The Mission-Critical Resource Center

Developing an RFP for Your Radio System Upgrade or Replacement

In Summary:

• A radio system upgrade or replacement project does not need to be daunting or overwhelming
• Obtaining a new system through the request for proposals (RFP) process allows agencies to select a best-of-breed solution, ultimately yielding better results
• Any RFP should have the same standard elements, but not customizing your RFP to your project could result in proposals for unnecessary work, extra costs and, ultimately, a project that does not meet goals or expectations

The Prescription for Thwarting Public Safety Cyberattacks

In Summary:

• The FBI advises that it is no longer a question of if, but rather when, any individual public safety communications network is going to be attacked.
• There is a lot that public safety agencies can do on their own to increase the difficulty of hacking their networks and lessening the effects of cyberattacks.
• This whitepaper outlines a six-step treatment regimen, and discusses continuity-of-operations and disaster recovery.

A lot can go wrong with public safety communications networks from a cybersecurity perspective. 

The Uses Continue to Emerge: Public Safety Drones and Considerations

In Summary:

• Public safety agencies are adopting drones at increasing rates to enhance emergency response operations.
• However, many public safety agencies run into roadblocks in leveraging this technology because public safety use cases generally are not considered in most state legislatures.
• This whitepaper discusses what agencies should consider as they stand up their drone programs.

In this whitepaper we explore the uses cases, the potential legal impacts of using drones, and the options public safety agencies should consider when implementing a drones program.

The Case for Push-to-Talk in Public Safety

In Summary:

• First responders have long depended on traditional land mobile radio (LMR) systems that feature public safety-grade radios and infrastructure.
• While commercial networks are typically not ideal for public safety use, as they can become overloaded during an emergency, commercial push-to-talk (PTT) technology could benefit public safety.

In this whitepaper we explore the pros and cons of commercial PTT technology for public safety, including the improvements to commercial PTT capabilities and the cost-efficiencies the technology offers for agencies. 

Regional Computer-Aided Dispatch Models

In Summary:

• For years, public safety communications systems have operated as standalone systems that are used to serve the citizens of a single geographic area.
• As communities have grown, the need for improved communication between dispatchers and first responders, and across jurisdictional lines, has increased. 
• Agencies across the country have begun to consider regional models for their computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and other public safety systems in order to improve efficiency, share resources with other agencies and reduce costs.

In this whitepaper, we explore two models of regional CAD systems and explore the pros and cons of each one. 

How Relocation of T-Band will Affect Public Safety

In Summary:

• Public safety licensees in some of the nation's top metropolitan areas that currently operate in the T-Band will need to transition their land mobile radio (LMR) systems before 2023.
• The FCC will reallocate this spectrum via auction as part of the enactment of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012.
• Agencies with LMR systems currently on the T-Band face considerable challenges in transition those systems in advance of the 2023 deadline.

This whitepaper discussed the challenges that agencies face during the transition from the T-Band, provides a transitional timeline and offers tips and information for making the transition.

A Blueprint to Help Public Safety Organizations Understand Their Environments

 In Summary:

• For public safety officials, the task of monitoring and assessing the myriad technological and operational factors that determine the center's success or failure is a big, complicated and time-consuming job.

• Leaders need help understanding where their centers stand regarding factors such as cybersecurity, IT and networks, next generation 911 (NG911), staffing, and more.

• MCP's Model for Advancing Public Safety^SM, also known as MAPS^SM, is a proprietary assessment program that helps assess a program against standards, best practices, and the collective knowledge of MCP's 115+ specialized public safety professionals.

How to Navigate the Complexities of Mission-Critical Vendor Management

In Summary:

• Today's average public safety agency has more than 30 vendor support agreements to manage.

• Vendor support agreements have become more difficult to understand given their size and complexity.

• Public safety organizations are looking for strategies to help navigate the complexities associated with today's increasingly complicated vendor environment.

It used to be much easier for public safety agencies to manage their vendors compared to a decade ago. At that time they were simple and easy to understand and they generally only involved the radio, computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and 911 call-handling system providers.

The Evolution of the Emergency Communications Ecosystem

In Summary:

• Emergency communications centers are not much different from what they were when they first appeared on the scene a half century ago.

• PSAPs need to jettison the legacy analog call-handling equipment that has existed for the last 50 years, and replace it with new equipment capable of processing calls and data that originates from digital devices.

• The evolution of the emergency communications ecosystem will result in PSAPs and telecommunicators that will look and behave very differently than they do today. 

The public safety sector and emergency communications has reached an inflection point. Technology has evolved dramatically, and the needs and expectations of the public served by PSAPs have evolved as well. Data has overtaken voice in terms of importance. As a result, PSAPs need systems that are capable of leveraging the enormous amount of data is that already available, yet inaccessible today. Legacy call-handling equipment equipment that has existed for the last 50 years needs to be replaced with new equipment capable of processing calls and data originating from digital, Internet-Protocol (IP)-based devices.

Workforce Optimization: A Smarter Solution to Resolving 911's Staffing Struggle

In Summary:

• Staffing struggles have plagued public safety communications for years, and the situation is worsening because of favorable economic conditions that bring an abundance of less-stressful, better paying jobs.

• Workforce optimization is the concept of taking a more holistic approach to staffing that places equal emphasis on recruitment, hiring, training, and retention.

• The profile of the ideal telecommunicator is evolving. The next generation telecommunicator will process different skills than they do today.

Several years ago, the National 911 Program released the Recommended Minimum Training Guidelines for the 911 Telecommunicator. The document was intended to ensure that a more consistent standard of care was provided by 911 call-takers and dispatchers to callers requesting emergency services, regardless of their location at the time of the call. A corollary benefit of the guidelines is that they might help reduce the amount of personnel churn that emergency communications centers (ECCs) experience.

Whitepaper: A Smarter Approach to Resolving the 911 Hiring Struggle

In Summary: 

• Staffing and hiring struggles have plagued public safety agencies for years and the situation is worsening

• High personnel churn and attrition rates contribute to the shortage

• Workforce optimization is the right approach for 911 officials looking to resolving 911 staffing struggles instead of simply focusing on recruitment

Staffing 911 centers has become a huge concern in the public safety communications community. In this report, we explore the concept of workforce optimization, of which training is one of four key pillars, with recruitment, hiring and retention being the others. 

Public Safety Should Look Hard at Mission-Critical Push-to-Talk

In Summary:

• Push-to-talk over celluar (PTTOC) and mission-critical push-to-talk MCPTT services are provisioned over broadband wireless services and replicate the walkie-talkie functionality of traditional land mobile radio (LMR) portable radios.

• Through gateways, these services can be interfaced with LMR networks to allow audio to be transmitted from LMR channels to the broadband application, and vice versa.

• They offer a good alternative for personnel who have no need for a digital radio on a daily basis but need to be provided situational awareness and coordinated incident command.

This whitepaper examines push-to-talk over celluar and mission-critical push-to-talk technology, explaining why they may be a better choice than LMR in some cases, and how they provide significantly more flexibility regarding application, device and network choices. The biggest benefit of MCPTT service is that it replicates the PTT functionality of traditional LMR systems on devices that are smaller, lighter and much less expensive than portable radios traditionally carried by first responders. Also examined are important factors to consider when deciding whether to implement the technology.