Louisville Metrosafe

[red8]

Give them time and then Louisiville will want to change and go to a different system, the State Police here in Louisiana had been using an
800 MHZ system since 1988 and it took hurricane Katrina and the fact
that Motorola has discontinued making the radio systems and it is getting hard to find replacement parts. Now the Louisiana State Police is setting up a statewide interoperability system on 700 MHZ that is a type 25 system. When complete this system will be able to communicate with other agencies not just in Louisiana but in neighboring states such Mississippi, Alabama in the event of a major
disaster. This system will be able to transmitt not only voice but data
information throughout the region. In my opinion this is a system that
can do it all. The Commonwealth of Kentucky would really like it.
The problem with the 800 system is the availibility of towers. There
are about 15,000 users on our the state system from about 70 different agencies in Louisiana. When the LATIE system comes on line every agency in the state will have access to not only wireless
voice but data also. The old department I used to work for is still on 800 with a few channels P25 digital. And there are still problems in
certain areas of the Parish (County for those of you who don't understand Louisiana lingo) I live just across the Parish line from Baton Rouge and I have problems with reception on 800 .

 

[jcpd9720]

Still new to the ideas and myths/theories/scares/perks of digital radio, but let me ask this:

Why switch over to a whole different bandwith? "Motorola has discontinued making the radio systems and it is getting hard to find replacement parts. Now the Louisiana State Police is setting up a statewide interoperability system on 700 MHZ that is a type 25 system"... Get new radios... Fix the problems... Cost everybody a lot less money!

If they already have licenses for the 800 channels, they now have to get them for the 700. Every single radio has to be replaced. Every transmitter has to be replaced.

They should fix holes in reception for the system they already have, and expand THAT sytem statewide (If it isn't already)

I appreciate the "lookin' out" though. I would sure hope that our wonderful people in the Radio Tech Department have already been doing their homework, and will design the system flawless (I am not holding breath though, this is the government, and the hypoxic drive kicking in would just make me breath anyway!!)

 

[kyparamedic]

I hope they spec out the system good in Louisville so that they don't have the problems they've had in other places that have gone 800 MHz trunked, like Georgetown/Scott County. Both Georgetown Fire and Scott County Fire have gone back to VHF because they're not able to transmit from inside a lot of buildings. There was a structure fire and listening to a playback of the tapes you could hardly make out what was going on inside due to poor reception. Of course they could go to "walkie-talkie" or simplex mode for those inside or for fireground operations but they want everything recorded by dispatch.

 

[brey1234]

newspaper article

Two companies are bidding to install the next phase of Louisville metro government's planned emergency communication system, raising hopes that the price will be more in line with what city officials had expected.
The city opened two bids Tuesday -- one each from M/A-COM and Motorola. The companies are the two largest providers of emergency communication systems. http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061006/NEWS01/610060332/1008

 

[LouisvilleScanMan]

Hopefully the system that IS in line with what the city wants to pay will still meet the needs of it's users.

 

[ofd8001]

The following news release came out today:

Mayor Names Veteran GE Executive to Lead MetroSafe Contract Selection Team



LOUISVILLE (October 30, 2006) – Mayor Jerry Abramson today named Roger Schipke, a longtime senior vice president of General Electric who oversaw worldwide appliance operations, to lead Louisville Metro’s efforts to review, select and negotiate a multi-million dollar contract for the next phase of the MetroSafe emergency-communications network.



Schipke (pronounced SHIP-kee), a Louisville resident who oversaw a $500 million annual capital budget at GE, will lead a project team of Louisville Metro Government employees that will evaluate the bids for a new radio transmission network that will improve communications for more than 3,700 police, fire, EMS and other emergency responders.



The project team also includes:

Doug Hamilton, director, Emergency Management Agency / MetroSafe
Ted Pullen, project manager, General Service Administration
Craig Bowen, director, Purchasing Department
“Roger is a well-respected business leader with vast experience overseeing the selection and implementation of multi-million dollar investments at GE,” Abramson said. “We are fortunate to add his expertise to a strong project team that will help make our community a safer place to live.”



Abramson said he sought Schipke’s expertise because of the complexity of the MetroSafe project, the significant amount of public dollars invested, and the impact of the project on Louisville’s future grants and allocation of other state and federal funding.



“MetroSafe is perhaps the most costly and complex investment that we have ever made as a government,” Abramson said. “I want to make sure we do it right the first time.”


The first phase of MetroSafe, completed in September 2005, created a single communications center at 768 Barret Ave., bringing together 911 call takers and police, fire and EMS dispatchers that previously operated from four different locations with four different systems. The second phase, completed in June 2006, put all dispatchers on the same computer system for the first time, allowing better emergency coordination and improving response times by eliminating call transfers.



