By Brad Stoddard, MPSCS Director

MAY 2019 marked a historic milestone for the Office of Mich-

igan’s Public Safety Communications System (MPSCS) as we logged the 100,000th radio onto the state’s pub-lic safety communications network. So, what’s the big deal? The system was originally built just to support a single state agency. Today, in addi-tion to the 100K radios, more than 1,900 local, state, federal, tribal and private first responders move throughout Michigan with-out concern of their ability to communicate. This exceeds what the original builders of the system could have pos-

sibility imagined or be-lieved the system could support. This impressive feat took time, patience and perseverance.I know the value of what the system pro-vides every day. I hear it from many of you in meetings, hallways, after hours conversations and emails, the lifeline of public safety communi-cations is more than just a radio on a hip, in a rig, or at dispatch. It is the thread that connects the public safety patchwork together.While some may not be familiar with the history of Land Mobile Radio (LMR), they can’t ignore the progress and impact we have made. The MPSCS is considered the lifeline for public safety in the state. We have set the standard as one of the largest and most re-liable public safety com-munication systems in the state and around the country. Our office oper-ates in such a nimble and focused manner, many of our local partners believe we are more than just an office, and are a uniquely focused agency.

MPSCS Meets Challenges on Way to 100,000 Radios

MPSCS Address:Michigan’s Public Safety Communications System, State Police Headquarters,7150 Harris Drive, Dimondale, MI 48821.

MPSCS Quarterly is produced by MPSCS Communications & Outreach. For questions, corrections, or story ideas contact Tom Black, Communications Representative, at BlackT8@michigan.gov.

I have had the opportunity to be at the helm for the past 11 1/2 years, but my nearly 22 years in state government have had me focused on the past and present of public safety communications and en-suring the future would be nothing but historic for Michigan. The history of LMR was much like the

automobile: It was born right here in Michigan. Over the past 90 years, Michigan has set the standard, time and time again, with public safety communications. My predecessors have shared with me the challenges they fought in Michigan and in Washington, D.C. to build the MPSCS. Such as persuading leaders who had difficulty understanding why a system such as the MPSCS was so important. My predecessors’ challenges were similar to what I have faced over the past decade. Education, perse-verance, and the will to provide a solution that public safety hails as the baseline standard, all while trying to find the executive champion with the passion, spirit and promotion of the system. What has not escaped us are the depth of public safety champions around the state. You identify every day what the system provides for you, and your feedback keeps the system growing to meet your specific user needs in all your unique disciplines across the state. I recall sharing our successes and challenges with a retired law enforce-ment executive who stated, “I have no idea how you do it, but I know there is nobody else with your pas-sion for this community to do what you do.” Although the focus of our political leaders may change, the importance of our public safety mission does not. The public safety communications field may not be sexy, but in an age of technology evolution, voice and data communications have proven their worth and reliability daily – even in the most extreme situations.As we observe the 100K radio milestone, it is less the radio that we celebrate than the entire focus of the public safety community. It is no longer acceptable to have a patchwork of aging systems that put first responders at risk. First responders must be provided with the most effective interoperable public safety communications system available to them. The MPSCS team is busier today than it has ever been, and with the additions of new agency, county, and private partners, there is no doubt the MPSCS is poised to achieve more milestones as our partners and vocal supporters continue to grow. n

1 MPSCS Meets Challenges on Way to 100,000 Radios2 Motion360 to Streamline Radio Inventory Management3 After Months of Hard Work, CAD Upgrade is Successful4 Like Vehicles, Radios Need Reg- ular Tune-Ups Too4 System Snapshot - Latest Metrics5 MPSCS YouTube Site is Up and Running5 Jackson County Simulcast Cut- over Goes Smoothly6 Collocation Helps Agencies Im- prove Pager Effectiveness6 Radio Roundup

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other dignitaries join MPSCS Director Brad Stoddard and his staff to cel-ebrate achieving the 100,000 radio milestone.

Stay Connected

twitter.com/MPSCS @MPSCS

MPSCS on YouTube

michigan.gov/MPSCS

Contents

Follow us on Twitter & YouTube. Sign up for emails to stay up to date with MPSCS!

SUMMER 2019 michigan.gov/mpscs

Volume 8 Issue 2SUMMER 2019

Michigan’s Public Safety Communications SystemMPSCS QUARTERLY

1Page

Motion360 to Streamline Radio Inventory Management

SUMMER 2019michigan.gov/mpscs2Page

Volume 8 Issue 2SUMMER 2019

Michigan’s Public Safety Communications SystemMPSCS QUARTERLY

RADIO manage-ment has long

been a challenge for the MPSCS Radio Programming Unit (RPU) and Template Design Unit (TDU). But a new solution — a web-based system called Motion360 — is coming soon and slated to make things easier.

