Orange County Fire Rescue Consolidation Commission Presentation Fire

Orange County Fire Rescue Consolidation Commission Presentation Fire Communications

Presentation Outline • • Organizational Structure 911 Center Functions Statistics & Standards Communications Center Budget Technology 911 Call Flow Challenges

OCFRD Organizational Chart

Fire Communications

Dispatch Center Facts • • • Consolidation of Fire District Dispatch Centers in 1981 52 Authorized Dispatcher positions 4 Squads rotate through 12 Hour Shifts Each squad has 13 assigned dispatchers 14 Dispatch Consoles 5. 1 million dollar budget – – Includes Dispatch Center and Telecommunications functions Personnel Services Operating Costs Technology

Technology Investment • • Computer Aided Dispatch RMS Automation Mobile Data System Automatic Vehicle Location 800 Mhz Radio System Fire Station Alerting System Enhanced 911 System 2. 4 m 1. 7 m 1. 0 m 3. 0 m 1. 0 m

Dispatch Center Functions • Dispatch Center Operations – – – 911 Operator/Call Take Primary Dispatch Tactical Radio Supervision MEDCOM State Warning Point • Dispatch Center Support – New Employee & In-Service Training – Technology Support – Quality Assurance

OCFRD Dispatch Coverage • Orange County Fire Rescue – Unincorporated area dispatch • OCFRD Fire Service & Dispatch – Oakland, Edgewood, Bell Isle, Lake Nona, Eatonville • Municipal Dispatch Contracts – Maitland, Ocoee, Winter Garden

Fire Dispatch Coverage

Standards • National and State Standards – Must answer 911 in less than 10 seconds • FSS 365. 171, State 911 Plan – Must dispatch emergency calls < 60 seconds • ISO, NFPA

Statistics • Daily Call Volume – Busy Day of Week – Busy Hour of Day – Busy Minute of Day 280 alarms Friday 5: 00 - 5: 59 p. m. 3 simultaneous calls • Statistics – 5. 4 seconds - average 911 answer time – 46 seconds - average call process time • From time phone is answered to dispatch of units

Statistics • August 2005 – 27, 742 total phone calls • 8, 278 calls on 911 • 5. 4 second average answer time on 911 • 96. 2% of all calls were answered in < 10 seconds – 8, 707 emergency calls were dispatched • Busy Hour: – Saturday, August 20, 6: 00 -6: 59 p. m. , 36 calls in one hour • Busy Day: – Monday, August 15 th, 322 calls in 24 hour period

911 Centers/Dispatch Centers in Orange County 911 Centers: 1 Apopka (Apopka PD/FD, Eatonville PD, Maitland PD) 2 Winter Garden PD 3 Ocoee PD 4 Winter Park FD/PD 5 UCF PD 6 Orlando PD 7 Orlando FD 8 Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (PD/FD) 9 Reedy Creek 10 Florida Highway Patrol Private Ambulance Dispatch Centers 11 Rural Metro 12 Health Central Paramedics

911 Centers in Orange County

Typical 911 Call Flow

Wireless Issues • 45% of all emergency calls to 911 are from wireless phones • Wireless calls “route” based on the closest, or closest available, cell tower • Wireless calls may route to the correct 911 Center or to a more distant 911 Center

Wireless Call Routing Auto Accident, Aloma/Semoran, 911 Call to Winter Park, then to OCFRD

Wireless Call Routing Auto Accident Colonial/Semoran 911 Call to Orlando PD, Transfer to Orlando FD Transfer to OCFRD

Emergency Call Flow • OCFRD 911 Operator • Primary “TAC 1” Dispatcher • Tactical Radio Operator

Technology • • CAD MDT AVL Digital Mapping 800 Mhz Radio System Fire Station Alerting System Fire. Fighter Location Technology Enhanced Mapping

Automatic Aid/Mutual Aid • Automatic Aid – – – Formal agreement between agencies Involves approved geographic areas Involves designated equipment/apparatus A request for assistance is “pre-approved” Dispatch occurs quickly • Mutual Aid – Emergency Backup between agencies – Used in Catastrophic or highly unusual events – Requires approval before units are assigned

Automatic Aid • Occurs about 20 times a day between OCFRD and other agencies – OFD called OCFRD 111 times in August – OCFRD called OFD 39 times in August • 2 to 3 minute delay in unit response – Due to time lost in calling the other agency by phone • Sometimes an engine or rescue that is physically closer will not be dispatched, because a more distant unit can reach the scene first.

Automatic Aid • Dispatch Process Example: – Auto Accident on Michigan Avenue at Mills – OCFRD CAD recommends an OFD Engine 5 – OCFRD Dispatcher dials OFD Dispatch Center and asks if Engine 5 is available – If OFD Engine 5 is available, OCFRD dispatcher relays all information • type of call, location, cross streets, radio channel – OFD call taker then enters emergency request into their CAD system – OFD dispatcher then alerts OFD Engine 5 to respond

Contract Dispatch Agencies • Maitland, Ocoee, Winter Garden have multi-year dispatch agreements with OCFRD • Their units operate on OCFRD radio channels and in OCFRD CAD system • Response in and around the cities is “instant” with no delay • Agencies get the benefit of OCFRD technology backbone

Contract City Dispatch Station Proximity Ocoee Winter Garden OCFRD

Challenges • 60 Second Emergency Call Process Time – Callers not familiar with the area • Students • Commuters • Visitors (365, 000 average daily visitor population) – Callers who are confused or hysterical • Elderly & Small Children – Technology Limitations • Cell Phone Callers • Voice Over IP (Vo. IP) Callers • Switchboard Callers

Challenges • Dispatch System Efficiency Issues – Coordination/Rapid Dispatch with outside agencies – Recruitment & Selection of qualified employees

Summary • OCFRD currently operates a consolidated center • Expensive technology is shared among multiple agencies • OCFRD dispatchers are highly trained and focus on Fire and EMS • OCFRD runs an efficient Communications Center – – Congressional 911 Award this year Performance Measurements Quality Assurance Program Customer Service feedback from cities

Questions ?