City of Dallas Communications 9-1-1 Technical and Operational Assessment FINAL REPORT SUBMITTED MAY 28, 2015 T0: CITY OF DALLAS, TEXAS 502 N. (anoll Avenue, Suite 120 Southlake,TX 76092 888.8.MCR911 or 888.862.7911 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1. BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................................. 3 1.1. 1.2. 1.3. 1.4. 1.5. 1.6. NETWORKS .................................................................................................................................................. 3 TELEPHONY ................................................................................................................................................. 3 CAD ............................................................................................................................................................ 3 OPERATIONS ................................................................................................................................................ 3 BACK UP OPERATIONS ................................................................................................................................. 4 GIS ............................................................................................................................................................. 5 2. TECHNICAL INTERVIEWS AND OBSERVATIONS.......................................................................................... 5 2.1. 2.2. 2.3. 2.4. 2.5. 2.6. RADIO NETWORK GROUP.............................................................................................................................. 5 LAN/WAN GROUP ....................................................................................................................................... 6 NETWORK SECURITY GROUP ........................................................................................................................ 7 CAD GROUP ................................................................................................................................................ 7 9-1-1 TELEPHONY SUPPORT GROUP ........................................................................................................... 10 PUBLIC SAFETY PHONES ............................................................................................................................ 10 3. GIS INTERVIEWS AND OBSERVATIONS ...................................................................................................... 11 4. OPERATIONS INTERVIEWS AND OBSERVATIONS..................................................................................... 13 4.1. 4.2. 4.3. 4.4. CALL W ORKFLOW ....................................................................................................................................... 13 HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS ................................................................................................. 16 CALL RECEIPT ............................................................................................................................................ 18 CALL DISPATCH AND POST-DISPATCH ......................................................................................................... 21 5. OPERATIONAL FINDINGS .............................................................................................................................. 23 5.1. 5.2. 5.3. 5.4. 5.5. 5.6. 5.7. 5.8. 5.9. 5.10. 5.11. 5.12. 5.13. 5.14. GENERAL ................................................................................................................................................... 23 TRANSFERS ............................................................................................................................................... 24 COMBINED CALLS ....................................................................................................................................... 25 DUPLICATE CALLS ...................................................................................................................................... 26 TELEPHONE CALL W AITING QUEUES ........................................................................................................... 26 FIRE-RESCUE............................................................................................................................................. 26 POLICE SERVICE DESK ............................................................................................................................... 27 TELEPHONES.............................................................................................................................................. 28 CLOCK AND TIMESTAMPS ............................................................................................................................ 28 ................... 29 STAFFING................................................................................................................................................... 29 EMD ......................................................................................................................................................... 30 TRAINING ................................................................................................................................................... 30 STATISTICS ................................................................................................................................................ 30 6. CONSIDERATIONS .......................................................................................................................................... 31 6.1. OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS ................................................................................................................. 