APPRO-2023-17 : An Appropriation from Free Cash in the Amount of Nine Hundred and Three Thousand Dollars ($903,000) for the Police and Fire Radio System Upgrade

Transcript (~20 min @ 1:52:35)

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▶ 1:52:34 Leila Migliorelli: Tonight we have Chiefs Kalina and fallier here with us to speak on this order.

▶ 1:52:41 Speaker 3: Thank you. Thank you.

▶ 1:52:44 Speaker 2: At first I'd just like to acknowledge the team that's been working on this project. She file and Kevin Walsh she's my radio technician. And John Connolly was the cybercom.

▶ 1:52:59 Speaker 2: And I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge I had worked at chief. Lyle put into this project too before he retired. So I have my notes. That's hopefully gonna go inside. What's up on the board there what you have in front of you, but

▶ 1:53:17 Speaker 4: Sure internet slightly. There we go. So what is the need for the upgrade of our radio system Public Safety police and fire. Well, the current communication system that we have right now. It's obsolete most of the equipment. It's no longer supported technically. If something goes wrong with it the equipment we have cannot be replaced. The components are no longer manufactured and currently we're using recycled parts that are not guaranteed for repairs. So that's pretty an obvious obvious reason why you know, we need it for public safety for ourselves and also more importantly the community that we live in so effectively effective clear on interrupted communication between First Responders dispatch and any Outside Agency. It's critical to both Public Safety and the safety of our personnel. Communication is an important part of emergency responses. We could all understand and this upgrade will ensure the safety of our First Responders and the residents of our community who rely on our public safety personnel to respond effectively and efficiently. Failure of our radius system and a portable radios in the field. Will result in the poor outcome for all of us and our customers who that we provide services to on a daily basis.

▶ 1:54:37 Speaker 2: That's correct. And our radio system it. It's it's a most used piece of equipment that we use again. We use it on every call. From dispatch to the fire operas to dispatch to the police Cruises out in the field. That is our most used equipment. Every call to choose we don't use a cell phones unless it's something of a sensitive nature that we would call back. Our equipment is old. You're going to hear that over and over and over again and you know on the fire side. With the help of Kevin Walsh he's been able to keep some of our Portables up by stealing on a piece from this one over here and putting it over there or the batteries are aftermarket. They don't hold the charge. We're constantly going back and having to reload our batteries into the Portables. We're used to get say 20 hours out of a battery of continuous runtime. You know, we're lucky if we get about 12 now. and you don't want your battery feeling when you need it most so The next slide I'd like to just give you a little basic. Education on the radio system itself. So the base station. It's the picture on the left hand side there. And that's how I was in this is a picture of the fire station. I imagine the police have one just very similar to it. And the the Dispatch Center is connected. To these Radio Systems and then from there the signal goes out to the cruises. Or the fire apparatus and the ambulance in each one of those vehicles have a mobile radio installed in it, which you can see. That's what a mobile radio looks like and then the officers. The firefighters have a portable radio on them. And when you key the mic the radio Transmissions go out. And they picked up by a repeat of which amplifies. the signal back to the Dispatch Center And that system that we currently have is is old and it's unreliable. We have a lot of areas that are in the city that are not covered. It's worse on the police side than the Fireside, but we do have our our areas that we're struggling to get good clear concise Communications back to dispatch.

▶ 1:57:11 Speaker 2: The repeater is it's two-way radio system. to enhance the distance and how the radio message can travel a portable radio transmits at about two and a half to five Watts. And when it hits the repeater, then it it we transmit at a stronger signal. That's how it gets back to the to the Dispatch Center and the connection to our antennas and I got to be honest with you. I'm not really a technical expert with how all this works. I just like to push the button and talk Kevin and John can elaborate more on the antennas and how it all ties together. If you have questions for them later.

▶ 1:58:00 Speaker 2: We have antenna up at the FFA FAA Tower up in Mount Hood. We have antennas on the tower here with fire headquarters, and we have antennas on. the police station and then we have repeaters all throughout the city. Nason Drive, the hospital the Lincoln School the FAA Tower and we have a proposed site for under the new development down on Washington Street.

