Title
Approval to purchase Fire Mobile Data Terminals and associated mounting and peripheral equipment in the amount of $283,266.
Recommended Action
I move that Council approve the request to purchase Fire Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) and associated mounting equipment and peripherals in the amount of $283,266.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council approve the request purchase the Fire Mobile Data Terminals as requested.
Body
The Los Alamos Fire Department (LAFD) has identified the need for Mobile Data Terminals (MDT) through the accreditation process for several years, however, due to security constrictions at the Los Alamos National Labs (LANL), LAFD was unable to use this technology. Recently LANL has allowed exceptions to security restrictions on wireless technologies for emergency management responders. LANL Policy P-217 is the guiding document for controlled articles on LANL property. P-217, §3.4.1 gives an allowance for Fire Fighters and other to utilize controlled articles. This has now allowed LAFD to pursue implementation of new technologies for rugged computing. LAFD also secured funding through FEMA and the Assistance to Firefighter’s grant program for this project. Currently, LAFD has been using Panasonic CF30-31 tough books as standard operating hardware for field use. These devices have proven to be slow to boot/login to, and have no connectivity available for the field crews on Engines to our records management system (RMS) Firehouse, or computer aided dispatch (CAD) system for mapping and critical information for emergency responses. Devices are at end of warranty life and no longer meet network operating standards. These devices are necessary to provide a swift and coordinated response to any event large or small. LAFD would in addition be able to utilize MDTs for pre-incident planning, hydrant testing, asset management, incident reporting, training, location based dispatching, statusing, incident command, and other mobile computing applications.
The long-term benefits to the department and the community are significant. 1) We anticipate a cost savings in excess of $2,200 per device compared to previous devices, therefore we have the ability to expand the use of the MDT to all response vehicles, instead of only front line vehicles; 2) MDT will enhance Firefighter safety by providing real time pre incident plan information on scene; 3) increased accuracy to response times; 4) a transition from paper and pencil to an electronic medium increasing efficiency, accuracy, and information retrieval; 5) the ability to dispatch closest units available; 6) mapping and turn-by-turn directions for a safer and more accurate response to locations. In addition, “status” buttons on the MDTs will also help improve performance/compliance with DOE Order 420.1C, NFPA Codes and Standards, DOE-STD-1066-2012 which specifies the response time standards mandated in NFPA 1710, as does the Baseline Needs Assessment (BNA) document.
The purchase and related quotes are based upon vendor selection and pricing under the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) Valuepoint cooperative contracting. The County is a member of NASPO and the items being purchased are included within the Valuepoint master contract.
Alternatives
The alternative to purchasing the MDTs is canceling the project and returning the funding to FEMA for the items.
Fiscal and Staff Impact/Planned Item
In June 2017, the Los Alamos Fire Department (LAFD) was awarded a FEMA grant from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant program to fund the Mobile Data Terminal Project in the amount of $185,883, with a $9,294 match funded from the Fire Marshal Fund. The remaining balance in the grant is $181,507 and $9,064 in the match. The balance of $92,696 will be funded from the LAFD operational budget. Installation of the devices will be conducted by the LANL heavy machine shops and a 3rd party vendor for county owned vehicles.
See Attachment A for the full fiscal impact by funding source and equipment to be purchased. The total cost for the Fire Mobile Data Terminals is $283,266.
In addition to this purchase, software and installation services will bring the total project cost to approximately $320,000.
Attachments
A. Mobile Data Terminal Budget
B. Getac & Havis Quotes