31 Mission Critical Partners i 6.2. 6.3. TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS ..................................................................................................................... 32 GIS CONSIDERATIONS ................................................................................................................................ 33 7. CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................................... 33 Mission Critical Partners ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Mission Critical Partners, Inc. (MCP) conducted an assessment of the City of Dallas (City) 9-1-1 call- taking/dispatch system and operations. The City has engaged MCP to assess the current operating environment, identify problems, and capture pertinent data to be used in developing user requirements for replacement of its current 9-1-1 CPE. In performing the assessment, MCP conducted meetings and observations with the various groups and teams that are part of receiving, managing and dispatching 9-1-1 calls. Technical and operational interviews were conducted with 9-1-1 call stakeholders, representing the following groups: Radio Network, Local Area NetworkNVide Area Network (LANNVAN), Network Security, Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) and Customer Premise Equipment (CPE). The City of Dallas processes and manages 2 million inbound 9-1-1 calls per year. This document breaks the 9-1-1 call-handling function into three phases. Those phases are initiation/call-receiving, dispatch, and post-dispatch. The City?s call-taking operation utilizes an? call-taking system that incorporates an _private branch exchange (PBX) as part of the platform. Additional _te ephone extensions provide phone services in the call-taking, service desk, dispatch and other 9-1-1 functional areas. MCP has included observations for the City to consider for reducing the chances for errors and simplifying some of the call-taking, service desk, and dispatching processes. During future follow-up sessions, discussions with select stakeholders will validate the observations and further re?ne the considerations resulting from the site visits. Feedback, and any subsequent information-gathering efforts, will enable MCP to develop the statement of user requirements document that is needed to prepare a comprehensive Request For a Competitive Sealed Proposal The format of this report has been organized to provide background, a description of what MCP observed and input on operations through interviews and staff input, ?ndings as noted by MCP subject matter experts, considerations for the City and recommendations for improved performance at both a technical and operational level. There are a number of considerations and recommendations in this report that will be helpful to the City of Dallas. These include recommendations for technical support systems, 9-1-1 operations, and GIS functions within the City. Technical recommendations are centered on the functional needs of the 9-1-1 operation and how improvements to the technical con?guration and utilization of equipment can assist in operational improvements. 9-1-1 Operational recommendations focus on call processing, staf?ng, technology in the PSAP and integration of that technology with the operational aspects of call handling. GIS recommendations concentrate on the integration of CAD and GIS mapping as tools for enhancing the call handling experience and the importance of accurate and robust GIS data for use in the call handling process. The City of Dallas is a massive operation with many departments, functional groups and support staff that need to coordinate and collaborate for all systems to be both functional and ef?cient. This is a Mission Critical Partners 1 complex operation with multiple entities who contribute to overall success of the City’s services. The findings, considerations and recommendations contained in this report are expected to assist the City in improving services and design a path forward for future system and operational improvements. Mission Critical Partners 2 1. BACKGROUND The City has engaged MCP to assess the current operating environment, identify problems, and capture pertinent data to be used in developing user requirements for replacement of its current 9-1-1 CPE. 1.1. NETWORKS The Radio Network Group has responsibility for a network that carries only radio traffic. The LAN/WAN Group provides management of a separate network for 9-1-1 use, with highly controlled entry points. The 13-member Network Security Group has members that specialize in various aspects of network security, with all having general security knowledge. 1.2. TELEPHONY Currently, the City provides telephony using phones connected to the 9-1-1 call handling system, for purposes other than delivering 9-1-1 emergency call communications. Most of the 9-1-1 call handling options available to the City will not provide similar capability in a cost-effective manner. The City will most likely need to consider options for replacing these phone sets with a new telephony solution. What must be considered is that these phone replacements must be designed and implemented to meet the more stringent resilience, security and other requirements for public safety communications. 1.3. CAD The CAD system can support Internet Protocol (IP)-based transfers of data. Serial transfers are utilized, with some of those executed via serial-to-IP converters. 