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RELEASES:

US Wireless Meets
FCC Phase I With Urban RadioCamera Test
CML and Sprint
Connect in
Allegheny
CHEMTREC
Partners with
Operation Respond
Manitoba Telecom Motorola to Create Province-Wide
Radio Network for RCMP
TRANSITIONS

US Wireless Meets FCC Phase I With Urban RadioCamera Test

US Wireless Corporation has successfully completed a high accuracy cellular caller location test in a high rise metropolitan setting, and its RadioCamera wireless geolocation project met the 125 meters range required by the FCC mandate for locating wireless 9-1-1 callers.

RadioCamera, the product based on the company's location fingerprinting technology, has overcome the main hurdles including rough multipath and a lack of line of sight in a metropolitan area, thus eliminating the need for triangulation solutions. The tests, conducted in downtown Oakland (CA), were performed by referencing the RadioCamera to a high precision dead reckoning system. RadioCamera is a Pentium and Windows NT-based radio fingerprinting system, designed for installation in cellular, PCS, and ESMR base stations to "fingerprint" the geographical location of a caller requesting 9-1-1 emergency assistance or location-related information. An open platform radio signal processor, RadioCamera analyzes the radio pattern or "fingerprint" generated by a caller, including the timing and the direction of the pattern.

CML and Sprint Connect in Allegheny

Allegheny County (PA) has selected Sprint and CML Technologies to supply its ECS-1000 E9-1-1 equipment for a county-wide 9-1-1 network installation. The system will provide E9-1-1 service for a geographical area of 730 square miles and serve a population in excess of 1,300,000. Equipped with 150 9-1-1 trunks (both wireless and wireline), the new system will unite the surrounding municipalities of Allegheny County with comprehensive E9-1-1 service.

"No cohesive emergency response system currently exists in Allegheny, and the equipment is over 10 years old," said Brad Magill, Allegheny County Deputy Chief of Emergency Services. "When the new system is fully installed, it will provide state-of-the-art E9-1-1 service and leading-edge technology to Allegheny County."

The multi-year contract includes installation and maintenance of two CML ECS-1000 systems operating in tandem along with 7 PSAPs and 52 primary answering positions. All the answering positions will use CML's SeNTinel 9-1-1 intelligent workstation. For disaster recovery, each PSAP includes a portable dial-in Command Post 9-1-1 answering position allowing full remote operator functionality.

http://www.cmltech.com

CHEMTREC Partners with Operation Respond

The Chemical Manufacturer's Association's CHEMTREC service will soon be enhanced through a partnership with the Operation Respond Institute (ORI), a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC. Together, they will develop a joint project that will apply higher technology in emergency response. ORI runs the Operation Respond Emergency Information System (OREIS) that tracks the contents of rail cars and many trucking company loads through a computerized database available to PSAPs. Within minutes of an incident involving railroads or motor carriers, PSAPs can use the OREIS to determine the cargo contents. Once the hazardous materials are identified, OREIS also provides important information to ensure the safety of responders and the surrounding community.

Now, once the content of a particular rail car is verified through the database, automatic contact with CHEMTREC occurs for hazmat mitigation. "The goal of our partnership with ORI is to expedite the current notification process responders use to alert CHEMTREC of an incident," said Tim Butters, CHEMTREC's associate director of Information Services. "The faster we are notified of a release or spill, the faster we can begin working to supply data, contacts, information, and expertise. We can better serve the public when we can provide critical information faster and bring key players - manufacturers, shippers, carriers, and responders - together quicker during a hazardous materials incident.

http://www.cmahq.com/

Manitoba Telecom Motorola to Create Province-Wide Radio Network for RCMP

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police joined with the Province of Manitoba in a $60 million contract with MTS Mobility to provide the RCMP with province-wide FleetNet service. FleetNet is an enhanced, trunked radio dispatch network and was the main communications tool for coordinating emergency operations during the Manitoba flood earlier this year. During the disaster, MTS Mobility distributed over 350 radios to the military, the provincial government, the RCMP, and other emergency responders.

MTS Mobility, the wireless unit of Manitoba Telecom Services, will be investing some $35 million over the next two years in network infrastructure to build a two-way radio communications service that would cover virtually all of the province's approximately 250,000 square mile range. The system will use Motorola's Astro SmartZone Omnilink trunked two-way radio technology throughout the system. "We're equipping the RCMP with one of the most advanced public safety systems in the world," said James Fitzgerald, President and COO of MTS Mobility. "It's an investment in Manitoba, because we will be able to accommodate the communications needs of public organizations and commercial operators across the province."

