Lebanon County Commissioners voted Thursday, Sept. 20, to award a $3.36 million contract for the purchase and erection of seven emergency services communications towers across the Lebanon Valley.
Bob Dowd, director of Lebanon County Department of Emergency Services, told commissioners his agency received three bids ranging from $3.36 million to $7.73 million....
Jonathan Hansen, project management professional with MCM Consulting Group, said the ability to self-perform the work is the biggest difference in controlling costs. MCM is serving as a consultant for this project to Lebanon County.
Crawford County has awarded a $72,000 contract for an emergency radio needs assessment of the county in order to comply with coming new technology.
At their meeting Wednesday, county commissioners awarded a $72,000 contract to MCM Consulting Group Inc. of State College to study what the county has and may need to meet Project 25 compliance.
The Crawford County 911 wireless funds will pay for the study which is expected to be completed later this year.
A partnership between the public safety communications community, standard development organizations and industry manufacturers, Project 25, or P25, will be a new digital communications system standard.
CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Commissioners on Tuesday addressed various items of business.
• approved an agreement with MCM Consulting to conduct a Commodity Flow Study for Clearfield County. These studies are conducted to provide detailed information about the type, quantity, volume and spatial distribution of hazardous materials traveling through counties via highways, pipelines and rail.
York County's Board of Commissioners is set to vote Wednesday on infrastructure upgrades to several county buildings, as well as lay the groundwork for a potential juvenile detention center at York County Prison.
If approved, the county would spend $220,240 on the county's judicial building, $89,318 on its human services center and $88,309.75 on the 911 dispatch center.
Chief Clerk Greg Monskie said via email that none of the upgrades would require county buildings to be shut down or cause interruption to services.
Luzerne County’s upgraded emergency radio communication system will be activated for Wilkes-Barre fire and police calls on Wednesday and then countywide the following week, said county 911 Executive Director Fred Rosencrans.
Wilkes-Barre was selected for the initial launch because it is the busiest municipality for police and emergency calls, Rosencrans said.
“We’re ready. I’m excited and looking forward to providing the best radio communication to agencies. It’s long overdue,” Rosencrans said.
The project includes additional communication towers in new locations, updated microwaves and the replacement of a 20-year-old analog radio system with a new digital one for emergency responders to exchange messages.
HANOVER TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Mission accomplished, as Luzerne County 911 has a new digital radio system in place. A project that’s been decades in the making is now fully operational. But what does this mean for county residents and first responders?
Summit County is taking the first official steps forward on its high-speed and secure broadband public safety network, called Summit Connects.
The network will initially consist of a 125-mile fiber optic cable ring connecting Summit County and all its 31 city, village and township governments to gigabit-speed internet service, as well as a data center, the county said in a press release.
If Warren County is going to begin accepting Ukrainian refugees, what number is best? According to a report completed by MCM Consulting and provided to the county last month, 20 to 60 would be a start.
In a recent article in the Times Observer, Commissioner Ben Kafferlin called those estimates a starting point while noting churches in the region are already working in their own ways to assist those fleeing a war zone. The Associated Press reported Wednesday the European Union’s asylum agency says the number of people from former Soviet countries seeking international protection in Europe has skyrocketed since Russia launched its war in Ukraine.
SIDNWY — Motorola Solutions, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, was selected to provide Shelby County’s next generation public safety radio system. The new state-of-art system, an 800 MHz trunked, simulcast radio system that meets federal Project 25 requirements, will replace an aging VHF system.
“Most of the county’s current infrastructure is over 50 years old and the county has added to the system over the years to meet the needs of our first responders,” said Commissioner Julie Ehemann.
Blair County’s Department of Emergency Services is expected to resume hazardous materials training exercises this year for local responders.
The county signed a contract with MCM Consulting Group Inc. for training in 2021 that wasn’t completed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The McKean County Commissioners on Wednesday approved a slate of agreements that complete upgrades to the county’s 911 system.
“It’s certainly going to benefit our county and our residents,” said Commissioner Tom Kreiner.
The measures included a letter of concurrence with the Pennsylvania State Police Statewide Radio Network for two frequencies, and an agreement between McKean County and the state police for the use of the PA-STARNet, which is what the radio network is called.
Lebanon County commissioners took two major steps on Thursday to upgrade the county’s obsolete public safety radio system.
They unanimously approved the purchase of nearly 2,000 field radios at a cost of $12.95 million for the county’s Department of Emergency Services (DES). The contract includes, in addition to 1,989 radios, batteries, cases, chargers and equipment installation.
In the second action, the commissioners approved an agreement for $667,671 with State College-based MCM Consulting Group Inc. to manage the implementation of the new radio technology.
TALLMADGE — Cooperation among Summit County and several of its communities on a new regional dispatch center will improve emergency response times and safety, local leaders said Thursday morning as they gathered to formalize the new pact.
"We are stronger when we are working hand in hand with our local communities," Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro told leaders of Akron, Cuyahoga Falls, Fairlawn, Stow and Tallmadge during a ceremony at the former Weaver Workshop on Howe Road.
This winter, as companies grapple with WFH and hybrid work schedules, MCM Consulting Group, Inc. is moving in the opposite direction. The public safety and government technology consulting firm has been largely remote since it was founded in the mid-2000s, with its expert team meeting virtually and onsite as team members helped local government and agencies establish emergency technology systems, facilities and protocols. Now the team is opening shop in Innovation Park, a move that it says will put them into the “hub of innovation in the middle of Pennsylvania.” It’s just the latest in a series of moves that have put this unconventional company at the top of its game.