1.4. OPERATIONS Meetings with different groups and teams that could provide insight into City of Dallas 9-1-1 operations were conducted with the City’s police department, 3-1-1 operations, police service desk, police dispatch, fire/emergency medical service (EMS) call-takers, fire/EMS dispatch and public safety expediter (PSE). The City of Dallas does not track wireless Phase 1 or Phase II calls separately, but does track wireline and wireless call volumes. The 9-1-1 backup center is located Mission Critical Partners 3 For the purpose of conducting interviews with the technical staff, MCP visited the City of Dallas May 7-8, 2015. MCP also conducted interviews with the communications staff and, to observe calltaking and dispatch operations, MCP visited the City of Dallas Communications Center (Center) on April 24 and again May 6–8, 2015. These meetings and observation times allowed MCP staff to create a baseline understanding of the current 9-1-1 capabilities, call-processing workflow, stakeholder needs, and other activities associated with the City’s 9-1-1 services. This information assisted MCP in identifying gaps and establishing the baseline requirements to develop a statement of user requirements. Staff facilitated a call-process modeling session with select personnel representing 9-1-1, police dispatch, fire-rescue dispatch, CAD, and administration. Staff also met with key training personnel to identify challenges in current operations. As a result of these meetings, MCP identified, and subsequently spent time observing user activity in areas considered to impact, or be impacted by, the procurement and implementation of new 9-1-1 CPE, as follows: • Dallas Police Department (DPD) 9-1-1 call center • 3-1-1 operations • Police service desk • Police dispatch • Fire/EMS call-takers • Fire/EMS dispatch • Public Safety Expediters (PSE) The 9-1-1 call-takers transfer fire calls to the Dallas Fire-Rescue (DFR) call-waiting queue. Overflow calls to the 9-1-1 center do not overflow to DFR. Overflow calls are routed to the 9-1-1 queue and divert to DPD 10-digit numbers. 1.5. BACK UP OPERATIONS In the Backup Center there are also separate rooms dedicated to DFR Dispatch and DPD Dispatch. These are normally used as classrooms and transitioned if the backup center is activated. Mission Critical Partners 4 1.6. GIS As part of a wider 9-1-1 improvement effort, the City has engaged MCP to assess the current state of GIS capabilities across the City and capture pertinent information to be used in developing recommendations for improving functionality, streamlining processes and reducing costs. MCP conducted a conference call, Friday, May 15, 2015 with City Geographic Information System (GIS) team members. GIS services in the City are centralized through the City’s GIS Service department. 1.6.1. Current GIS Landscape GIS services in the City are currently centralized through the City’s GIS Services department, with stovepipe implementations providing additional support to several agencies. Administrative Directive AD 2-35 established general rules and standards regarding GIS operations in the City. Department-specific data may be shared, though no standards, requirements or methodologies for data sharing were identified beyond Licensing costs and procurement for end-user and supporting applications, both purchase and annual maintenance, are the responsibility of the individual agency. 2. TECHNICAL INTERVIEWS AND OBSERVATIONS MCP conducted technical interviews with City of Dallas stakeholders to determine the current state of systems and perceived needs for future systems. Discussions were held with the following groups: Radio Network, LAN/WAN, Network Security, CAD, and CPE, all within the Communications and Information Services (CIS) department. 2.1. RADIO NETWORK GROUP The Radio Network Group operates and maintains base stations, fixed and mobile two-way radios, pagers, and a microwave network that provides voice, data, and control connectivity between base stations and repeaters. Other entities do not have connections to the network, nor is it connected to any other networks. Mission Critical Partners 5 2.2. GROUP Mission Critical Partners 6 2.3. NETWORK SECURITY GROUP 2.4. CAD GROUP Mission Critical Partners 7 Remainder of page intentionally left blank. Mission Critical Partners 8 Mission Critical Partners 9 2.5. 9-1-1 TELEPHONY SUPPORT GROUP The 9-1-1 Telephony support group maintains the call-handling systems and the redundant 9-1-1 call recorder/loggers. The group also maintains a separate, non-redundant that records the 3-1-1 calls for quality assurance purposes. The City’s regular internal phone system is a phone system, running It was expressed that part of any acquisition of a new 9-1-1 call-handling system should include staging of equipment, testing, cutover services, and technical training. 2.6. PUBLIC SAFETY PHONES The City is currently using phones that are connected to the and part of 9-1-1 call handling communications but are not purposed solely for the function of receiving 9-1-1 calls. Most Mission Critical Partners 10 of the current 9-1-1 call handling solutions, including the current , do not use a traditional PBX as part of the core design. As a result of these core architecture changes, most public safety entities are now required to provide public safety grade telephony that is separate from the 9-1-1 system that is managing 9-1-1 calls. It is important that as the City considers their public safety telephony options, specific needs and public safety requirements are included so that strict service levels are maintained. Public safety telephony will usually have more stringent requirements for redundancy and resiliency along with other unique capabilities to ensure exceptional availability. In addition, public safety requirements demand unique attention to system management policy such as maintenance windows. Traditional weekend maintenance and upgrade windows would be a high risk to the City’s ability to provide expected 9-1-1 services. The implementation of a public safety telephony system will require coordination with the implementation of the new 9-1-1 call handling system. Special thought needs to be given to the requirements of connectivity and signaling capabilities between the two systems, that provides the greatest amount of flexibility and functionality of both systems. 