For years, member interaction with MPSCS radio personnel involved a flurry of phone calls, emails, paper documents, and various spread-sheets scattered around on a share-drive. Customers had no ability to access work orders and billing paper-work.

A workgroup is currently imple-menting Motion360 to simplify the radio onboarding and template design processes for MPSCS mem-bers. Ultimately, MPSCS agencies will be able to receive email alerts on work order status and obtain records of their radios’ interactions with the MPSCS system.

To use Motion360, MPSCS mem-bers will need to submit Memoran-dums of Understanding (MOU) for talk groups in which they partici-pate but did not originate, said Al Mellon of RPU/TDU.

“MCM requires that MOU docu-ments must be on file and posted in the data base,” Mellon said.

The preferred format is for the MOU to be on an agency’s let-terhead, but an MOU sent by the talk group representative using an official government email account is also acceptable.

Motion360, which will have a public facing website, will incor-porate data from the Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) system, potentially allowing agencies to manage radio assets and submit service requests.

The portal requires users to com-plete work orders properly, which

will speed up the process by eliminating

most omissions and errors. The system will generate work orders and integrate information – e.g., ID’s, serial numbers, invoices and addresses – reducing the need for separate spreadsheets or data bases and eliminating many phone calls and manual tasks.

Motion360 is slated to be fully im-plemented by early 2020. Its major benefits will include:

• Improving subscriber radio con-figuration management;

• Improving records accuracy and timeliness of the billing process;

• Collection of benchmarking data, development of metrics, and internal audit capability;

• Providing members with the ability to track their radio talk groups and report changes of radio ownership;

• Quicker responses to service requests and reduced backlog of radios to be enabled on the system.

Mellon noted that incorrectly completed forms and mistaken duplication of ID’s and work orders have caused problems in the past. Incorrect forms must be sent back, corrected and resubmitted, which uses up the time of local agency personnel and MPSCS employees. Motion360 ensures that correct information is entered at the front end of the billing process, and is expected to bring about much greater efficiency in the RPU/TDU operations.“We expect Motion360 to drastical-ly reduce the research needed to send accurate work order requests to the Radio Programming Unit,” Mellon said. “Customers will gain the ability to check the status of all of their work requests and receive automated updates."n

Motion360 will speed up radio programming, clear up backlogs and improve records accuracy.

MPSCS’s cutting edge network provides interoperable statewide coverage for over 103,000 radios used by Michigan’s first responder community. MPSCS serves 1,917 agencies at all levels: State, lo-cal, federal, tribal & private public safety agencies all rely on MPSCS for critical public safety communi-cation services. We provide world class infrastructure, expertise and 24/7/365 support to public safety agencies within Michigan.

ABOUT THE MPSCS SYSTEM

AFTER more than a year of intense planning, technical work and coordination, the MPSCS CAD

4.3 has gone live. CAD (Computer Aided Dispatching) Version 4.3 replaces the earlier version, CAD 3.3.1.Since the “go-live” date of April 9, there have been no major problems, but MPSCS is still working with Motorola to resolve a few punch list items, said Darren Whitman, the program manager.A new Premier Mobile Data Computer (PMDC) server was deployed as part of the CAD upgrade. During go-live, the staff also moved all mobile data users over to the new PMDC server. Additionally, Houghton Coun-ty’s seven public safety agencies, already using MPSCS radio service, were integrated into the PMDC system.The CAD upgrade means greater speed, a reduction in required bandwidth, and enhanced features, including:• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), which allows

dispatch centers a redundant connection for CAD dispatch and improves MPSCS support capabilities;

• Improved network infrastructure in the CAD envi-ronment.

• Improvement in the hardware and software plat-form, which enhances performance and aids man-agement of the application;

• An environment built to handle expansion of the system, allowing for more enterprise interfaces and customers.

