By Amanda Hilliard, Director of Outreach
More than 60 public safety officials representing a huge range of stakeholders attended the Alabama Initial Consultation on July 15 in Huntsville. Many members of the Alabama First Responder Wireless Commission also attended the consultation, along with representatives from the major disciplines, the Governor's Office, and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Also in the room were Alabama’s Chief Information Officer Brunson White and FirstNet Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) Member Sherriff Larry Amerson, along with guests from industry and the nearby states of Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Seven of the attendees presented during the meeting and discussed how mobile data use has evolved over the past several years and the challenges of network congestion, limited bandwidth, and coverage gaps. The state also shared desires for the nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN), including coverage in rural areas and increased bandwidth, in particular for the use of video.
Alabama 911 Board
Leah Missildine, Deputy Director
Deputy Director Missildine gave an overview of the Alabama Next Generation Emergency Network (ANGEN), which is a planned Internet Protocol (IP) network to handle 9-1-1 calls. As of December 5, 2014, 100 percent of wireless 9-1-1 calls in Alabama were being routed through ANGEN’s core call routers and delivered to Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) via the existing network provided by commercial wireless carriers. Currently, ANGEN is developing an RFP for a statewide IP system, with the ultimate goal of migrating to an all IP-based network by 2020. ANGEN has partnered with local 9-1-1 districts to set policies and manage PSAPs. ANGEN wants to explore additional NG 9-1-1 designs, solutions, and services that best fit Alabama’s needs. Deputy Director Missildine said that NG9-1-1 and FirstNet are two different networks, but suggested that attendees view them as an end-to-end solution for public safety.
Alabama Fire Service
Eric Creel, Captain
Captain Creel began his presentation by discussing how difficult it was for the Alabama Fire Service to streamline incident response using hand written documents, pre-planning manuals, and limited mapping capabilities. Captain Creel cited the purchase of two new technologies, a band 14 modem and updated software, as key to improving data reliability, mapping enhancement, and improved response times for the Alabama Fire Service. Currently, the Alabama Fire Service uses a band 14 compliant modem for service. This modem contains an integrated GPS with enhanced mapping capabilities that eliminated the agency’s need for an additional GPS module. It also proved to be a more stable platform after the Alabama Fire Service tested several other options during the procurement process.
The Alabama Fire Service also uses customizable public safety software that can be tailored for agency use before delivery to the end user. This software utilizes a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) rather than the more common Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). The UDP decreases latency down to less than 2 seconds, an improvement from the fire service’s older data transmission equipment, which has a latency time of 20-40 seconds. Captain Creel said the UDP’s faster data exchange improved his agency’s overall response times. In addition, the UDP provided a more stable platform for the agency’s records management systems, which eliminated the need for cumbersome paperwork. The Alabama Fire Service has been using the tool for 9 months, with 40 users on the fire side.
Alabama Fusion Center
Jay Moseley, Director
Director Jay Moseley began his presentation by stating that the central job of a fusion center is to receive critical information and share it with the field as fast as possible. He discussed the importance of reliable long term evolution (LTE) service during the 50th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. During the 50th anniversary of the march, the fusion center used the Homeland Security Information Network to send texts and email alerts to push out information. However, Director Moseley noted that commercial LTE service was slow and, at times, inaccessible as the event attracted 70,000 people. As a result, the fusion center lost its ability to stream video from aviation and ground assets over LTE. He emphasized that the National Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) will provide the secure connectivity and speed needed for gathering and disseminating intelligence at large-scale events. Furthermore, Director Moseley emphasized the importance of information sharing in a timely and efficient manner, as the time lost relaying information could potentially result in the loss of life.
A Decade of Disasters, Response, Risk, and Challenges
Art Faulkner, Director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency
Director Art Faulkner presented on the state’s communication challenges during the 2011 severe tornados and Alabama Governor Robert J. Bentley’s 2015 inauguration. In 2011, a multiple-vortex tornado damaged portions of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, including smaller communities and rural areas between the two cities. Director Faulkner said that the key challenge during the severe weather event was determining how to get interoperable devices, including radios, into local counties. In 2005, Alabama used Homeland Security grant funding to bring county equipment up to standard. When the tornados hit Alabama six years later, the updated devices made two-way communications possible for incident response. The state also documented their response to the tornadoes on their website.
Mobile Data in Emergency Management
J.T. Johnston, Director of the Monroe County Emergency Management Association
Director Johnston discussed a pipeline spill in Monroe County that occurred on the evening of October 3, 2014. As actions were taken to control the incident, first responders maintained an incident log in the cloud. Director Johnston reported that emergency management coordination actions were completed within an hour, without the need to send any first responders to the scene. The agency was able to use a damage assessment app that allows pictures from the field to be sent to a dashboard back at the office. Director Johnston said that his agency has mobile and satellite connectivity, but the satellite connectivity is hit or miss. Director Johnston emphasized how being mobile and having both voice and data capability is essential to incident response.
Mobile Data in Emergency Medical Services
Jerry Slaughter, Information Technology Director of Huntsville Emergency Medical Services (HEMSI)
Director Slaughter discussed the importance of mobile data in emergency medical services. HEMSI is a private, not-for-profit ambulance service in Madison County and also serves incorporated areas nearby. HEMSI manages 55,000 calls for service, which includes emergency and non-emergency services. HEMSI uses a mobile broadband gateway that allows broadband backhaul, GPS, Wi-Fi rolling hotspot, and Bluetooth capability. Director Slaughter monitors data usage, management, diagnostics, and can even remotely manage the device. HEMSI also provides secondary services during natural disasters. Director Slaughter says he has a wish list for what he wants to achieve with mobile data, including streaming video from the scene of an event; telemedicine, which would allow HEMSI to obtain and provide clinical health care from a distance; and the ability to download vivid, high quality photographic imagery in mapping. Furthermore, HEMSI would like to integrate real-time weather data, like radar systems, when responding to emergency and non-emergency events. Given these desires, Mr. Slaughter emphasized the importance and desire of protected bandwidth so that in the event of a disaster or emergency, first responders can both receive and push data, photos, medical information, and location information where it needs to go.
Tribal Needs
Chris McGhee, Training Officer, Poarch Band of Creek Indians Fire Department
Mr. McGhee presented an update on tribal radio infrastructure and tribal concerns. The Poarch Creek Indian Tribe is the only federally recognized tribe in the state. The fire department is staffed by 21 people on the main reservation. Under the current tribal radio infrastructure, the fire department uses analog conventional VHF. The police department uses digital conventional VHF. Mr. McGhee described the mutual aid radio infrastructure as problematic. Even with a P25 updated system, there is no compatibility with the analog systems and non-P25 systems that bordering counties use. To address interoperability, the tribe purchased an interoperable IP-based solution that allows patching from different buildings while on the scene of an incident.
Alabama is beginning to work on the FirstNet requested data collection effort and intends to provide some information by the September 30 deadline. It was a pleasure for FirstNet to be in Huntsville. Thank you to the Alabama planners and attendees for detailed presentations, tough questions, and great discussion.
-Amanda
