The Mission-Critical Resource Center

What's the Future of Land Mobile Radio in a FirstNet World?

In Summary:

• Many public safety agencies have pondered whether the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN), being implemented by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) will someday replace the land mobile radio systems that have traditionally provided mission-critical voice services.

• Agencies should continue to invest in their LMR systems, even to the point of replacing them if necessary.

• Government agencies should continue to track the progress of FirstNet, for the day will eventually come when the NPSBN has developed to the point that it is a viable alternative for LMR.

On-Demand Webinar: Radio Interoperability and the Role of FirstNet

This on-demand webinar explores the concept of radio interoperability, which is an essential and fundamental component of effective first responder communications. Topics of discussion include interoperability tools and methods, technologies available on the market today, as well as what agencies should should consider when improving interoperability. Also discussed is how interoperability doesn't stop with technology, and the role that operations, training and planning plays in achieving true interoperability.

In this webinar we discuss:

• Why the industry isn't there yet from an interoperability standpoint
• What has been done to date
• Roadblocks to interoperability
• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Interoperability Continuum
• The role of FirstNet

MCP Provides Vendor Support Services in Cobb County, GA to Drive Service Excellence and Cost-Savings

In Summary:

• Cobb County, Georgia public safety officials wanted to assure they were paying a fair price for support of their land mobile radio (LMR) system.

• Working alongside MCP, they completed a fair market pricing assessment and data-driven analysis for the LMR system maintenance costs.

• Armed with this information, the partnership was able to negotiate more favorable cost targets, enhanced system performance reports and significant savings on costs.

Overview and Agency Challenge

Looking to lower expenses without sacrificing support, Cobb County, Georgia, began exploring the possibilities of renegotiating their Project 25 (P25) land mobile radio system maintenance agreement with the vendor. They wanted to better understand the services, terms and conditions, and the associated costs included with the maintenance contract. With limited knowledge of how their fees compared to similar-sized systems in the public safety sector, they sought assurance they were paying a fair price for the support provided.

The Technical Evolution of the PSAP in a NG911 and Public Safety Broadband Environment

In Summary:

• Data inputs that stream into a public safety answering point (PSAP) are increasing significantly, driven by the fact that public safety broadband and next generation 911 systems are Internet Protocol (IP)-based.

• This will raise situational awareness in the PSAP to levels unimaginable only a short time ago.

• Public safety broadband and NG911 must be converged for data to flow seamlessly between these two networks in order to be fully harnessed.

When public safety broadband networks, such as the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network being implemented under the auspices of the First Responder Network Authority, and Next Generation 911 (NG911) systems are implemented, responding to emergency events will be dramatically different than it is today for the public safety community. Today, the amount of information that telecommunicators and first responders have is severely limited. In the future, the data inputs that data inputs that stream into a public safety answering point (PSAP) are increasing significantly, driven by the fact that public safety broadband and next generation 911 systems are Internet Protocol (IP)-based.

The Nationwide NG911 Transition Requires State-Level Coordination and Vision

In Summary:

• Today's legacy public safety communications systems are ill-suited to handle this increased data flow.

• States that are making the most progress towards NG911 adoption share two main characteristics: strong statewide coordination and a statewide 911 strategic plan.

• There are eight key areas that 911 state leaders should evaluate to identify potential deficiencies of a statewide 911 program.

Next Generation 911 (NG911) represents a significant leap forward for the emergency response sector primarily because it will deliver dramatically improved situational awareness to telecommunicators and field personnel. But the transition from legacy technology to NG911 is a difficult undertaking, especially when states try to go it alone. NG911 will require that state 911 authorities establish an effective leadership structure and then develop a comprehensive strategic plan to execute the migration.

