Michigan State Police Keeps Critical Communications Lines Open with Datastream

	Quick Facts Statewide, $200 million communications system Communications network includes 180 sites and 35,000 pieces of equipment MPSCS provides mobile-radio coverage for 97% of the state 50 technicians working with 11 remote sites Handheld technology to record and track work at remote sites Reduced labor time by 5%

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Headquartered in Lansing, Michigan, the Michigan Department of State Police provides the leadership, law enforcement, and support services needed to protect the people and property of the eighth most populated state in the US. With over 58,110 square miles of land to patrol, the police department and the state's public safety services face tremendous challenges in meeting the needs of the entire state.

Operated by the Michigan Department of State Police, the Michigan Public Safety Communications System (MPSCS) is one of the most complete public safety systems operating in the US. The MPSCS, which is recognized nationally for its coverage and communications interoperability, once completed will consist of more than 180 sites and will provide mobile-radio coverage for 97% of the state. The MPSCS provides radio communications systems to state park rangers, highway workers, ambulance services, local law enforcement agencies, and the state's 911 dispatch centers. The system also ensures that early warning systems are operating to help protect the public from dangerous weather conditions. The MPSCS gives the state's public safety agencies superior communications capabilities and is the first statewide communications system of its kind.

The Challenges of Managing a Statewide Communications System
Maintaining a statewide communications system is demanding, and the most important objective of MPSCS technicians is to ensure that their equipment is functioning properly and is ready for any emergency. If the equipment goes down, the public safety officials are not able to communicate with each other during emergency situations. Other major challenges MPSCS technicians face are the equipments' locations and its variety of different components. With locations across the state, technicians needed ways to track work, parts, and preventive maintenance and maintain everything from communications towers and their components to generators and computer equipment.

"We have over 180 sites, and at every tower site, we have a 500-foot tower with a lighting system and antenna," notes Theron Shinew, field services manager. "Each site also has a 12'X24' shelter with the emergency generator, HVAC and fire control equipment, and all the microwave and radio frequency electronics needed for communication."

With 50 technicians working from 11 remote maintenance sites, the MPSCS needed to track assets, manage labor and maintenance tasks, and perform their work efficiently. To have the equipment available and operating at peak performance was essential, especially since providing public safety was the main goal.

"Every shelter has an emergency generator. Anytime the power hiccups, the generators automatically start up and power the equipment. Because these are public-safety sites, their operation is critical," emphasizes Shinew. "Everything is automated and used continuously. We absolutely have to make sure it is operating correctly so that the public safety personnel can report on emergency situations—from dangerous weather conditions to highway accidents."

The MPSCS also needed to meet the demands of a mobile workforce to remote sites. As Wireless Data Services Engineering Manager Brad Stoddard explains, "Our sites do not have a network connection the technicians can use to download information. Some of the sites are literally out in the middle of nowhere."

Mobility is a significant term in the communications industry because physical assets, such as radios, computer equipment, and components, move from location to location at a moments notice. With a communications system, this is often the norm rather than an exception, and in addition to managing assets at remote sites, the MPSCS technicians have to track the radio equipment in the public safety vehicles.

"The ability to track the public safety radios can be very problematic when you consider how much they move from place to place," confirms Stoddard. "We might move undercover car radios from car to car on a daily basis. To keep up with that equipment is a complex task. The law enforcement cars alone cost around $20,000, but outfitting it with mobile data and communications equipment is just as expensive—sometimes as much as $17,000."

The Solution
Replacing a 1940s-era radio system, the MPSCS technicians needed functionality that could support remote sites and a mobile workforce as well as help schedule and perform preventive maintenance tasks. In addition, they needed the abilities to manage inventory, materials, workflow, and purchasing and track mobile assets.

"As far as technology, our archaic, non-statewide system did not give us the information we needed to manage our equipment," states Shinew. "Using Datastream enables us to have an idea about how many parts we need to purchase to do the job, what the labor and material costs are going to be, and what it is going to take to maintain a statewide, $200 million communications system."

With Datastream, the MPSCS technicians were able to create very extensive preventive maintenance procedures for the entire system. Setting up the schedule in Datastream's software enabled the technicians to complete preventive maintenance tasks every quarter on every piece of equipment as well as semi-annual and annual inspections that are shadowed repeatedly.

"We do all our preventive maintenance tasks and work orders through Datastream software, and it is time efficient because it automatically generates the tasks from the database. In addition, we are able to track and manage inventory and purchasing with more consistency," explains Shinew.

Since they needed the ability to access their work orders remotely and record their work, the maintenance technicians needed the freedom to move from site to site. "Before Datastream, the technicians tracked their work on a white board," explains Stoddard. "That system was not very efficient or reliable."

Datastream's remote access technology provides the solution, giving the technicians robust asset management capabilities in a handheld device. With the handheld devices, technicians are able to move from site to site or to different police cars and at the same time record the work they perform. Entering the information on tasks as they are completed ensures that the technicians will not have to repeat tasks or return to remote sites—saving time and resources.

The Results
Datastream's asset management software enables MPSCS technicians to maintain their communications network, perform more structured maintenance tasks, and ensure the best performance possible. Datastream also helps them improve and organize their tracking, inventory, and purchasing procedures to save time and money.

"Because of Datastream, we have had very few failures and the equipment is in top working condition," Stoddard says. "Since the MPSCS is a critical system that helps ensure that safety of Michigan's citizens, we need it to be reliable. This is our number one priority."

Datastream also makes it possible for the MPSCS technicians to track every piece of equipment, from the various communications components at the sites to handy-talkies and radios in the patrol cars. "We track about 35,000 pieces of equipment in Datastream's software, including over 9,000 portable and mobile radios. We anticipate that closer to 200,000 pieces of equipment will be in the database when we complete the project," states Shinew.

With the ability to track equipment and compile asset histories, the MPSCS ensures that their equipment remains dependable. "Datastream helps us maintain reliability on every piece of equipment. For instance, each facility throughout the state has an emergency generator that has installed block heaters," explains Shinew. "Datastream allowed us to determine that these heaters were failing after about two years of service, enabling us to implement regular PM tasks to make sure they are working properly and replace them before they fail."

Sometimes the technicians need to perform work at the sites not originally contained in the work order. With Datastream's remote access technology, they can record that work immediately for future reference. "Datastream enables our technicians to track their work orders, add up the time spent on a task, and note any additional work that needs to be performed—all in a real-time environment," says Stoddard. "With the ability to do the work at once instead of four days later, the technicians do not end up performing the same task over or making extra trips to remote sites. With Datastream's software in a handheld, we saved 5% in labor time."

Along with complete asset tracking and preventive maintenance capabilities, the Michigan State Police also eliminates downtime due to lack of inventory. "With Datastream's software, we can improve purchasing management, reducing what we spend and ensuring the right parts are available to immediately address any equipment failure," states Stoddard.

"The MPSCS is a vital communications system for the people of Michigan," says Stoddard. "Datastream gives us the tracking and asset management tools we need to make sure the equipment is maintained and that parts and personnel are accessible to keep the system working like it should."