During go-live, the team monitored the performance of PremierOne CAD dispatching consoles, PremierOne Mobile units used in Michigan State Police (MSP) squad cars, and the PremierOne handheld app for

Androids and iPhones.“Go-live went better than expected from an applica-tion standpoint,” Whitman said. He attributes that to improvements in hardware and software since the CAD 3.3.1 platform was implemented in Fall 2014.Public Safety Enterprise Services Unit Manager Randy Williams said that overall, the project went smoothly. “When you look at what we did; how big a challenge that was … all in all, it was very successful.” Greg Sharp, CAD administrator based at the MSP Negaunee Regional Center, concurs: “For a project of this scope and size, it went very well,” he said, adding he has heard positive feedback from troopers. MSP F/Lt. Jay Poupard praised the MPSCS team for being well-prepared and for its crisp execution. Real- time feedback and rapid problem-solving were crucial in maintaining smooth operations at the four MSP regional dispatch centers, he said.“MPSCS staff were ready and available; they were active listening ears... If an issue was identified and reported, the staff immediately became troubleshoot-ers,” Poupard said.MPSCS CAD is a suite of applications supporting dispatch operations on behalf of the MPSCS, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law En-forcement Division, the University of Michigan, and MSP. More than 100 local public safety agencies are dispatched through MSP’s four dispatch centers. CAD integrates geospatial technology with other com-ponents including law enforcement data bases, bene-fiting both dispatchers and first responders.n

Employees from the MPSCS Public Safety Enterprise Services Unit, Michigan State Police, and Motorola worked tire-lessly for more than a year to upgrade MPSCS Computer Aided Dispatching from Version 3.3.1 to Version 4.3. Also contributing to the effort were technicians from the DNR Law Enforcement Division and the University of Michigan’s Division of Public Safety and Security.

After Months of Hard Work, CAD Upgrade is Successful

michigan.gov/mpscs 3PageSUMMER 2019

Volume 8 Issue 2SUMMER 2019

Michigan’s Public Safety Communications SystemMPSCS QUARTERLY

System Snapshot(current as of August 1, 2019)

14.6 million PUSH-TO-TALKS PER MONTH

4,660 FIRE PAGERS LIVE

1,917 AGENCIES SERVED Includes State, Local, Federal, Tribal & Private Public Safety Agencies

103,535RADIOS

272TOWER SITESIncludes 64 sites locally owned but integrated into MPSCS

849-1-1 DISPATCH CENTERSSupporting 437 console positions

TWO-way radios need to be tuned regularly to maintain FCC standards, but often the agencies

that own and operate them go years between tune-ups. This puts them at risk of not being prepared in the event of an emergency.

“During critical incidents, it’s important for your radios to work,” said MPSCS Support Services Manager Dan Robinson.

Annual tune-ups and preventive maintenance are rec-ommended. Some small agencies, especially volunteer fire departments, may be using radios that are 15-20 years old, in which case an annual tune-up is especial-ly critical.

Radio Techs for MPSCS tune their own agency’s ra-dios, plus radios from partnering state agencies – the Office of Attorney General, MSP, MDOT and DNR. However, MPSCS members (1,917 agencies) are

responsible for keeping their equipment in sync with proper specifications.

For most agencies, it’s not simply a “do-it-yourself” proposition, as the service monitor used to tune radios can cost upwards of $30,000, and it takes a properly trained technician to operate one.

The MPSCS member subscriber agreement includes manufacturer and FCC recommended optimal perfor-mance standards for equipment, antenna installation and maintenance.

If radio performance falls below normal standards, the member (local agency) is to contact its service provider for an evaluation of the problem.

If the service provider determines the problem does not originate with the member’s radios, equipment instal-lation or maintenance, the member should notify the MPSCS Network Communications Center.

MPSCS Radio Tech Dave Barnett said one local agen-cy recently told him it had not tuned its radios in 10 years. n

Two-way radios should be annually tuned to FCC specifi-cations by a qualified Radio Technician.

Like Vehicles, Two-Way Radios Need Tune-Ups Too

SUMMER 2019michigan.gov/mpscs4Page

Volume 8 Issue 2SUMMER 2019

Michigan’s Public Safety Communications SystemMPSCS QUARTERLY

JACKSON County is now integrated into the MPSCS system, having completed its simulcast cutover on

May 13.

In the past year, three new towers were built in the county. The 300-foot, self-supporting towers — 1703, 1705 and 1706 — include shelters housing equipment and generators. They complement two existing towers — 1702 and 1704 — both of which were outfitted with new simulcast radio equipment and RF antennas. Simulcast enables multiple towers to act in unison.

The new towers close the loop from Tower 2602 in Ann Arbor to Tower 5702 in Albion, improving sys-tem redundancy, signal quality and reliability.