The installation phase initially will serve 1,500 RCMP officers communicating with Motorola Astro digital radios, but the system will have the capacity to add new users well into the future. FleetNet allows customers to talk to large groups or one-on-one with the push of a button. Like a cellphone, they also have access to local and long distance networks to make and receive telephone calls. Users can also transmit data including sending and receipt of pager messages.

"Until now, many northern communities have had limited wireless options," Fitzgerald said. "With our commitment to building a province-wide FleetNet system, they will soon have an affordable and efficient dispatch solution."



TRANSITIONS

In Memoriam: Stan Harter
(photo courtesy of APCO)

Stanly Easton Harter, Assistant Chief, Telecommunications Unit, Information Technology Branch of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, and a long-time participant in APCO and public safety communications, died suddenly on April 2, 1998, near his Sacramento home. He was 68 years old.

Stan was an Assistant Director of the State Civil Division (communications and warning officer) and the Chief Of Telecommunications for the State of Hawaii from 1962-1982. From 1982-1985 he was Communications Coordinator for the City of Bakersfield and Kern County, CA. In 1985, he accepted a position with the Governor's Office of Emergency Services as its RACES (amateur radio service) coordinator.

He was a life member of APCO, having been the first individual to be President of three chapters; Vice Chairman and Executive Director of the FCC's California State Emergency Communications Committee, and was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Civil Air Patrol.

Stan was the voice of the Emergency Alert System and its former self, the Emergency Broadcast System. Although stricken with polio in his youth, he refused to let his disability slow him down. Stan frequently got around faster on crutches than most people could walk.

Stan was loved and respected by a great many people in the emergency community. Serving the needs of his community has always been his primary vocation, as he became a reserve police officer, wildland firefighter, fire lookout instructor, Communications Unit Leader, Logistics Chief, Fire Information Officer, and guest lecturer. He was a professional broadcaster, news anchor, and broadcast engineer.

He will leave a tremendous void in the hearts of everyone who knew him.

Aloha, Stan. Mahalo.

