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REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION Date: �l19/04 Item No.: 9. Department Appr� !- ManagerApproval: Agenda Section: � �� Work Session Item a�t�rl�tf�r�:`{ The interopers�flltyrfunctl�n G� h1H LT� the most importantfeature of �he r�+dfi� s�rs�rn- Irrt�r+�p�f v�i R�'�r�nride a communicationssafety net for public safety professionals,a consolidated command and control function in times of crisis, and ultimatelya greatly enhanced ability to respond to public safety needs in our community. ��FC�Q�H� Following over 10 years of planning and construction, the MN Metro Public Safety Communication System began operations in the Fall of 2002. The Minnesota State Patrol, MnDOT, Hennepin, Carver, and Anoka Counties began operating with the new 800 MHz radio communication system. This system allows public safety officials (police, fire, and emergency medical personnel) to communicate seamlessly between and among agencies. The system shares a common backbone network of microwave antennas, receivers, and transmitters located throughout the nine county metropolitan area. The 800 MHz radio system results in faster response and easier command & control coordination when events require a multiple agency interaction. This ability--to have public safety professionals talk directly to each other in times of crisis when mutual aid is vital--is called interoperability. Our current patchwork of VHF and UHF radio systems in Ramsey County does not allow emergency responders to communicate with each other because our radio technology does not allow it. In emergency situations, public safety personnel response and coordination is severely handicapped by the inabilityto exercise command & control through our current radio systems. Emergency management exercises conducted throughout our county and metro area underscorethe difficulty in coordinating a response to a disaster with a disjointed communication. PROPOSED ACTION The interoperability function of 800 MHz is the most important feature of the radio system. Interoperability will provide a communications safety net for public safety professionals, a consolidated command and control function in times of crisis, and ultimately a greatly enhanced ability to respond to public safety needs in our community. The Ramsey County 800 MHz radio system ties into the Minnesota Department of Public Safety 800 MHz radio backbone already in place throughoutthe state. The Minnesota Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER) is being phased into use throughout the state in six phases. The metro area is phases one and two. When completed, 800 MHz coverage will extend statewide in the ARMER system. ARMER will provide statewide radio coverage to state, county, city public safety officers, and government workers. The Ramsey County 800 MHz radio infrastructure will consist of six antennas1 base radio sites and up to four PSAP's or dispatch centers. The project engineers have submitted the county plan to the Metropolitan Radio Board for approval, based on the current four PSAP's in Ramsey County, (Ramsey County Sheriff, St. Paul, Maplewood, and White Bear Lake Police Departments.) The plan may be modified to incorporatefewer PSAP's even afterthe initial approval by the radio board. A change in the number of PSAP's, whether by a combined or conjoined dispatch center, may affect the overall cost of the project.