3. GIS INTERVIEWS AND OBSERVATIONS First responders, including law enforcement, fire, and EMS personnel, along with state and federal public safety-related agencies understand the importance of GIS, its role in public safety-related activities, and the value of complete, accurate and readily available GIS data. Many of these same public safety agencies are evaluating their existing GIS datasets and investigating methods for quickly and efficiently achieving the levels of data accuracy, standardization and quality required to support the high demands of a National Emergency Number Association (NENA) i3-compliant Next Generation (NG9-1-1) system. NOTE: Major changes in the existing emergency services architecture are being driven by the rapid evolution of the types of devices and services that can be used to request emergency assistance. In addition, there is an increasing volume and diversity of information that can be made available to assist public safety answering points (PSAPs) and first responders. NENA recognizes that this requires a fundamental update to the 9-1-1 system, and is addressing the challenge with NG9-1-1, which is the evolution of Enhanced 9-1-1 to an all-IP-based emergency communications system. This technical specification, commonly referred to as i3, is the first version of the NG9-1-1 system design. Mission Critical Partners 11 Most public safety professionals agree that GIS data plays a critical role in E9-1-1 and understand that GIS becomes the core database for call routing and location validation in NG9-1-1. Many public safety agencies are scrambling to synchronize their existing Master Street Address Guide (MSAG) and Automatic Location Identification (ALI) data with their GIS data. Synchronizing the MSAG, ALI and GIS data allows PSAP telecommunicators and emergency responders to effectively provide the right help to those who need it. In addition, synchronized and standardized GIS data ensure effective interoperability between public safety software and organizations. The use of GIS in public safety applications was almost unheard of 20 years ago, although the same data—e.g., street centerlines, address ranges and emergency response zones—always has been a part of supporting the public safety mission. Today, this data is highly refined and GIS use is widely adopted by public safety agencies. 9-1-1 call handling, law enforcement, fire and EMS all use GIS to support their individual missions. This use of GIS extends past the core law, fire and EMS providers to include hospitals, emergency management, public health, social services, utility companies, federal agencies and others, as shown in Figure 2 below. Figure 2 – The Extended Emergency Enterprise The use of GIS data enables enhanced situational awareness for telecommunicators and first responders. By relating features, events, incidents and responders together based on geography, telecommunicators and responders can obtain a common operational view of unfolding events. This data allows responders to have and share a common operating picture that provides situational awareness and greatly enhances responder safety. GIS often is used to uncover patterns, analyze past events and identify current and future trends. Agencies can analyze traffic accidents, different types of crimes, fires and other calls for service, which can lead to a better understanding of causes, help effect resolutions and remedies, and assist in predicting future needs. Mission Critical Partners 12 The move to NG9-1-1 allows for the full breadth of GIS capabilities to be applied to both steady state and emergency response programs. For example, data from licensing and inspection agencies can assist firefighters by providing details about the location of chemicals stored onsite at a printing company. The possibilities for value-added data are limited only by the availability of the information and the capability of the agency to share the data. The first task for this committee should be to develop a formal Five-Year GIS Strategic Plan. This plan should address the City’s approach to everything concerning GIS, from large-scale data acquisition (orthoimagery/planimetrics) to back-end data storage, sharing and servers; from desktop and custom application licensing (concurrent use/portable single use) to staffing plans, augmentation and special projects. The City has laid the groundwork for the strategic plan with AD 2-35. The strategic plan will move forward that good work and enhance the growth of GIS use in the City. A five-year plan also allows for better budget management and planning. Capital purchases such as orthoimagery and planimetrics, which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, require much planning. A rolling fiveyear strategic plan will keep the necessity of these expenses in the forefront, reducing the chance of limited or denied funding. Finally, the key to improving enterprise GIS capabilities in the City is the adoption of national standards to ensure effective data-sharing interoperability. The full benefits of GIS only can be realized with the adoption of critical standards that ensure the capability’s use across data-sharing platforms. The City has begun this process with the publishing of City GIS Data Standards (document: DWU-PRO-013GIS). The reconstituted steering committee can use this document as the foundation for a set of standards governing the creation, maintenance and sharing of data in the City. 4. OPERATIONS INTERVIEWS AND OBSERVATIONS 4.1. CALL WORKFLOW1 Mission Critical Partners 13 Remainder of page intentionally left blank. Mission Critical Partners 14 Mission Critical Partners 15 4.2. HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS3 Communications personnel use a combination of hardware