s 13,343
Site Utilization (Percentage of site use)...
Forward = Calls to the sites from the radios
Reverse = Calls from the sites to the radios
Lambs Gap- 10.55% Forward 4.33%Reverse
Reesers Summit- 11.88% Forward 4.11% Reverse
EOC- 8.87% Forward 3.41% Reverse
Courthouse- 11.22% Forward .71% Reverse
Commonwealth Technology Center- 9.8% Forward .55% Reverse
3 Square Hollow- 7.2% Forward .58% Reverse
Ship Cell- 9.22% Forward .49% Reverse
South Mountain- 7.7% Forward .39% Reverse
Waggoners Gap- 8.47% Forward .47% Reverse
Rose Garden- 7.12% Forward .47% Reverse
Boiling Springs- 7.39% Forward .15% Reverse
Shippensburg- 7.19% Forward .55% Reverse
Dickinson Twp- 7.08% Forward .17% Reverse
Holy Spirit- 7.21% Forward .14% Reverse
Kings Gap- 5.14% Forward .1% Reverse
Pine Grove- 3.71% Forward .03% Reverse
Reeser’s, CTC, ShipCel and Courthouse had some queuing; the time duration was not long enough to have any impact on the system.
As of this report we have 2,490 radios on the system in Cumberland County. There are 458 Talk Groups being utilized on the Cumberland County system.
Control Stations: 25
Mobiles: 673
Portables: 1792
Law Enforcement – 112,486
Fire – 59,215
EMS – 47,429
Agencies –106,119
DPS – 2,020
County Agencies – 61,454
Municipal – 11,569
Total County Wide – 400,292
April 2011 PTT’s from the main dispatch (9-1-1 Center) talk groups:
Fire – 29,014
EMS – 39,969
Police West – 22,984
Police East – 66,624
Police Data – 17,734
Daily Average Total of PTT’s 13,343
Site Utilization (Percentage of site use)...
Forward = Calls to the sites from the radios
Reverse = Calls from the sites to the radios
Lambs Gap- 10.55% Forward 4.33%Reverse
Reesers Summit- 11.88% Forward 4.11% Reverse
EOC- 8.87% Forward 3.41% Reverse
Courthouse- 11.22% Forward .71% Reverse
Commonwealth Technology Center- 9.8% Forward .55% Reverse
3 Square Hollow- 7.2% Forward .58% Reverse
Ship Cell- 9.22% Forward .49% Reverse
South Mountain- 7.7% Forward .39% Reverse
Waggoners Gap- 8.47% Forward .47% Reverse
Rose Garden- 7.12% Forward .47% Reverse
Boiling Springs- 7.39% Forward .15% Reverse
Shippensburg- 7.19% Forward .55% Reverse
Dickinson Twp- 7.08% Forward .17% Reverse
Holy Spirit- 7.21% Forward .14% Reverse
Kings Gap- 5.14% Forward .1% Reverse
Pine Grove- 3.71% Forward .03% Reverse
Reeser’s, CTC, ShipCel and Courthouse had some queuing; the time duration was not long enough to have any impact on the system.
As of this report we have 2,490 radios on the system in Cumberland County. There are 458 Talk Groups being utilized on the Cumberland County system.
Control Stations: 25
Mobiles: 673
Portables: 1792
Touch II
Touch II is almost complete! If you have any equipment that was unable to be upgraded on your scheduled day, please contact DPS ASAP so that we can schedule an upgrade!
Thanks!!!
Thanks!!!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Survey Result #4
Sample Size = 59
Have you noticed an improvement in V‐Tac
performance with the new portables?
1 = Yes
2= No
performance with the new portables?
1 = Yes
2= No
Friday, January 14, 2011
Survey Results #3
Sample Size = 59
Please rate the audio quality on
the new portables.
1 = Not Satisfied
2 = Satisfied
3 = Very Satisfied
the new portables.
1 = Not Satisfied
2 = Satisfied
3 = Very Satisfied
Check it out!
We've added some helpful materials to the DPS website!
Check the 800MHz radio section on our website
www.ccpa.net/publicsafety
- Training Presentation for P7200 Portable Radios (Law Enforcement)
- Training Presentation for P7200 Portable Radios (Fire/EMS)
- Training Presentation for M7200 Mobile Radios
- Portable Battery Analysis Worksheet
- Harris Battery Maintenance Presentation
Check the 800MHz radio section on our website
www.ccpa.net/publicsafety
- Training Presentation for P7200 Portable Radios (Law Enforcement)
- Training Presentation for P7200 Portable Radios (Fire/EMS)
- Training Presentation for M7200 Mobile Radios
- Portable Battery Analysis Worksheet
- Harris Battery Maintenance Presentation
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Survey Results
Sample Size = 59
Please rate your overall satisfaction with portable
battery performance since rebanding occurred.
battery performance since rebanding occurred.