On-Demand Webinar: Strategies to Mitigate Cybersecurity Risks in Today's Emergency Communications Center

• Why PSAP leadership is becoming more involved and taking on more responsibility when it comes to supporting public safety infrastructure
• The critical factors impacting network reliability and continuity of operations in the PSAP
• Common mistakes that are made in PSAP network management, and how they can be avoided
• Key strategies for reducing the risk of cyber attack

On-demand webinar length: 45 minutes 

911 Operations: How Next Generation 911 and FirstNet Will Impact PSAPs

In Summary:

• Together, Next Generation 911 and the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network will enhance the role of PSAPs exponentially.

• While exciting, this also creates uncertainty as these new networks collectively will unlease a torrent of information and data that must be processed.

• PSAPs will need to undergo profound operational and policy changes.

MCP Lends Expertise to Implement and Manage Automatic License Plate Reader System in Southeastern PA

Automatic License Plate Reader System Plays a Key Role in Criminal Investigations Across the Region, Making it a Safer Place

In Summary:

• The Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Task Force (SEPARTF)–which serves the Greater Philadelphia metropolitan region–received a UASI grant to implement an automatic license plate reader (ALPR) system that would support public safety agencies throughout the region. They needed an expert partner to turn their ALPR vision into a reality and maximize their ALPR system investment.

• MCP acted as a program manager for the initiative and led deployment efforts for 130 ALPR tag-reading units throughout the region.

• More than 41 million tags are scanned annually, and numerous examples of how the PALPRN has played a role positively impacting key criminal investigations across the region.

Overview and Agency Challenge

In 2014, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Task Force (SEPARTF)—which serves the Greater Philadelphia metropolitan region—received a UASI grant to implement an automatic license plate reader (ALPR) system that would support public safety agencies throughout the region. These systems typically cost upwards of $16K to procure, and install, per vehicle. And, to make an automatic license plate reader system successful, a number of ancillary factors must be consider including

• implementing servers, and securing and maintaining massive amounts of data
• data integration and analysis from numerous hotlists
• training of first responders and 911 telecommunicators on how to leverage the technology.

SEPARTF knew that in order to take advantage of the enormous upside offered by an ALPR system, they needed an expert partner to turn their vision into their reality and maximize the return on their automatic license plate system investment.

Next Generation 911: A Mission-Critical Transformation for Today's 911 System

In Summary:

• Public safety communications is beginning to implement modern solutions to improve outcomes for 911 callers.

• Next gen 911 is a standards-based, all IP emergency communications infrastructure that enables voice and multimedia 911 communications.

• Failing to implement NG911 in a timely manner will increase costs, risk incompatibility with emerging communication trends and increase security risk for the 911 community. 

Today, access to 911 for most is limited to a voice call; in contrast, Next Gen 911 will enable the ability to transmit photos, videos and other existing and future forms of broadband-enabled data, in addition to voice, to 911 professionals. A coordinated approach must be adopted in the transition to Next Gen 911 to avoid a patchwork deployment and limited interoperability with neighboring agencies. 

Infographic: Next Generation 911 Technology Adoption Lifecycle

In 1962, Everett M. Rogers, an assistant professor of rural sociology at Ohio State University, published a theory he described as the "diffusion of innovations" in a book of the same name. Rogers, who later in his career became a distinguished professor emeritus in the communications and journalism department at the University of New Mexico, developed the theory to describe how innovation adoption plays out in any given social group. Rogers broke the theory down to five distinct categories: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards.

A Checklist for Securing Public Safety Answering Point Facilities, Personnel and Data

In Summary:

• Government facilities are being targeted by hackers, cyber criminals and active shooters, a trend that is increasing in frequency.

• Most security breaches are borne of comparatively benign circumstances, such a routine password changes or the use of personal devices in the workplace.

• Physical breaches of a public safety answering point (PSAP) can be equally as devastating.

Several alerts have been issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that government facilities are being targeted by hackers and cybercriminals, a trend that DHS expects will increase. This includes PSAPs, also known as 911 centers. Sometimes personnel click on a link found on a website or in an email and unwittingly unleash a computer virus or malicious code known as malware. Often the breaches come in the form of denial-of-service or ransomware attacks.