and software applications to manage the numerous responsibilities that are associated with each business phase. In addition, callers expect to speak to a trained professional, to be treated with courtesy, and to speak with someone that can control their situation until a trained field professional arrives on scene; successfully meeting these responsibilities are the benchmark for successful call processing. However, no matter what the industry standards are for call processing, successful call processing to a 9-1-1 caller also includes police officers successfully apprehending a suspect, fire personnel extinguishing a fire without loss of life, and EMS personnel saving a life. Failing to accomplish these tasks invites negative citizen feedback and unfavorable media attention. The Center’s primary CPE solution for managing incoming 9-1-1 calls is To manage administrative incoming and outbound calls a variety of are used. The Center currently uses a requests for service. as the primary resource for initiating and processing For incident location assistance, all entities have access to the For its audio-logging solution, the Center Mission Critical Partners 16 To aid in the capture of call-processing data, To provide historical incident information, the Center uses Center personnel use several ancillary devices to process calls for service including headsets, keyboards, and mice. Staff utilize . To manage the significant background noise in the Center, these headsets are noise-cancelling. Keyboards and mice are standard issue. Mission Critical Partners 17 4.3. CALL RECEIPT The initiation/call receipt phase is where a call-taker determines the “who, what, when, where and why” of a call. Failing to verify an Automatic Number Identification (ANI)/Automatic Location Identification (ALI) address, transposing a number in an address, entering an incorrect call type, or failing to ascertain critical details of a call are all examples of failures in this area. The tables in this section list the sources of calls for service received by the City of Dallas Communications Center and the setup of each position that receives calls. Mission Critical Partners 18 Mission Critical Partners 19 Mission Critical Partners 20 4.4. CALL DISPATCH AND POST-DISPATCH The dispatch phase is the phase where the dispatcher determines the proper dispatch priority of the call, the correct response to send, and what to do if the required resources are not available. Errors in the call-receiving phase may also be detected, corrected or clarified before the call is dispatched. Vigilance on the part of the dispatcher can identify potential problems with the information gathered by the call-taker, and set the wheels in motion to correct these. The post-dispatch phase is the period following the dispatch of response units. It includes the time before and after units arrive, and continues until the call is terminated. It is critical that the dispatcher watch for updated information being provided by the call-taker, as these updates may change the nature or response of the call, and make changes as appropriate. In addition, it is critical for the dispatcher to relay information between responding units as they provide it. This too may result in changes in the nature or response to the call. Once units arrive, requests for additional assistance, less assistance, and any other information regarding the call must be documented and acted on as appropriate. The following table lists the setup of each position that has dispatch and post-dispatch capabilities. Mission Critical Partners 21 Mission Critical Partners 22 5. OPERATIONAL FINDINGS During observation periods, the MCP team interviewed call-takers, dispatch staff, training personnel, and supervisors as they were performing their duties. Information obtained during those conversations is highlighted throughout this portion of the report. Mission Critical Partners 23 Mission Critical Partners 24 Mission Critical Partners 25 Mission Critical Partners 26 Mission Critical Partners 27 Mission Critical Partners 28 Mission Critical Partners 29 Mission Critical Partners 30 6. CONSIDERATIONS 6.1. OPERATIONAL CONSIDERATIONS Mission Critical Partners 31 Mission Critical Partners 32 6.3. GIS CONSIDERATIONS Considerations based on technical discussions and observations include: • MCP recommends that the City reassemble the Enterprise GIS Committee to encompass decision-makers and leaders from all agencies using GIS, in order to guide the centralization of GIS and to empower them with the authority to coordinate GIS efforts across all agencies. • Develop a formal Five-Year GIS Strategic Plan. • Adopt national data standards and use the City GIS Data Standards (document: DWU-PRO013-GIS) as the foundation for a set of standards governing the creation, maintenance and sharing of data in the City. • GIS capabilities in the City of Dallas are robust, wide reaching and well developed. Through coordinated effort and leveraging economies of scale, the City is positioned to grow public safety GIS, and possibly enterprise-level GIS, to levels of capability not readily found elsewhere in the State of Texas. 7. CONCLUSION This document was prepared to highlight the operations of the City of Dallas Communications Center. The project team focused on gathering data and operational functions based upon interviews and observations completed over a four-day period. The interview and observation process highlighted functional requirements for the procurement of 9-1-1 CPE to replace the existing CPE that is at the end of its lifecycle, and coincidentally exposed opportunities to enhance operations within the call-processing workflow. Additional time and effort are recommended to validate the information gathered thus far for inclusion in the Request for a Competitive Sealed Proposal (RCSP). Mission Critical Partners 33