The third phase of MetroSafe includes a state-of-the-art radio transmission system and new communications center at the site of the former Federal Reserve Building downtown.



Two companies submitted bids for MetroSafe Phase III. The project team will review and evaluate the bids, make recommendations to Mayor Abramson, help negotiate a contract with the selected company and oversee implementation of the project. The selection process is expected to be completed early next year.



Schipke’s background



After more than 30 years at GE, Schipke headed two Fortune 500 companies as chairman and CEO – Sunbeam Corp. and the Ryland Group. Schipke is a former board member of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and has served on boards of several New York Stock Exchange Companies.



Currently, Schipke is an executive-in-residence at the University of Louisville and a frequent speaker at business schools across the country, including Harvard University and the University of Kentucky.



Schipke will serve as an independent consultant and will be paid a fee not to exceed $3,000 a month.

 

[LouisvilleScanMan]

According to the Implementation Schedule the bid reply from Motorola and M/A COM will be received this November and if all goes well construction on phase 3 will start in December and finish around July 2008.Is the schedule still about the same or has it changed?

 

[ofd8001]

From what I've read, as opposed to hearing officially, is they hope to complete proposal evaluataion by early next year. Bear in mind history has shown that many MetroSafe things happen much later than sooner (in the beginning they wanted the system up by 2007 and its late 2006 and they haven't even studied the proposals).

They say its an 18 month to two year buildout, so I'd put my money on two years, and not get too surprised if it goes longer than that.

 

[LouisvilleScanMan]

Well like I said before at least I don't have to worry about saving up the cash for a digital scanner any time soon.

 

[LouisvilleScanMan]

Well it's been a month since we've heard anything on this subject so is there anything new to tell? How is the testing going?

 

[LouisvilleScanMan]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Is there any news about MetroSafe? How's the testing going?

 

[kd4bas]

City's loss of federal grant won't stop MetroSafe

This article is from the Louisville Courier-Journal

City's loss of federal grant won't stop MetroSafe


A federal decision to cut Louisville out of a Homeland Security grant program will not slow efforts to build a $70 million emergency communications system, the mayor's office said yesterday.

"This won't affect our ability to finish MetroSafe," said Chad Carlton, a spokesman for Mayor Jerry Abramson. In fact, the city was told last year that it probably would not get money this year.


The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said Louisville is one of four cities dropped from those eligible for funding from the Urban Area Security Initiative program, which has sent $22 million to Louisville in the past four years.

The city was excluded because federal authorities changed the criteria for determining terror risks, and Louisville did not rank as high as other cities, said MetroSafe Director Doug Hamilton.

The city is trying to determine where it fell short, he said.

About $15 million of the money the city has received in the grants has gone to MetroSafe. City officials have said it will let all agencies that would respond in the event of a terror strike or natural disaster communicate over one radio system.

Because the old Louisville and Jefferson County police were on different communications systems, it's difficult for urban officers to talk with suburban officers.

The other cities excluded were Omaha, Neb.; Toledo, Ohio; and Baton Rouge, La. The program is designed to funnel money to metropolitan areas at risk of being terror targets.

Hamilton said the city will be "plastering Washington" with grant applications to other federal agencies in hopes of capturing additional federal funds.

If the city isn't successful, Carlton said the rest of the money for MetroSafe would come from bonds and federal funding that passes through the state's Department of Homeland Security.

Hamilton said the city has raised $45 million of the system's cost

 

[ofd8001]

I was in a meeting last week and it was mentioned that they may be making a choice by the end of the month.

I won't hold my breath. This is a government deal and the governmental wheels turn real slow.

They are still testing the Motobridge and they have some bugs, it appears to me. Some of which might be because it is not used that much and those who have to do the bridging haven't gotten much experience under their belts.

I was reading through the previous messages, and noted a comment about giving us time and we'll want to switch to another system.

I'm three months short of being in the fire business in Jefferson County for 34 years. We're still using the same kind of technology and frequencies we've been using ever since I got here. I think that goes to show you we're don't do an awful lot of radio changin around these parts.

 

[mjaghall]

Metrosafe APCO-25 Still Experimenting?

A few days ago I aquired a pro-96, and have the metrosafe APCO-25 experimental frequencies listed on this site programmed in. I have not heard anything yet. Are they still simulcasting EMS traffic on these channels? Also, any news yet on bid selection?

 

[ofd8001]

I haven't heard anything about a bid selection yet, though I thinking they are getting close. So perhaps some time this month or next. I'm not doing any breath holding, however.

It appears they have taken down any bridges between fire and the new system and ems and the new system. Why I don't know.

You should hear radio techs on it, as that is their primary channel. They don't talk very much on it however.

