Kentucky Wireless Interoperability Executive Committee (KWIEC) Overview

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Kentucky Wireless Interoperability Executive
Committee (KWIEC) Overview

• Presentation to 2006 Homeland Security and
  Local Government Conference
• April 5th, 2006

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KWIEC
The passage of HB 309

• Formed the KWIEC in the 2003 Session
• Administered through the Commonwealth Office of
  Technology (COT)
• Established Objectives of the Committee
• To formalize the role and reporting requirements
  of this group
• To adopt a nationally recognized title for the
  organization
• To expand membership to include local
  stakeholders at all levels of public safety
  service provision
• To address communications interoperability, a
  homeland security issue critical to the ability
  of public safety first responders to
  communication with each other by radio
• To advise and make recommendations regarding
  strategic wireless initiatives to achieve public
  safety voice and data communications
  interoperability

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KWIEC - Membership

• 21 committee members representing various
  disciplines of public safety spanning multiple
  levels of government
• State Government
• County Government
• Municipal Government
• Municipal Police Department
• Local Fire Department
• County Sheriffs Department
• Local Emergency Medical Services
• Local 911 Dispatch

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COT

• Mission
• To provide leadership in the area of information
  technology, promote efficiency, eliminate waste
  and duplication and improve government services
• Administration of the KWIEC
• To facilitate committee meetings
• To host interoperability communication
  conferences
• To research and advise architecture standards
  regarding technology initiatives to achieve
  public safety voice and data communications
  interoperability
• To maintain the KWIEC Website
• To maintain the KWEIC Listserv

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KWIEC - Timeline
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2004 Interoperability Goals

1. Develop a template for the review and approval
   process of project submission plans to be in
   compliance with the directives of HB226
2. Support a statewide wireless voice mutual aid
   plan
3. Pursue a strategic initiative for a statewide
   wireless data network
4. Support a tactical initiative to improve
   communications interoperability using a networked
   voice gateway technology solution
5. Develop a network architecture that meets the
   national standard (P25) for statewide public
   safety voice communications systems

All Five Interoperability Goals have been
Accomplished
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2005 Interoperability Accomplishments

• Establishment of procedures for the evaluation
  and recommendation of all public safety wireless
  communications architecture, standards, and
  strategies. The following methodologies have
  been approved and endorsed by KWIEC (Goal 1)
• Assessment of project plans
• Evaluation of project plans
• Knowledge management system (store, retrieve, and
  post reviews)
• Review, recommendation, and approval of
  eighty-two state and local agencies project
  plans for primary wireless public safety voice or
  data communications systems
• Development and recommendation of required
  architecture and standards that will ensure new
  or upgraded public safety wireless communications
  systems will interoperate. The following
  standards and methodologies have been approved
  and endorsed by KWIEC (Goals 2, 3, 4)
• Mutual aid voice communication interoperability
  plan
• Public safety wireless data interoperability
  standard
• Network communications gateway plan
• Research and presentation of Public Safety
  Wireless Architecture for the Commonwealth of
  Kentucky Project 25 Wireless Voice
  Communications Interoperability to KWIEC (Goal
  5)

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2005 Above and Beyond

• Partnerships Established to Promote
  Communications Interoperability
• Interoperability Communication Conferences
• SAFECOM First Responder Interoperability Pilot
  Project
• KWIEC Website
• Kentucky Emergency Warning System (KEWS)
• Wireless Data Communications Interoperability
• Wireless Data Communications Deployment
• Wireless Voice Communications Interoperability
• Wireless Voice Communications Deployment

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Partnerships

• Consortium of agencies united to establish the
  methodology to interlink their standards-compliant
  wireless data networks in a single logical
  network, thus creating a seamless statewide
  wireless data network.
• Ohio Valley Interoperability Communications
  Consortium (EM Region 3)
• Lexington Fayette County Urban Government
• Louisville Metro Government
• Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet
• Commonwealth Office of Technology
• Center for Rural Development

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Interoperability Communications Conferences

• To educate, plan, and foster voice
• and data communications
• interoperability among local, state,
• and federal public safety agencies
• Speakers include
• Representative Charles Siler, Kentucky House
  District 83
• Dr. David Boyd, Director of SAFECOM Project
• Major Woody Sandy, Director of Support Services,
  North Carolina State Highway Patrol
• Chris Essid, Commonwealth Interoperability
  Coordinator, Commonwealth of Virginia
• John Antenucci, Founder of PlanGraphics

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SAFECOM Pilot Project

• Selected by SAFECOM as one of only two states to
  take part in a First Responder Communication
  Pilot Project to provide a statewide strategy to
  implement radio interoperability communications
  throughout the Commonwealth.
• For the Kentucky pilot project, SAFECOM will work
  with the Commonwealth and local partner agencies
  to implement the following steps
• Establish key relationships and gather
  information
• Create a project plan and identify roles and
  responsibilities for project team
• Prepare and conduct focus group interviews
• Prepare and conduct strategic planning sessions
• Develop a statewide communications
  interoperability strategic plan
• Create guidelines for the first ninety days of
  implementation 

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KWIEC - Website
www.kwiec.ky.gov
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Wireless Data Communications

• Developing Directions
• Emergence of wireless data communications
• as an integral role in providing emergency
• services to the citizens of the Commonwealth.
• Increase deployment of wireless data networks
  across the Commonwealth.
• Infusion of funding from KOHS will increase in
  both urban and rural deployments of wireless data
  communication networks.
• Increase participation among public safety
  agencies to coordinate activities among each
  other while responding to an emergency.