1 = Not Satisfied
2 = Satisfied
3 = Very Satisfied
2010 PTT Report
Statistics on Push-to-talk (PTT): The number of times a radio was used to make a voice transmission. The following stats are discipline specific county wide.
Law Enforcement – 1,297,509
Fire – 511,707
EMS – 534,825
Agencies –896,188
DPS – 34,351
County Agencies – 721,244
Municipal – 101,004
Total County Wide – 4,096,828 PTT's for 2010
2010 PTT’s from the main dispatch (9-1-1 Center) talk groups:
Fire – 272,124
EMS – 452,184,
Police West – 241,125
Police East – 786,677
Police Data – 221,970
Daily Average Total of PTT’s 11,224
Site Utilization (Percentage of site use)...
Forward = Calls to the sites from the radios
Reverse = Calls from the sites to the radios
Lambs Gap- 10.10% Forward .88%Reverse
Reesers Summit- 11% Forward 4.41% Reverse
EOC- 8.84% Forward .50% Reverse
Courthouse- 9.77% Forward 3.91% Reverse
Commonwealth Technology Center- 8.64% Forward 2.28% Reverse
3 Square Hollow- 7.21% Forward .44% Reverse
Ship Cell- 8.86% Forward .38% Reverse
South Mountain- 7.65% Forward .39% Reverse
Waggoners Gap- 7.46% Forward .39% Reverse
Rose Garden- 6.84% Forward .23% Reverse
Boiling Springs- 6.93% Forward .15% Reverse
Shippensburg- 5.27% Forward .22% Reverse
Dickinson Twp- 6.6% Forward .14% Reverse
Holy Spirit- 6.94% Forward .12% Reverse
Kings Gap- 4.90% Forward .09% Reverse
Pine Grove- 3.61% Forward .04% Reverse
The busiest site was Reesers Summit utilizing only 11.00% of its capacity at one spike with a 4.41% reverse path (calls from users to site).
This represents all 12 months averaged. Our busiest high profile site with two (2) channels was Reeser’s Summit and our busies cell site with a single (1) channel was Shippensburg Cell site (S. Fayette St)
One (1) channel equals four (4) simultaneous talk paths at one time.
As of this report we have 2,397 radios on the system in Cumberland County.
Control Stations: 23
Mobiles: 656
Portables: 1718
Law Enforcement – 1,297,509
Fire – 511,707
EMS – 534,825
Agencies –896,188
DPS – 34,351
County Agencies – 721,244
Municipal – 101,004
Total County Wide – 4,096,828 PTT's for 2010
2010 PTT’s from the main dispatch (9-1-1 Center) talk groups:
Fire – 272,124
EMS – 452,184,
Police West – 241,125
Police East – 786,677
Police Data – 221,970
Daily Average Total of PTT’s 11,224
Site Utilization (Percentage of site use)...
Forward = Calls to the sites from the radios
Reverse = Calls from the sites to the radios
Lambs Gap- 10.10% Forward .88%Reverse
Reesers Summit- 11% Forward 4.41% Reverse
EOC- 8.84% Forward .50% Reverse
Courthouse- 9.77% Forward 3.91% Reverse
Commonwealth Technology Center- 8.64% Forward 2.28% Reverse
3 Square Hollow- 7.21% Forward .44% Reverse
Ship Cell- 8.86% Forward .38% Reverse
South Mountain- 7.65% Forward .39% Reverse
Waggoners Gap- 7.46% Forward .39% Reverse
Rose Garden- 6.84% Forward .23% Reverse
Boiling Springs- 6.93% Forward .15% Reverse
Shippensburg- 5.27% Forward .22% Reverse
Dickinson Twp- 6.6% Forward .14% Reverse
Holy Spirit- 6.94% Forward .12% Reverse
Kings Gap- 4.90% Forward .09% Reverse
Pine Grove- 3.61% Forward .04% Reverse
The busiest site was Reesers Summit utilizing only 11.00% of its capacity at one spike with a 4.41% reverse path (calls from users to site).
This represents all 12 months averaged. Our busiest high profile site with two (2) channels was Reeser’s Summit and our busies cell site with a single (1) channel was Shippensburg Cell site (S. Fayette St)
One (1) channel equals four (4) simultaneous talk paths at one time.
As of this report we have 2,397 radios on the system in Cumberland County.
