Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Cellular companies getting on line with Project Locate

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 15 Jan 2003 16:16:39 -0500

Cellular companies getting on line with Project Locate

BY Karen Glasscock

MANDEVILLE - Emergency 9-1-1 operators can better
track cellular telephone users beginning this month.

Most of the cellular phone companies in the parish are
tentatively scheduled to send data to locate callers as
part of the federally mandated Project Locate initiated in
the state last year by St. Tammany Parish
Communications District No. 1.

The technology involves longitude and latitude
coordinates that appear on computer screens at the
nearest 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Points.

Margo Dandry, acting emergency manager for St.
Tammany Parish Communications District No. 1, said last
November the PSAPs successfully tested the capabilities
of its equipment to receive the data.

9-1-1 PSAP include next to the St. Tammany Parish Jail in
Covington, the Covington, Mandeville, Pearl River and
Slidell Police Departments and fire departments in Slidell
and Covington.

T-Mobile is scheduled to activate this month. Verizon and
Cingular plan to activate in February, and Sprint is set for
April.

Nextel and SunCom AT & T have yet to schedule
activation, and AllTel, originally going to test with the
PSAPs in December, has decided to reschedule.

In another matter, lighting struck the 9-1-1 tower in
Covington and at another time struck the Pearl River PSAP
tower in 2002. Last week Dandry gave 9-1-1 board
members a draft of guidelines to follow in the event
lightning strikes one of the towers again for their review .

"This will give a clear understanding of how to react," she
told 9-1-1 board members. "We want a good set of
guidelines we can all use."

The guidelines includes procedures in regard to insurance,
the telephone company and damaged or burned out
equipment and/or parts and how to get the PSAP call
office up and running as soon as possible following the
accident.

St. Tammany Parish Jail Warden Marlin Peachey suggested
an electrical engineering consultant test all damaged parts
on a case by case basis at the discretion of the 9-1-1
board. Peachey also suggested a parts log be kept for
spare parts taken out to establish a chain of custody for
those parts and to maintain an inventory. Chief Chris
Kaufmann of Fire Protection District No.1 suggested all
damaged parts be photographed for additional
documentation.

The telephone company will not issue a bill to the
insurance company without the 9-1-1 board's prior
approval, but so far, said 9-1-1 chairman Tom Buell, the
insurance company has not challenged any bad parts
reported by the telephone company.

Kaufmann also proposed a new tape recorder be
purchased for use at future 9-1-1 board meetings for
more detailed minutes reports.

Also, board members reported the parish has not yet hired
a new director for Communications District No. 1. Col.
Glenn Farrar resigned from the position on Oct. 31.

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