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Wireless Data Communication

• KWIECs Involvement
• To provide a Vision that will establish a
  seamless public safety wireless data
  communications infrastructure and methodologies
  that will enhance the Commonwealths ability to
  deliver effective and timely emergency services
  to its citizens and avoid the creation of
  separate disparate non-interoperable wireless
  data communication networks
• To establish a Wireless Data Interoperability
  Standard that will achieve the above Vision

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Wireless Data Interoperability

• The support of the shared vision and the passage
  of the wireless data interoperability standard by
  KWIEC established the foundation for public
  safety agencies to operate their wireless data
  equipment within their own networks.
• This action facilitated the creation of a
  consortium of agencies to develop a public safety
  wireless data communications infrastructure that
  supports user roaming throughout the Commonwealth
  and permits local agency users to access their
  mobile applications from foreign service areas.

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Wireless Data Infrastructure

• Achieving the Vision of a Commonwealth-Wide,
  Fault Tolerant, Seamless Public Safety Wireless
  Data Communication Network

Various Existing Systems (Non-Interoperable)
Various Proposed New Systems (30)
Wireless Data Standards Enables Interoperability
Completion Date May 2006
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Wireless Voice Communication

• Public safety agencies operates in either one of
  the 150, 450, or 800 MHz Bands.
• Most radios Do Not have the capability to operate
  on different Frequency Bands. Therefore, three
  mutual aid channels are established to cover each
  of the three frequency bands.

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Mutual Aid Plan 150 MHz

• Use KSP KLEEN National Channel
• 22 Base Stations Currently Operating across
  Kentucky
• Each Base Station Connects to a KSP Post
• Major Highways Have Coverage
• Currently Maintained and Operated by KSP
• Use KSP Inner City (IC) National Channel
• 16 Base Stations across Kentucky
• Each Base Station Connects to a KSP Post
• Currently Not Maintained
• Combine KLEEN and IC Channels to improve
  statewide coverage

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Mutual Aid Plan 450 MHz

• Use Kentucky State Police State Channel
• 96 Base Stations Currently Operating across
  Kentucky
• Each Base Station Connects to a KSP Post
• Excellent Statewide Coverage
• Maintained and Operated by KSP
• 43 Public Safety Agencies currently use this
  Statewide System for Mutual Aid

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Mutual Aid Plan 800 MHz

• Use NPSPAC National Channels
• All Radios Purchased are Pre-Configured with the
  NPSPAC National Channels

ChannelName ChannelNumber Frequency(Mobile/Base in MHz)
Call 601 821.0125 / 866.0125
TAC1 639 821.5125 / 866.5125
TAC2 677 822.0125 / 867.0125
TAC3 715 822.5125 / 867.5125
TAC4 753 823.0125 / 868.0125
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Mutual Aid - Summary

• Mutual Aid Plan adds new dimension to our
  effectiveness and efficiency to improve all
  aspects of Emergency Management in protecting our
  citizens and our first responders.
• 150 MHz Plan combines two separate Mediocre
  coverage into a single infrastructure with Good
  statewide coverage. However, requires a small
  capital outlay to reprogram the radios and base
  stations.
• 450 MHz Plan requires no capital outlay and
  achieves Excellent statewide coverage.
• 800 MHz Plan is Talk-Around Mode only.
• 150 and 450 MHz Mutual Aid channels can be
  connected by leveraging the KSPs existing
  Patch technologies. Requires no capital outlay.

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2006 Wireless Interoperability Plans

• Completion of the Statewide Wireless Data
  Communications Project
• Completion of the Mutual Aid Voice Communication
  Interoperability Plan
• Pursuit of a strategic initiative by KWIEC for
  the exchange of wireless data among public safety
  agencies (i.e.. Instant Message)
• Participation in the SAFECOM First Responder
  Interoperability Pilot Project
• Installation of the first phase upgrades for
  Kentucky Emergency Warning System (KEWS)

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Conclusion

• The interoperability goals of 2006 are ambitious,
  but with continued support of public safety
  agencies, KWIEC, and the legislature, the
  Commonwealth of Kentucky will continue to witness
  improvement in public safety communication
  interoperability.

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Kentucky Wireless Interoperability Executive
Committee (KWIEC) Overview
Submitted by Ken Born Commonwealth Office of
Technology Finance and Administration Cabinet

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