Jackson County’s MPSCS member agencies were brought on board as they switched over to new sub-scriber and infrastructure equipment that is required for a simulcast system.n

Towers 1703, 1705 and 1706 were added to the Jack-son County simulcast system within the past year.

T1 Conversion Reminder for PSAPs

OCTOBER 31 is fast approaching. That is the deadline for Public Safety Answering Points

(PSAPs) that are part of the MPSCS system to up-grade the “last mile” of cable -- the section leading from the radio tower to the 9-1-1 call center.

Beginning later this year, MPSCS will upgrade to Motorola P25 Astro Version 2019 software. Version 2019 does not support T1 lines, so the lines must be replaced with Ethernet Layer-2 circuits prior to the upgrade.

The new lines will make PSAPs compliant with simulcast improvements that were part of the MPSCS life cycle remediation project. Support for T1 lines is gradually being phased out by the car-riers. For more information, contact Gerald "Buzz" Leach at MPSCS, LeachG@michigan.gov.n

Across MPSCS

Jackson County Integrated into MPSCS; Simulcast Cutover Successful

THE MPSCS YouTube site now features videos on software installation, training and other topics.

Recently added videos include one providing instruc-tions for installation of the PremierOne Mobile Cli-ent software, and an instructional video for users of WAVE, a push-to-talk platform that connects radio, cellular and Wi-Fi for first responders.

Subscribers can be notified of new postings. One must have a Google account and sign in to subscribe. n

Training and Informational Videos Posted on MPSCS YouTube Site

michigan.gov/mpscs 5PageSUMMER 2019

Volume 8 Issue 2SUMMER 2019

Michigan’s Public Safety Communications SystemMPSCS QUARTERLY

WHETHER you’re new to MPSCS or have been a member for a while but plan to bring new

radios onto the system, you need to know which models are compatible. To see the list of radios, dispatch consoles and pagers approved for use on the MPSCS System, go to mich-

igan.gov/mpscs and click on “Radios, Con-soles, Pagers and Contracts” on the left side of the page. Then click on the hyperlink under-neath “Radios and Dispatch Consoles” to down-load/view a PDF of the current list.MPSCS performs comprehensive testing of mo-bile radios, portable radios, and paging receiv-ers. Only radios that meet established MPSCS technical and operational standards are eligible for use on the system. n

Radio Roundup | MPSCS-compatible radios, consoles and pagers

Collocation Helps Local Agencies Improve Pager Effectiveness

SINCE its inception in the 1990s, MPSCS has offered local agencies the opportunity to collocate fire

paging transmitters on its towers. This arrangement also includes components such as antennas, receivers, and microwave dishes, as well as on-the-ground in-stallation of related equipment including generators, base stations and cabinets. Fees were charged to non-members of MPSCS, but members could collocate at no charge.

For many agencies, collocation is a means to maintain specialized pager coverage throughout their jurisdic-tions and improve signal penetration of buildings with-out incurring the major cost of constructing additional radio towers.

In 2015, legislation pertaining to MPSCS tower collo-cations was passed. Though the legislation authorizes separate fee structures for public safety, it also allows for MPSCS to grandfather existing fire paging colloca-tions at no additional cost. New member integrations will continue to follow the existing integration process and credit structure.

Also in 2015, a public safety fee schedule was imple-mented for any new collocations. The application fee

is $500. There are also yearly antenna fees – current-ly at $495 for the first antenna, and $132 for each additional antenna. A fair market rate schedule is also prescribed for non-public safety collocations, which the law allows for.

The fees are intended to de-fray costs incurred by MPSCS, including administrative ex-penses, equipment installation inspections, tower registration, light monitoring and tower

infrastructure maintenance. Currently, 86 agencies are collocating on MPSCS towers around the state.

In 2016, MPSCS began offering its 800 MHz public safety paging solution, and currently there are 225 public safety agencies subscribing to the service. Available to public safety organizations, the service offers clearer audio, improved range and reliability, a simplified dispatcher process, and customizable paging groups.

For more information on collocation, contact Brian Aprill, (517) 284-4087, AprillB@Michigan.gov. For information on the 800 MHz public safety paging solu-tion, contact Al Mellon, (517) 284-4072; MellonA@Michigan.gov. n

Collocation enables agencies to maintain specialized pager coverage throughout their jurisdictions and improve signal penetration of buildings.

SUMMER 2019michigan.gov/mpscsPage 6

Volume 8 Issue 2SUMMER 2019

Michigan’s Public Safety Communications SystemMPSCS QUARTERLY