Dave Larton/California OES Telecommunications



INDUSTRY NEWS Editor's Desk People, Places & Things Calendar (current) RELEASES: US Wireless Meets FCC Phase I With Urban RadioCamera Test CML and Sprint Connect in Allegheny CHEMTREC Partners with Operation Respond Manitoba Telecom Motorola to Create Province-Wide Radio Network for RCMP TRANSITIONS	US Wireless Meets FCC Phase I With Urban RadioCamera Test US Wireless Corporation has successfully completed a high accuracy cellular caller location test in a high rise metropolitan setting, and its RadioCamera wireless geolocation project met the 125 meters range required by the FCC mandate for locating wireless 9-1-1 callers. RadioCamera, the product based on the company's location fingerprinting technology, has overcome the main hurdles including rough multipath and a lack of line of sight in a metropolitan area, thus eliminating the need for triangulation solutions. The tests, conducted in downtown Oakland (CA), were performed by referencing the RadioCamera to a high precision dead reckoning system. RadioCamera is a Pentium and Windows NT-based radio fingerprinting system, designed for installation in cellular, PCS, and ESMR base stations to "fingerprint" the geographical location of a caller requesting 9-1-1 emergency assistance or location-related information. An open platform radio signal processor, RadioCamera analyzes the radio pattern or "fingerprint" generated by a caller, including the timing and the direction of the pattern. CML and Sprint Connect in Allegheny Allegheny County (PA) has selected Sprint and CML Technologies to supply its ECS-1000 E9-1-1 equipment for a county-wide 9-1-1 network installation. The system will provide E9-1-1 service for a geographical area of 730 square miles and serve a population in excess of 1,300,000. Equipped with 150 9-1-1 trunks (both wireless and wireline), the new system will unite the surrounding municipalities of Allegheny County with comprehensive E9-1-1 service. "No cohesive emergency response system currently exists in Allegheny, and the equipment is over 10 years old," said Brad Magill, Allegheny County Deputy Chief of Emergency Services. "When the new system is fully installed, it will provide state-of-the-art E9-1-1 service and leading-edge technology to Allegheny County." The multi-year contract includes installation and maintenance of two CML ECS-1000 systems operating in tandem along with 7 PSAPs and 52 primary answering positions. All the answering positions will use CML's SeNTinel 9-1-1 intelligent workstation. For disaster recovery, each PSAP includes a portable dial-in Command Post 9-1-1 answering position allowing full remote operator functionality. http://www.cmltech.com CHEMTREC Partners with Operation Respond The Chemical Manufacturer's Association's CHEMTREC service will soon be enhanced through a partnership with the Operation Respond Institute (ORI), a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC. Together, they will develop a joint project that will apply higher technology in emergency response. ORI runs the Operation Respond Emergency Information System (OREIS) that tracks the contents of rail cars and many trucking company loads through a computerized database available to PSAPs. Within minutes of an incident involving railroads or motor carriers, PSAPs can use the OREIS to determine the cargo contents. Once the hazardous materials are identified, OREIS also provides important information to ensure the safety of responders and the surrounding community. Now, once the content of a particular rail car is verified through the database, automatic contact with CHEMTREC occurs for hazmat mitigation. "The goal of our partnership with ORI is to expedite the current notification process responders use to alert CHEMTREC of an incident," said Tim Butters, CHEMTREC's associate director of Information Services. "The faster we are notified of a release or spill, the faster we can begin working to supply data, contacts, information, and expertise. We can better serve the public when we can provide critical information faster and bring key players - manufacturers, shippers, carriers, and responders - together quicker during a hazardous materials incident. http://www.cmahq.com/ Manitoba Telecom Motorola to Create Province-Wide Radio Network for RCMP The Royal Canadian Mounted Police joined with the Province of Manitoba in a $60 million contract with MTS Mobility to provide the RCMP with province-wide FleetNet service. FleetNet is an enhanced, trunked radio dispatch network and was the main communications tool for coordinating emergency operations during the Manitoba flood earlier this year. During the disaster, MTS Mobility distributed over 350 radios to the military, the provincial government, the RCMP, and other emergency responders. MTS Mobility, the wireless unit of Manitoba Telecom Services, will be investing some $35 million over the next two years in network infrastructure to build a two-way radio communications service that would cover virtually all of the province's approximately 250,000 square mile range. The system will use Motorola's Astro SmartZone Omnilink trunked two-way radio technology throughout the system. "We're equipping the RCMP with one of the most advanced public safety systems in the world," said James Fitzgerald, President and COO of MTS Mobility. "It's an investment in Manitoba, because we will be able to accommodate the communications needs of public organizations and commercial operators across the province." The installation phase initially will serve 1,500 RCMP officers communicating with Motorola Astro digital radios, but the system will have the capacity to add new users well into the future. FleetNet allows customers to talk to large groups or one-on-one with the push of a button. Like a cellphone, they also have access to local and long distance networks to make and receive telephone calls. Users can also transmit data including sending and receipt of pager messages. "Until now, many northern communities have had limited wireless options," Fitzgerald said. "With our commitment to building a province-wide FleetNet system, they will soon have an affordable and efficient dispatch solution."
	TRANSITIONS In Memoriam: Stan Harter (photo courtesy of APCO) Stanly Easton Harter, Assistant Chief, Telecommunications Unit, Information Technology Branch of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, and a long-time participant in APCO and public safety communications, died suddenly on April 2, 1998, near his Sacramento home. He was 68 years old. Stan was an Assistant Director of the State Civil Division (communications and warning officer) and the Chief Of Telecommunications for the State of Hawaii from 1962-1982. From 1982-1985 he was Communications Coordinator for the City of Bakersfield and Kern County, CA. In 1985, he accepted a position with the Governor's Office of Emergency Services as its RACES (amateur radio service) coordinator. He was a life member of APCO, having been the first individual to be President of three chapters; Vice Chairman and Executive Director of the FCC's California State Emergency Communications Committee, and was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Civil Air Patrol. Stan was the voice of the Emergency Alert System and its former self, the Emergency Broadcast System. Although stricken with polio in his youth, he refused to let his disability slow him down. Stan frequently got around faster on crutches than most people could walk. Stan was loved and respected by a great many people in the emergency community. Serving the needs of his community has always been his primary vocation, as he became a reserve police officer, wildland firefighter, fire lookout instructor, Communications Unit Leader, Logistics Chief, Fire Information Officer, and guest lecturer. He was a professional broadcaster, news anchor, and broadcast engineer. He will leave a tremendous void in the hearts of everyone who knew him. Aloha, Stan. Mahalo. Dave Larton/California OES Telecommunications