▶ 1:58:38 Speaker 2: Part of this proposed upgrade would be two new consoles at the police station. infrastructure upgrades antenna upgrades to replace 20 and 30 year old antennas. And upgrade on the subscriber radios the Apex portable radios.

▶ 1:59:03 Speaker 2: That's all I have.

▶ 1:59:07 Speaker 2: We put a schematic in the drawing. Andrew if you go forward to slide six, this is so this is our current system and however how it all kind of ties in. And then the next slide will show the proposed. with the upgrades and a redundancy system so that if one of the systems would go down. Something as simple as even a fuse blowing it would kick over to the Redundant system. So there'd be no loss of communications.

▶ 1:59:43 Speaker 2: And this this plan here. will cover the city well

▶ 1:59:52 Speaker 4: Um, thank you. So so part of what I was going to sort of close with the chief sort of already addressed with and on the last slide Andrew was redundance and interoperability. Basically, this will provide immediate backup system in the event of a, you know, a failure of the primary system, which we can't have during a critical incident. So we'll have back up redundancy for that. The proposed system will also meet interoperability requirements at Fort by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive offices of Public Safety and Security. I've already run the system by them. They gave us the sort of blessing that it will meet that in the more importantly what we have for in front of some of the body last week regarding new Public Safety buildings. We've been assured that any upgrades or any you know money we invest today tomorrow will still work. We'll still be applicable to new Public Safety project that we have in mind.

▶ 2:00:48 Speaker 3: So, you know in I sort

▶ 2:00:51 Speaker 4: of enclosing I guess I also too want to reiterate that. I'm not an expert on rhf UHF digital fiber optics and all that. The only thing I can really testify to today without the assistance of John and Kevin would be just the obviously the importance of the you know, the safety of the men and women that work for both Chiefs here. That's what's why we're leaders. That's why we Chiefs to make sure that we give them the tools and keep the men and women safe and it's not just them. It's it's everyone in front of me and it's everyone watching on television this directly affects their well-being and their potential safety so we can't put it off any longer and you know, we respectfully request the council and those powers that be to allow the money to be allocated for such an important project. Thank you. I have counselor Snell and Q then councilor Williams.

▶ 2:01:50 Christopher Cinella: Thank you madam chair. Thank you Chiefs both you and you all for being here just for the folks at home that have scanners. So you going from with that? Who would that be something? Okay, we're going from analog to digital right? So that'll the those will be obsolete unless you have a dual.

▶ 2:02:13 Speaker 4: I believe so. You'll analog scanner.

▶ 2:02:17 Christopher Cinella: I just changed my vote. Now you dress the dead zones so that this is gonna cover all the dead zones throughout the city.

▶ 2:02:25 Speaker 4: police and fire and then In your presentation, obviously, it's not going to be obsolete. You'll be able to move it out of the whatever happens down the road with construction and whatnot. Be easily moved. I suppose correct to the new YES station or whatever, okay. All right. Thank you. Counselor Williams, I was gonna ask the same question, but I have another question too on top of it.

▶ 2:02:50 Ryan Williams: And it might be might be a technical question. So these are IP based transmitters, that's Internet Protocol. So we're talking it goes over the fiber. Yeah.

▶ 2:03:03 Speaker 1: You do your thing.

▶ 2:03:04 Speaker 4: You could do it from there. I'm not okay.

▶ 2:03:08 Ryan Williams: So do you do you feel like the assuming that this comes in? You know, I mean Motorola fulfills it fast do the stations have the bandwidth currently to operate the IP transmitters.

