STARRS - St Louis Area Regional Response System

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Links

Old STARRS Reference info (to be moved to wiki)
http://www.stl-starrs.org/
http://www.ewgateway.org/pdffiles/maplibrary/SharedRR8X11MOM.pdf

http://www.stl-starrs.org/library/library.htm#prs

For additional information, see the wiki page: * STARRS - St Louis Area Regional Response System Wiki Page

Communications Study

Communications Study February 2008

Purpose of the Study

• Assess the radio systems in use and develop design recommendations
• Develop cost estimates for a system implementation plan
• Provide a roadmap to Interoperability
• System Assessments

• Study began November 2007
• Interviews held with 34 constituent groups
• Site inspections currently underway
• Continued meetings with STARRS committees and staff

Interview Topics

• Document the formal and informal institutional arrangements among public safety agencies
• Detailed wide range of technical and operational issues
• Define interoperability, range, coverage, performance and reliability
• Summary of Current Systems
• Conventional Systems (VHF and UHF)
• Aged systems and equipment
• Congestion and interference - Too many users, too many systems, not enough channels
• FCC 2013 “Narrowbanding” Mandate
• Wideband VHF
• Franklin County
• Jefferson County
• St. Charles County – all but 2 municipalities
• St. Louis County
• Madison County – all but Sheriff's Office
• Monroe County
• 800 MHz Systems
• City of St. Louis
• Metropolitan Police Department 2 site analog 800 MHz system
• Upgrading to 3 site digital system including Fire Department
• Lambert Airport 1 site 800 MHz analog system upgrading to a digital 2 site system
• 800 MHz Systems
• Metro
• Existing VHF/UHF and 11 site 800 MHz system upgrading to 21 site 800 MHz system
• Moving VHF and UHF users to 800 MHz system
• Madison County Sheriff’s Office on 800 MHz StarCom 21 Network
• St. Clair County – 800 MHz system connected to StarCom 21 Network
• Franklin County
• Jefferson County
• Lambert Airport
• Madison County
• Metro
• Monroe County
• St. Clair County
• St. Charles County
• City of St. Louis
• St. Louis County
• Mixture of systems throughout the region & within same county
• In conventional systems, equipment is outdated, circa 1960’s
• 911 dispatch communications changing
• Volume of users in conventional systems inhibits interoperability
• Migration to 800MHz is underway
• Regional users recognize the need to collaborate

Key Findings

• In our region, we have a complex patchwork of conventional systems (VHF and UHF) and 800MHz

Interoperability issues

• Coverage problems & requirements
• System configuration (base equipment, mobiles, and portables)
• System performance and operational procedures

Current system reliability

• Existing service requirements
• Available engineering documentation pertaining to site plans, antenna layouts, and transmitter locations

Planned radio system upgrades

• 1960’s technology
• Regarding the FCC narrowbanding mandate: All regional VHF systems operate in wideband mode

• No active local or regional narrowband plans
• Upgrades will alter existing system coverage
• Limited availability of parts
• Adds layers of complexity to interoperability
• Caused by both internal and external agencies
• Perpetuates dispatch and field retransmissions
• Overrides emergency and routine radio traffic
• Results in delayed communications

• Regarding 911: Efficiency and effectiveness is impacted by radio congestion and interference
• Over 50% of 911 calls are from cell phones
• Significantly increases incoming 911 calls for a single incident
• Reduction in landline subscribers/911 calls
• Decreasing 911 revenues
• VoIP Internet 911 calls increasing

St. Louis Land Mobile Communications Study

• February 2008
• Purpose of the Study
  • Assess the radio systems in use and develop design recommendations
  • Develop cost estimates for a system implementation plan
  • Provide a roadmap to Interoperability

System Assessments

• Study began November 2007
• Interviews held with 34 constituent groups
• Site inspections currently underway
• Continued meetings with STARRS committees and staff

Interview Topics

• Document the formal and informal institutional arrangements among public safety agencies
• Detailed wide range of technical and operational issues
• Define interoperability, range, coverage, performance and reliability
• Summary of Current Systems
• Conventional Systems (VHF and UHF)
• Aged systems and equipment
• Congestion and interference - Too many users, too many systems, not enough channels

• FCC 2013 “Narrowbanding” Mandate
• Wideband VHF
• Franklin County
• Jefferson County
• St. Charles County – all but 2 municipalities
• St. Louis County
• Madison County – all but Sheriff's Office
• Monroe County

• 800 MHz Systems
• City of St. Louis
• Metropolitan Police Department 2 site analog 800 MHz system
• Upgrading to 3 site digital system including Fire Department
• Lambert Airport 1 site 800 MHz analog system upgrading to a digital 2 site system

• 800 MHz Systems
• Metro
• Existing VHF/UHF and 11 site 800 MHz system upgrading to 21 site 800 MHz system
• Moving VHF and UHF users to 800 MHz system
• Madison County Sheriff’s Office on 800 MHz StarCom 21 Network
• St. Clair County – 800 MHz system connected to StarCom 21 Network

Key Findings

• Mixture of systems throughout the region & within same county
• In conventional systems, equipment is outdated, circa 1960’s
• 911 dispatch communications changing
• Volume of users in conventional systems inhibits interoperability
• Migration to 800MHz is underway
• Regional users recognize the need to collaborate