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Type: |
Consolidating Services |
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Elections
- working with Cities |
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Agency, Counties or Groups involved in the process: |
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Why did you collaborate on this effort? |
Elections department has worked with all cities within the
counties, involved in upcoming elections in preparing for, training, and
working together as one unit for a successful election. |
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Keys to success / challenges / lessons learned / advice to
others: |
Improved services and streamline of services for both |
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What have been the outcomes to-date? |
Communication. |
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Resources: |
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For more information, |
Dee Guthman, Administration Specialist |
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Type: |
Consolidating Services |
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Public
Safety Communication System\800MHz |
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Agency, Counties or Groups involved in the process: |
Within the * Radio System:
Ramsey County, Arden Hills, Falcon Heights, Gem Lake, Lauderdale,
Little Canada, Maplewood, Mounds View, New Brighton, North Oaks, North St.
Paul, Roseville, Saint Paul, Shoreview, Vadnais Heights, White Bear Township
and White Bear Lake City. (The Saint
Paul School District Transportation System will also use the system.) * Dispatch
Center: Ramsey County, Arden Hills,
Falcon Heights, Gem Lake, Lauderdale, Little Canada, Maplewood, Mounds View,
New Brighton, North Oaks, North St. Paul, Roseville, Saint Paul, Shoreview,
Vadnais Heights, White Bear Township and White Bear Lake City. Beyond the Ramsey County geographic area: The State of Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minneapolis,
Carver County, Anoka County, Olmstead County and Stearns County are currently
using the regional (Metropolitan Emergency Services Board-MESB) and state
(State Radio Board-SRB) radio systems.
Dakota County and Washington County are in the process of joining the
systems. The state hopes to have local
governments throughout the state on the system eventually. |
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Why did you collaborate on this effort? |
This project consolidates: Within the Ramsey County geographic area: * Radio Systems for all local public safety agencies
including suburban communities and Saint Paul. * Public safety
dispatching for most suburban communities and Saint Paul Beyond the |
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Keys to success / challenges / lessons learned / advice to
others: |
Service and finances are both important concerns. SERVICE RELATED: *Radio system: Radio
system coverage and the quality of the transmissions will be improved by the
new equipment. In addition,
interoperable communications, the ability to communicate easily with other jurisdictions
when necessary, is now considered a critical need in public safety. This system's technology will provide
exceptional interoperability. Perhaps
more importantly, the agencies from the jurisdictions have been working
closely to coordinate how they use the system so that the on-air
communications across agencies is improved. * Dispatch operations:
New, state of the art equipment will replace old technology. The resources available across
jurisdictions will be more balanced.
By having most jurisdictions dispatched from the same location, the
ability to work with an event that involves several jurisdictions will
improve. FINANCIAL: All of
the technologies used are expensive and can serve large areas. By consolidating, duplicate costs will be
avoided for initial capital costs and continuing operating costs for staff,
training, service, etc. which would have occurred if multiple jurisdictions
developed parallel systems. |
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What have been the outcomes to-date? |
Communication, partnership and persistence. This project has had many challenges including technical, financial, logistical,
bureaucratic intergovernmental and weather.
Perhaps the biggest challenge is bridging the natural gaps between the
needs of the suburban communities with the Saint Paul's large city
structure. The major challenges have been meet by leaders who have
been willing to listen, talk and keep coming back to revisit issues until
resolution occurred. There as a draft document that describes some of the
challenges in more detail. |
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Resources: |
The radio system infrastructure is complete. Agencies will transition to the system as
soon as staff their staff is trained. The first agencies will start using it
in daily operations in early September 2006.
All agencies will be on the system by mid-2007. A new dispatch center is being built for consolidated
dispatch operations. It will be
operational in 2007. The following link will connect to a web site with
additional information. http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/cp/800mhz/Index.htm
Once you are at the web site, the "Proposals/Resolutions"
link on the left-hand side leads to reports with more detail. This project has received significant financial support
from the US Department of Homeland Security's Interoperable Communication
Equipment Grant Program and the State of |
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For more information, |
Connie Catlin, Dir. Policy Analysis
& Planning |
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Type: |
Consolidating Services |
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Agency, Counties or Groups involved in the process: |
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Why did you collaborate on this effort? |
Local Governments in the Fargo (ND)/Moorhead (MN)
metropolitan area have collaborated to consolidate the local dispatch
functions under a |
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Keys to success / challenges / lessons learned / advice to
others: |
1)Need for improved and seemless communications among
numerous involved parties (such as law enforcement, fire, ambulence, and
emergency services) when responding to incidents, fires and emergency
situations. 2. Need to address compatibility problems with
communication equipment (such as radios, repeaters, dispatch consoles
etc.)used by different local entities. 3. Need for cost containment through economies of scales. |
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What have been the outcomes to-date? |
Key to Success was a firm committment from all
participating local governments and key officials to "make it
happen". One of the key chellenges was to draft the human resources
policies and procedures for the center staff that conformed to varying labor
laws of two different states. |
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Resources: |
Since its establisment in 2002 the Further information can be obtained by contacting Kathy Colvin,
Director at (701)451 7684 or KColvin@RRRDC.com,
or by logging on to www.rrrdc.com |
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For more information, |
Kathy Colvin, Director |