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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReport - Mail Packet - 6/20/2017 - 2016 Annual Report From Larimer Emergency Telephone Authority (Leta) 9112016 Annual Report Background Image: “Aspens” by Pasha C. is li- Message from LETA’s Chief Executive Officer 9-1-1 was the topic of many statewide discussions in 2016. The discussions were focused around how do we upgrade our 9-1-1 network and the regulations governing the 9-1-1 network. When you dial 9-1-1, that 9-1-1 call travels along a single lane road until it reaches one of our 9-1-1 dispatch centers. The single lane road may have potholes, in some places the road is not paved, there might be construction and the traffic is rerouted or the road is completely closed like Highway 34 has been for months. The upgrades we need to do for the 9-1-1 network are considered a complete overhaul. Not filling pot holes, or widening the road from two lanes to three but instead our 9-1-1 network needs to be upgraded to transport voice and data packets. Think of a road to support a car to creating a transportation system to manage the traffic flow of hovercrafts. I started in public safety 24 years ago when the 9-1-1 calls we answered were from a corded land line in your home. We now answer your calls for 9-1-1 on wireless devices, your text device, your TTY, and from a smartphone app. 9-1-1 in Colorado is behind the curve. The network is old, the regulations are old and we are striving for more. We want to challenge our Public Utilities Commission and our 9-1-1 Basic Emergency Service Provider to rebuild the 9-1- 1 infrastructure. Build it smart, diverse, resilient, and make sure it can support technology today and into the future. LETA has remained on the bell curve with our technology and we will continue to do our part to ensure you have a robust network. We need others in the State to do their part so we can be stronger and the entire 9-1-1 system is stronger. Thank you for the opportunity to continue to serve our amazing communities within Larimer County. Sincerely, Kimberly Culp Kimberly Culp, ENP, MA, MS Chief Executive Officer LETA Mission The Larimer Emergency Telephone Authority strives to provide distinguished 9-1-1 service and innovative 9-1-1 programs through technical excellence, leadership, and open collaborative communication. LETA shall maintain a unified approach to current and future 9-1-1 needs. To support our commitment to 9-1-1, we collect and responsibly manage telephone surcharges. Berthoud Fire Representing Fire Districts Fire Chief Steve Charles PO Box 570 Berthoud, CO 80513 scharles@berthoudfire.org 970-532-2264 City of Loveland Representing City of Loveland IT Director Bill Westbrook 500 E 3rd St Loveland, CO 80537 bill.westbrook@cityofloveland.org 970-962-2330 Fort Collins Police Services Representing City of Fort Collins Greg Yeager, Deputy Chief PO Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522 gyeager@fcgov.com 970-416-2185 2016 LETA Board Members Town of Estes Park Representing Small Towns Police Chief Wes Kufeld PO Box 1287 Estes Park, CO 80517 wkufeld@estes.org 970-577-3825 Thompson Valley EMS Representing Hospital Districts Chief Randy Lesher 4480 Clydesdale Pkwy Loveland, CO 80538 rlesher@tvems.com 970-663-6025 Colorado State University Representing Small Towns 2016 Accomplishments NICE Voice Logger Have you ever seen a news story on TV where a portion of a 9-1- 1 call is played? Did you ever wonder how all of the calls are recorded, where they are stored, and how we can find a recording of a 9-1-1 call when needed for a legal matter or media request? Fortunately, the days of recording to physical media like tape and optical discs are behind us. LETA has implemented a new state of the art voice logging system that records all calls and radio communications at multiple points within our 9-1-1 system. All of the recordings are stored digitally on hard drives in multiple, physically-diverse sites and the detailed information about each radio or phone recording is saved in a database to help in retrieval. Personnel responsible for listening to or producing recorded audio are able to search across LETA’s multiple recording servers using a variety of methods including time frame, dispatcher, dispatch position, and caller’s phone number among other criteria. In addition to being used in investigations and media requests, audio recordings are used for internal process improvement . Voice logging systems are an essential element to public safety. Legal Counsel In 2016, Attorney John Frey retired after 26 years of serving as legal counsel for Larimer Emergency Telephone Authority. John Frey was a cornerstone to LETA. His knowledge, guidance, and tenure was valued by the LETA Board Members who have served over the years. Mr. Frey guided LETA through numerous situations, set the tone for excellence and kept the bar raised regardless of the issue we faced over the years. One event captures John’s style, during the High Park Fire in 2012, John called to ask what he could do to help. He knew our citizens were frightened, our emergency responders were taxed beyond words, and LETA was working around the clock to keep citizens alerted to the shifting fire. John offered to staff the phone, return calls, go to the evacuation center, whatever we needed, he was going to fill the gap. That is what John offered to LETA over the years. John offered more than his professional services, he offered his investment in this community and his understanding that this was more than a job, LETA is a responsibility. John, we thank you for your service. You made a difference in our team and our community. – The LETA Board and Staff. LETA hired Tracy Oldemeyer in 2016. Her practice focuses on general civil