Control Stations: 23
Mobiles: 656
Portables: 1718
Dec 2010 PTT Report
Statistics on Push-to-talk (PTT): The number of times a radio was used to make a voice transmission. The following stats are discipline specific county wide.
Law Enforcement – 103,591
Fire – 53,546
EMS – 46,445
Agencies –69,487
DPS – 751
County Agencies – 63,071
Municipal – 8,050
Total County Wide – 344,941 PTT's for the Month of December
Monthly PTT’s from the main dispatch (9-1-1 Center) talk groups:
Fire – 24,561
EMS – 39,177
Police West – 16,583
Police East – 66,018
Police Data – 16,972
Site Utilization (Percentage of site use)...
Forward = Calls to the sites from the radios
Reverse = Calls from the sites to the radios
Lambs Gap- 9.5% Forward 3.39%Reverse
Reesers Summit- 10.82% Forward 3.15% Reverse
EOC- 8.25% Forward 1.99% Reverse
Courthouse- 10.39% Forward 1.04% Reverse
Commonwealth Technology Center- 8.99% Forward .36% Reverse
3 Square Hollow- 6.86% Forward .41% Reverse
Ship Cell- 9.47% Forward .5% Reverse
South Mountain- 7.62% Forward .39% Reverse
Waggoners Gap- 7.54% Forward .37% Reverse
Rose Garden- 6.83% Forward .19% Reverse
Boiling Springs- 6.83% Forward .1% Reverse
Shippensburg- 5.27% Forward .21% Reverse
Dickinson Twp- 6.6% Forward .1% Reverse
Holy Spirit- 6.91% Forward .1% Reverse
Kings Gap- 4.68% Forward .07% Reverse
Pine Grove- 3.88% Forward .01% Reverse
The busiest site was Reesers Summit utilizing only 10.82% of its capacity at one spike with a 3.15% reverse path (calls from users to site).
As of this report we have 2,397 radios on the system in Cumberland County.
Control Stations: 23
Mobiles: 656
Portables: 1718
Law Enforcement – 103,591
Fire – 53,546
EMS – 46,445
Agencies –69,487
DPS – 751
County Agencies – 63,071
Municipal – 8,050
Total County Wide – 344,941 PTT's for the Month of December
Monthly PTT’s from the main dispatch (9-1-1 Center) talk groups:
Fire – 24,561
EMS – 39,177
Police West – 16,583
Police East – 66,018
Police Data – 16,972
Site Utilization (Percentage of site use)...
Forward = Calls to the sites from the radios
Reverse = Calls from the sites to the radios
Lambs Gap- 9.5% Forward 3.39%Reverse
Reesers Summit- 10.82% Forward 3.15% Reverse
EOC- 8.25% Forward 1.99% Reverse
Courthouse- 10.39% Forward 1.04% Reverse
Commonwealth Technology Center- 8.99% Forward .36% Reverse
3 Square Hollow- 6.86% Forward .41% Reverse
Ship Cell- 9.47% Forward .5% Reverse
South Mountain- 7.62% Forward .39% Reverse
Waggoners Gap- 7.54% Forward .37% Reverse
Rose Garden- 6.83% Forward .19% Reverse
Boiling Springs- 6.83% Forward .1% Reverse
Shippensburg- 5.27% Forward .21% Reverse
Dickinson Twp- 6.6% Forward .1% Reverse
Holy Spirit- 6.91% Forward .1% Reverse
Kings Gap- 4.68% Forward .07% Reverse
Pine Grove- 3.88% Forward .01% Reverse
The busiest site was Reesers Summit utilizing only 10.82% of its capacity at one spike with a 3.15% reverse path (calls from users to site).
As of this report we have 2,397 radios on the system in Cumberland County.
Control Stations: 23
Mobiles: 656
Portables: 1718
Check it out!
We've added some helpful materials to the DPS website!
Check the 800MHz radio section on our website
www.ccpa.net/publicsafety
- Training Presentation for P7200 Portable Radios (Law Enforcement)
- Training Presentation for P7200 Portable Radios (Fire/EMS)
- Training Presentation for M7200 Mobile Radios
- Portable Battery Analysis Worksheet
- Harris Battery Maintenance Presentation
Check the 800MHz radio section on our website
www.ccpa.net/publicsafety
- Training Presentation for P7200 Portable Radios (Law Enforcement)
- Training Presentation for P7200 Portable Radios (Fire/EMS)
- Training Presentation for M7200 Mobile Radios
- Portable Battery Analysis Worksheet
- Harris Battery Maintenance Presentation
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