 

[brey1234]

keeping the recommendation secret

Two companies, M/A-COM and Motorola, bid in October on providing the infrastructure after city officials revised the specifications -- a decision that delayed the project by several months, but may save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.
A team of experts evaluated those bids, resulting in a recommendation last week to negotiate exclusively with one of the companies.
Abramson's office is keeping the recommendation secret, along with the exact amount of the bids, until the city has a signed contract. But Abramson did say both bids are in the neighborhood of the budgeted $30 million.
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070402/NEWS01/704020382

 

[brey1234]

forgot to add this...

If I was a Kentucky taxpayer I would be demanding the negosiations are public--Here's an article abt Pa's 800 Mhz system
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_500578.html

 

[Thunderbolt]

The governing body of the Metrosafe TRS, has applied to the FCC for a time extension to build out their system. Interestingly enough, they have not selected a vendor at this time. Hopefully, they will do that soon enough. However, the new schedule is available on the FCC Web site.

73s

Ron

 

[ofd8001]

If some information I recently heard was correct, a decision may be announced sometime in late June.

 

[dispatch]

And the winner is..."Motorola"...Hooray!!!

MetroSafe taking step forward
Communication system contract will be signed
By Dan Klepal
dklepal@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal


By Dan Klepal
dklepal@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal



It will be the largest investment in public safety since the Louisville and Jefferson County governments merged in 2003.

The city is about to sign a $22.8 million contract with Motorola to build the backbone of a digital communication system, known as MetroSafe, that will allow firefighters, police and paramedics to communicate easily.

And it will do more:

Police can have mug shots or video transmitted to their cruisers.

Firefighters can scan building plans before entering a burning structure.

Paramedics can review medical records while rushing a patient to the hospital.

The entire project will cost over $71 million, with construction on the communication towers to begin in July and take 18 to 24 months.

The city managed to dramatically cut the cost of the system's backbone after receiving only one bid for it last year: $59 million, from Motorola. City officials rewrote the specifications, and a new round of bidding brought proposals from two companies, with MA-Com's bid $69,295 lower than Motorola's.

The earlier cost estimate prompted some on the Metro Council to question whether costs for the project could be controlled.

For Paul Barth, of the Jefferson County Fire Chiefs Association, it is a worthy investment.

Just a few years ago suburban fire departments couldn't communicate at all with Louisville firefighters, he said. "Now we can talk to them, but it's not instantaneous," Barth said. "With MetroSafe, it will be instantaneous. Seconds count in an emergency, so that's what we need."

This contract adds to the $35 million spent on the first two phases of the project.

The final phase will involve buying radios and video-display terminals for emergency vehicles -- between 4,000 and 5,000 units, estimated in 2004 to cost $15 million.

In the latest contract, the $22.8 million will buy six new communication towers, along with the computer and microwave equipment necessary to tie it all together. It's the most expensive and technically challenging aspect of the project.

The new system replaces a hodgepodge of equipment that often provides poor reception and confounds efforts of city and suburban agencies to speak with each other. The original system was built in 1970.

MetroSafe Director Doug Hamilton said the investment is crucial, yet nearly invisible to most people. "It's not something you can point to like a museum, or arena," he said. "... But we know this is as important as all those tourist attractions because they can't exist if people don't feel safe and secure in the community."

Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson has made a new communication system the priority of his administration since taking office in 2003.

The original cost estimate was $50 million, but that has grown to $71 million today -- a figure likely to be exceeded after purchase of the radios. But whatever the final amount is, it will be far less than officials feared in October.

Motorola's original $59 million bid was nearly double the maximum officials expected to pay, and caused them to rewrite the specifications.

The new specifications said companies would have to build the towers on government-owned land, that the city would develop those sites and that the companies could design the system any way they wanted as long as 95 percent of the county was covered. That brought costs down, Hamilton said.

Still, the growing cost has opened the door for political criticism, particularly from Metro Council member Kelly Downard, who was Abramson's opponent for mayor last year.

Downard, R-16th District, has called the MetroSafe process "awful."

"I'm encouraged that it's no longer going to cost $100 million, but I'm discouraged because we seem to get a different number all the time," Downard said. "I will need to see, on the ground level from the users, whether this thing works."

The two bids were evaluated by a team of 10 city officials, who were led by Roger Schipke, a former vice president at General Electric. After a months-long process, Motorola was the unanimous choice.

"Both companies could have done it," Schipke said. "Both bids were very competitive. Motorola's coverage looked a little stronger. Motorola had a slight edge on price and a slight edge on the technology. The two things working together got Motorola the job."

Abramson called the project the "most important" his office has worked on in the past four years. He added that the decision to reject the first Motorola bid and recast the specifications was difficult because it was uncertain whether a new round of bids would produce a lower price.

"I think we've done this right," he said. "I feel really good about it for our hometown."

Reporter Dan Klepal can be reached at (502) 582-4475.