litigation, commercial litigation, and insurance defense in state and federal court. Tracy’s firm, Cline Williams, represents clients across Nebraska, Wyoming, and Northern Colorado. LETA is excited to welcome Tracy to the team. Public Education Larimer Emergency Telephone Authority works to keep the public informed and educated on matters relating to 9-1-1 and Emergency Alerts within Larimer County. LETA accomplishes this by attending public events, visiting schools, and meeting with community organizations. The newest addition to the LETA team is Cell Phone Sally. The Cell Phone Sally mascot helps teach children the importance of recognizing true emergencies, knowing how to dial 9-1-1 and memorizing important information such as their address and phone number. How parents can help: • Teach children how to unlock smart phone devices and dial 9-1-1, especially if it is the only phone in Looking Forward NG911 and GIS: what does it mean to you? LETA has been actively involved with the FirstNet Technical Working Group for the State of Colorado. The First Responder Network Authority, or FirstNet, will be the first high-speed interoperable wireless, broadband data and cellular voice network dedicated to public safety, which will facilitate communication for first responders daily and in the event of emergencies. FirstNet will provide a resilient network with public safety-grade quality of service, and local control of prioritization and preemption, enabling access to applications and system coverage where public safety needs it most. FirstNet is an independent authority within the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). In Colorado, planning and outreach efforts for FirstNet have already begun. Staff at the Governor’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) are actively working with the FirstNet Colorado Governing Body (FNCGB) to develop a strategic approach to the managing the program in Colorado. For more information and to monitor progress of FirstNet Colorado see https://sites.google.com/a/state.co.us/firstnetcolorado/home. FirstNet Square Miles Unique Address Points Dispatch Centers EMS Responder Agencies Fire Responder Agencies 203,387 5 21 2,635 3 5,Miles 310 Of Roads 13 Law Enforcement Agencies Next generation 9-1-1 (NG911) is using a network to connect your voice call to 9-1-1 instead of using an old fashion phone line. In Larimer County, we have taken the necessary steps to be NG911 ready and for the systems we manage, we are Next Generation 9-1-1. NG911 and GIS will allow us to route calls based on the location of the device making the phone call, and it allows for location validation prior to a caller making an emergency call. This is known as GEOSPATIAL Call Routing. Geospatial call routing enables more accurate call routing than our traditional 9-1-1 system and can reduce the number of times a caller is transferred due to misrouted 9-1-1 calls. This will improve our emergency response times and in an emergency, seconds matter! To be NG911 GIS ready, our map data must have accurate emergency service boundaries, address points, and road centerlines. In order to be ready for this transition, LETA hired a dedicated GIS Analyst who has been working to prepare our GIS data to be NG911 Ready. LETA takes pride in being leaders and ready for new technology that would improve emergency services. Emergency Alerts Larimer Emergency Telephone Authority has partnered with Everbridge since 2008 to bring critical communications to the citizens of Larimer County. Dispatch centers in Larimer County can quickly and reliably reach residents over any device during public safety threats. Registration is quick and FREE! Follow these three easy steps: Go to www.leta911.org to register to receive emergency alerts. Choose up to 5 locations Example: Home, work, child’s school, etc. Provide as many contact paths as possible. If we can’t REACH you, we can’t ALERT you! Larimer Emergency Connect Visitors to Larimer County can now anonymously opt-in to the emergency alert system by texting “Go LETA” to 888777. • No personal information necessary • Receive countywide emergency alerts via text message • Emergency alerts available in Spanish • Quick, easy registration • Free! www.leta911.org the home. • Teach children that 9-1-1 is for emergencies only. Help them understand what emergencies are. • Teach children important information about you and your family such as address, phone number, parents’ names, etc. Total Calls 553,031 Total 911 Calls 119,492 Total Texts 1,114 Captain Frank Johnson 750 Meridian Ave. Fort Collins, CO 80523 Franke.johnson@colostate.edu Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Representing Larimer County Under Sheriff Bill Nelson 2501 Midpoint Drive Fort Collins, CO 80525 nelsonwd@co.larimer.co.us 970-498-5103 LETA is funded from a 9-1-1 Surcharge. The 9-1-1 Surcharge is 45¢ per month, per phone line. We capture 9-1-1 surcharge on wireline, wireless, and voice over internet phone lines. The average surcharge in Colorado is .95¢. LETA has the second lowest 9-1-1 surcharge in Colorado with only Arapahoe 9-1-1 Authority lower at .43¢. The 9-1-1 Surcharge is the only source of funding LETA receives to support 9-1-1 in Larimer County. The surcharge generates ~ 1.4 million dollars in revenue annually. To accomplish our mission we focus on responsible management of our surcharge, pre planning, preparing, and predicting expenditures. LETA has completed a ten-year projection of our revenue and our predicted capital expenditures. In 2019, LETA will need to consider an increase to our 9-1-1 surcharge in order to maintain adequate emergency funds and reserves. By State law, LETA is allowed to raise the surcharge up to .70¢. A surcharge over .70¢ requires PUC approval and a public hearing at the Commission.