▶ 2:03:22 Speaker 2: The current system. Yeah, the current system. No, because current system is right. Now. Some of the sites are actually still using copper lines. Yeah. Okay. So that's why all that copyright lines are going away from Verizon. Yeah, so, you know, once one of the sites is actually the steelhouse so called to steal us almost called but oh Franklin Street, so one of the states is there and that's still running carpal lines and they've had that numerous problems with that site. Okay in particular, okay, and that is constantly going down. Yeah. So part

▶ 2:03:51 Ryan Williams: of this upgrade is going to be adding fiber into the correct. Yeah. and as for backups, if you have IP disruption

▶ 2:04:03 Speaker 4: what will happen with the system we try to

▶ 2:04:05 Speaker 2: create a loop loop Network. So again, if one one side goes down the other way, so it's all done with the switches. Okay. So each each location is going to have a network switch. Yeah, just like a you know, and we prove

▶ 2:04:17 Ryan Williams: money to run fiber through these buildings, right we did this earlier. So this is all part of that. So that's really great to see that coming together. Um, yeah, that's it. That's all my questions. Thank you, Cameron,

▶ 2:04:29 Speaker 4: Daddy. All right counselor McMaster. Thank you manager. Good evening Chiefs. Thank

▶ 2:04:33 Shawn M. MacMaster: you for being here on page three of the the PowerPoint here's depiction of a portable radio. I'm assuming there's also shoulder radios too. Not just the handheld radio. I'm sorry here, you know the pictures of a handheld portable radios assuming they'll also be shoulder radios that work on this and they call a Mike all the radio. And how many how many actual radios are being purchased both handheld and in the shoulder radios?

▶ 2:05:07 Speaker 8: I have a problem.

▶ 2:05:14 Speaker 4: Do the chair I think was 45.

▶ 2:05:16 Speaker 2: The Fireside the police have purchased there just a recent purchase for additional photos of themselves. But the fire 45

▶ 2:05:27 Speaker 4: maybe for the fire. Yeah, that's right.

▶ 2:05:32 Speaker 2: 45 radios all organized radios for the fire use they have a bigger Channel knob on them enough stuff like that family safe intrinsically safe. We'll also have the microphone spare battery charger and then the fireman strap that they always use in multi-year charges as well.

▶ 2:05:54 Shawn M. MacMaster: And chief Colleen. I remember in the past and Mr. Walsh will probably remember this as well. They were concerns about dead spots at Miller's Wakefield Hospital because this upgrade the existing receiver there or is that been addressed since that the the issue that you and I and Mr. Walsh spoke about a couple years ago with the BDA. Yeah.

▶ 2:06:18 Speaker 6: So we

▶ 2:06:22 Speaker 2: had putting a receiver at Mel's Wakefield is a plan up on the roof of Melrose Wakefield the biggest thing about this whole system. One of the other parts of the system is we're doing what it's called simulcasting. So currently both police and fire just transmitted at Mount Hood And then they have what they call receivers all these other locations what happens when the key up a radio it's when the receivers and get three broadcasts from Mount Hood. So the plan on this system is we're going to have a transmitted Mount Hood want the fire station and they'll both be transvenient receiving at the same time It's almost like a cellular network in a sense that basically what happens when they go from one transmitter to another transmitter. The radio itself will base. You have seamless Communications. And on the police side, we're going to have a transmitter to Mount Hood and then one at the police station. And doing the same thing. So having those transmitted closer to the hospital will probably give you a better penetration inside.

▶ 2:07:17 Shawn M. MacMaster: My last question is are the radios compatible with security at Melrose Wakefield Hospital. Is there an outside Channel where you can communicate directly to them? It can be

▶ 2:07:28 Speaker 2: that's up to them. If they wanted to probably want to program there, so it's possible. Yeah, if they want to program their Channel with whatever they're using in the world's Wakefield into their radios. Thank you. I have

▶ 2:07:43 Robb Stewart: a separate radio dispatch master. I'm counselor Stewart. Thank you madam chair. Thank you Chief fellow and chief Kalina for being here tonight. Appreciate it and looking at the numbers. It's so what I saw was 316 for the simulcast radio 280 293 for the fire department. In 292 for the police department for the three different systems that you putting out there and I'm just quoting from yeah the documents how many quotes were done for these?

▶ 2:08:14 Speaker 4: Is this a single quote?

▶ 2:08:17 Speaker 2: So yeah, I mean we're yeah, this is off State contract pricing bid system. Okay, it's off State contract.

