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NG 9-1-1 PSAP Life Cycle Assessment to be Completed by Federal Engineering for the State of Minnesota
FAIRFAX, VIRGINIA, November 9, 2015 — The State of Minnesota has awarded Federal Engineering, Inc. (FE) a contract to assist the State and local PSAPs with planning for Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1). FE will perform a NG 9-1-1 PSAP Life Cycle Assessment to determine the current state of equipment technologies, the associated cost for upgrade and the frequency of replacement.
The Department of Public Safety Emergency Communication Networks division (DPS-ECN) supports the Statewide Emergency Communications Board (SECB). In the 2013 Legislative Session, changes were made to Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 403 governing public safety communications requiring the SECB to perform a study on long-term funding strategies for statewide public safety communications including but not limited to the Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency Response (ARMER) and 9-1-1 systems. Federal Engineering was hired to complete the ARMER and 9-1-1 Funding Study, which was delivered to the legislature in February, 2014.
The state of Minnesota currently has 104 PSAPs that are E9-1-1 capable. With the onset of NG 9-1-1, these PSAPs must transition to Internet Protocol (IP) based technologies that meet NENA i3 standards. This transition will require the upgrade and replacement of 9-1-1 legacy technologies as well as supporting systems resulting in increased capital and reoccurring costs for PSAPs. Further the manner in which 9-1-1 calls for service are delivered to the PSAP will require Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data to be compliant with NG 9-1-1 standards.
Mr. Ronald F. Bosco, FE’s President and CEO, provided a vignette of the project: “ FE will develop a survey to collect information regarding the current status of 9-1-1 equipment and distribute it electronically to all 104 PSAPs. This tool will provide consistency in data collection and assist in the cataloging of relevant data. FE will work with the State to distribute the survey in a manner that provides for the highest return rate. We will then analyze the data in order to group PSAPs by tiers for evaluation purposes. FE will deliver a report that documents the current status of equipment in PSAPs, the NG 9-1-1 readiness of the equipment, and the minimum equipment necessary to be NG 9-1-1 capable. Our report will provide an estimate of the capital costs for each tier PSAP to transition from the current state to NG 9-1-1 capable.”
Federal Engineering is the leading, nationwide firm providing analysis, design, procurement, and implementation support for NG9-1-1, PSAPs, ECCs, and EOCs. These services complement FE’s wide range of consulting services in public safety and public service communications involving LTE as well as traditional VHF, UHF, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz and 4.9GHz mobile radio systems. FE also supports FirstNet planning in anticipation of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network. Since 1983, FE has completed thousands of communications projects for 40 state governments, as well as numerous local and federal government clients.
In addition to its public sector work, Federal Engineering provides design and implementation support services for voice, data, and video networks used in the transportation, utilities, aerospace, finance, education, publishing, and computer services industries. FE’s certified independence ensures that clients receive objective, unbiased consulting services that are not influenced by any particular technology, product, vendor, or approach.