Local Considerations in Becoming a Network Control Center for the State S MA-CALL and MA-TAC1

Local Considerations for Network Control Centers

Local considerations in becoming a NetworkControlCenter for the State’s MA-CALL and MA-TAC1 should include roles and responsibilities, personnel requirements, cost factors, and equipment installation. Each area is described below.

Roles and responsibilities?

As a Network Control Center (NCC) for the mutual aid cluster provided by the State on MA-CALL and MA-TAC1, your agency would operate these two channels along with any other mutual aid channels your agency has in place for all public safety requests via those channels. Mutual aid includes law enforcement, fire, EMS and other eligible entities. Your staff would determine which MA-TAC channel to assign for each event, ensure the channel is returned to the pool for the next assignment, ensure its proper use by those assigned its use, enable/disable the repeater, conduct periodic tests to ensure functionality and familiarity, etc.

MA-CALL and MA-TAC1 clusters typically cover a multi-county area each. For example, the DUV cluster encompasses Duval and Nassau counties; hence, both counties need to be involved in decision-making for this multi-jurisdictional cluster. The State prefers one NCC per cluster. However, exceptions are considered if a single control line into the State system is preserved per MA channel. If the State dispatch center ever had a need to take over the State’s MA-CALL and/or MA-TAC1, the NCC would likely know long before that point arrived and as the event escalated. Normally, it would be in the local NCC’s control, and handoff to the adjacent NCC would be at request for events that would be traversing into that respective adjacent cluster.

Your agency would be the Primary NCC and the State dispatch center in Jacksonville,for the above example, would be the Backup NCC. (The word “Secondary” is not used as it is used by the Region 9 Plan for a different purpose.)

Additional personnel required?

The need for additional personnel is a determination made by your agency. Agencies with existing mutual aid channels at their dispatch centers (particularly, MA-CALL, MA-TAC2, MA-TAC3, MA-TAC4, and the MA-FLA) merely gain more mutual aid channels. With the State MA-CALL and MA-TAC1, your agencymay gain additional coverage area to proctor. Consider calling existing NCCs for the State MA-CALL and MA-TAC1 for their input on personnel matters. A list of existing NCCs may be provided upon request.

Cost factors (i.e., maintenance, install fees, training, etc.)?

Maintenance of the State MA-CALL and MA-TAC1 system is the responsibility of the State’s contractor (M/A-COM). The local communications center may use the Florida Interoperability Network (Network) to control MA-CALL and MA-TAC1. In the absence of a Network or if chosen otherwise by the local communications center, a control line and phone bridge per MA channel, console modifications, training, and other items relevant to bringing your communications center on board are your responsibility. Consider calling Patti Broderick of OrangeCounty (407-836-2794) for how the State has assisted with their mutual aid training, understanding, and operations. For instance, with Patti’s initiative, STO developed NCC maps that are dispatch-friendly. A “work in progress,” which we have for each area,may be provided upon request.

What equipment is installed?

The infrastructure for MA-CALL and MA-TAC1 is installed and operationalstatewide. If your consoles have space available to program or install two modules and your console electronics have two available conventional interfaces or base interface modules, new console equipment requirements are minimized to labor costs for integrating MA-CALL and MA-TAC1 into your center. The console can be Motorola, M/A-COM, or other make/model for controlling these two conventional, analog mutual aid channels.

Any equipment needed to bring in two control lines to your dispatch electronics is your responsibility. The control line may be negotiated with M/A-COM (subject to the State’s review) to identify the demarcation point – particularly if part or all of the control takes advantage of their microwave system. In the DUV cluster example,the control lines from the Jacksonville dispatch center to the State’s dispatch center (both in Jacksonville) would be a relatively short run.

This should help further your decision as a possible Primary NCC. To re-emphasize, a State cluster covering multiple counties should involve those counties in NCC decision-making so it is a consensus among all. The State looks forward to entering into a Local Agreement that establishes a Primary NCC on the State’s MA cluster for each respective area.

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