▶ 2:08:24 Robb Stewart: Okay, so and I'm sorry that so this is kind of like a state mandated that we need to go through or is this competitive?

▶ 2:08:34 Speaker 2: No, no, if we put it out the bed all the prices would come into

▶ 2:08:40 Robb Stewart: the same because it's okay. Okay. I just wanted to confirm you so we

▶ 2:08:44 Speaker 2: have we called the soul. Soul source For the Motorola equipment. Okay changes.

▶ 2:08:52 Robb Stewart: And this is conclude all warranties and so forth. I mean we're gonna it does breaks in two years. We're not going to be coming back

▶ 2:09:01 Speaker 2: to us. Right? Yeah. So the warranty the rate is itself the Portables itself have scribble entities that we have the three years on each radio. The infrastructure is a year from completing of insulation and that we can offer want me his contracts to something like that. Okay, and

▶ 2:09:15 Robb Stewart: what's expected life in this the system? I'm sorry. What's the expected life of this system?

▶ 2:09:21 Speaker 2: Oh their current system is probably about 20 30

▶ 2:09:25 Speaker 4: years old. So we're gonna need another 20 30, but it Morocco

▶ 2:09:26 Speaker 2: and so now we expect a life realistically.

▶ 2:09:31 Robb Stewart: Is probably 15 20 years 15 to 20 years. Great. Okay, that's all I thank you. Thank you.

▶ 2:09:37 Jen Grigoraitis: President Grigoraitis. Thank you madam. Chair. Thank you both for being here. It's lovely to see you again. You were here just a few days ago. Just two quick questions. I think sort of the inverse of counselor stewards question is this request reflective of everything you need to make this upgrade to this system like well, we have a turnkey system based on this or are there other components that will need to fund later on.

▶ 2:09:59 Speaker 2: No, it's pretty much it. The only thing again is as long as a fiber network is in place. And that's the only thing is long. We have the connectivity. to all these sites everything else is included in this and do

▶ 2:10:11 Speaker 1: we need to plan for some sort of regular replacement of radios, you know, like laptops. Everything has a lifespan and if we do, how long is that and are we building that into a budget?

▶ 2:10:25 Speaker 2: Well again, I always recommend to 30 something years. So I always recommend a public safety agencies to switch on the portable and the factor in 10% of whatever they have for a year. So meaning if you have 50 radiosity budget 5

▶ 2:10:42 Speaker 1: And is that something that what we can anticipate starting to see that cost in a budget called Center?

▶ 2:10:47 Speaker 3: Okay process. They'll go through that.

▶ 2:10:52 Speaker 1: Thank you very much. And yeah

▶ 2:10:54 Speaker 4: their question counselors for the first time.

▶ 2:10:59 Ryan Williams: okay counselor Williams How much should we apply to the mass gaming commissions Community mitigation fund?

▶ 2:11:07 Speaker 3: For this so so I completed that

▶ 2:11:09 Speaker 4: Grant, you know with the help of Chief Kalina. I believe it was 250,000 mistake. It was 250 200. I believe it's 250 is the max. Yeah, we may receive they could hope they could give us all they could give us a

▶ 2:11:21 Speaker 3: portion. Yeah still waiting on that. Hopefully that comes through and we

▶ 2:11:26 Ryan Williams: I remember we applied for this in counselor mcmaster's board way back in the day on Pleasant Street when it first came out have we applied for this since then or is this the second time we've done this? Do you know? That's not really important. Anyway, thank you.

▶ 2:11:44 Christopher Cinella: Motion to recommend passage second motion recommend

▶ 2:11:47 Speaker 4: passage made by counselor. Snella seconded by counselor Stewart, Mr. Clark

▶ 2:11:56 Speaker 4: Vice chair Jamal Dean. Yes counselor McMaster. Yes counselor. Cinella. Yes counselor Eccles. Yes. Counselor garapay. Yes counselor Stewart. Yes counselor Carm Shetty. Yes counselor bremski. Yes counselor Williams. Yes, president Grace. Yes and chair mclarely. Yes, that's you know, it's 11. Yes. Thank you. So it'll be brought forward with recommendation at the next council meeting.