FROM PITTSBURGH PARAMEDIC TO CONSULTING ICELAND ON EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS
“I was a paramedic crew chief in the city of Pittsburgh,” company founder Michael McGrady said. “And one year at our Christmas party, my boss asked me to work in the 911 call center for six months. I ended up staying there for six years.”
SMETHPORT — The McKean County Commissioners met briefly Thursday morning to lock in rates for replacing the public safety paging and radio systems for the county.
“The commissioners have been involved with MCM Consulting to upgrade our radio system which is 20-plus years old,” Chairman Tom Kreiner said at the meeting.
He noted there was still work to be done, but the agreements were made to secure 2021 pricing.
The commissioners contracted with MCM Consulting Group Inc. in April of 2021 to evaluate the existing public safety paging and radio system, identifying the needs, improvements, and opportunities for replacement of the infrastructure.
Jeff joined MCM Consulting Group, Inc. with an extensive background in public safety. He brings a broad spectrum of frontline, administrative and operational management experience to the MCM team.
Jeff started his public safety career at Northampton County as a 911 dispatcher and remained with the county for twenty-three years holding additional positions of systems manager and deputy director. He has managed both the 911 and emergency management divisions. Prior to his work with Northampton County, Jeff worked in public safety as an EMT and paramedic.
Jeff has vast experience with 911 and emergency management projects. He provided executive level guidance and expertise in a regional PSAP project where the City of Bethlehem and the County of Northampton consolidated into one PSAP. Jeff assisted with all coordination, organization and the development of new policy, procedures, and checklists for the regional PSAP during this project. Jeff also provided acquisition and project management services for all 911 related systems purchased or upgraded at Northampton County.
David comes to MCM Consulting Group, Inc. as an engineer with over twenty-seven years of electrical engineering technology and business management experience. Eighteen years of experience has been with the same company working in the broadcast industry. David has experience in project management, MRP, design, manufacturing, engineering management, technical testing, field service, customer service, and product management. During his eighteen-year tenure, David excelled and was promoted from a systems and applications engineer up to a project manager and division manager.
David has a Master of Business Administration from Waynesburg University, Waynesburg, Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering technology from California University of Pennsylvania.
David will be working on all public safety facility and tower site-based projects.
Years in the making, Luzerne County’s new 911 radio communication upgrade should be operational by the end of 2021, officials said during a presentation at Tuesday’s council meeting.
“It’s definitely the largest project in my career, and I believe in the history of the county. It’s no small task,” said county 911 Executive Director Fred Rosencrans.
Backed by COVID-19 relief funds, Somerset County is divvying out $1.7 million to upgrade broadband internet offerings or “4G” access points to some of the most internet-scarce segments of the county.
Somerset County officials awarded COVID-19 County Relief Block Grant funds Tuesday to three applicants whose combined projects would bring high-speed service to two public schools, a community park and a 21-mile swath of ultra-rural southwestern Somerset County.
Much of that will be delivered through the creation of small-scale wireless “hot spots” in school buildings, libraries, churches and municipal buildings “with the intention of expanding from household to household later on,” President Commissioner Gerald Walker said.
SUMMIT COUNTY, OHIO—On October 8, 2019, Summit County, the cities of Akron and Green and the University of Akron Police Department officially launched a new consolidated next generation 9-1-1, Computer-Aided Dispatch System (consolidated CAD system).
This activation is the first Go Live for the project, which was originally announced in July 2018, and also includes dispatch centers in the cities of Cuyahoga Falls, Fairlawn and Stow.
In total, 18 communities and the University of Akron will receive the benefits from the new system once fully activated.
The new CAD system replaces outdated computer-aided dispatch systems that do not have the ability to operate with more advanced 9-1-1 technology.
The firm cost of a 911 emergency radio communications project estimated between $16 million and $24 million won’t be known for about two weeks, Luzerne County 911 Executive Director Fred Rosencrans said this week.
Two vendors — JVC Kenwood and Motorola — submitted proposals by the July 15 deadline, Rosencrans said.
Unlike traditional bids for construction or materials containing one bottom-line cost, the lengthy radio project proposals include a range of equipment, technology and support service options that must be analyzed, Rosencrans said.
Lebanon County Department of Emergency Services making improvements to 911 call system
Lebanon County’s Department of Emergency Services is in the midst of an update to the County’s 911 emergency phone system. Funding is coming from a state grant, not out of the County’s budget, according to DES director Bob Dowd.
A $1.7 million dollar grant from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency will do more than simply help DES modernize its phone system.
Officials in Luzerne County, Pa., are trying to put hard figures to a migration away from an outdated emergency communication system — support for existing transmitters and receivers will end in late 2020.
(TNS) — Luzerne County, Pa., has invited vendors to submit proposals for its 911 emergency radio upgrade, which will finally put a firm price on a project that had been estimated at around $20 million.
“Now it’s time to give council and the county manager real numbers to work with so we can figure out what we’re able to afford,” said county 911 Executive Director Fred Rosencrans.
Luzerne County has invited vendors to submit proposals for its 911 emergency radio upgrade, which will finally put a firm price on a project that had been estimated at around $20 million.
County officials want to switch from a 20-year-old analog system to a digital one because equipment support for the radio transmitters and receivers that allow emergency responders to exchange messages will end Dec. 31, 2020. The system won’t automatically shut down on that date, but replacement parts have become increasingly difficult to find because they are no longer manufactured.
John Grappy, left, director of Erie County Public Safety, and Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper in October 2017 show off some of the portable radio units that will be used as part of the county’s Next Generation Public Safety Radio Project.
They approved an agreement with MCM Consulting, Inc., for Feb. 1–Dec. 31, 2019, to provide professional services for 911 planning for the Tioga County Department of Emergency Services...
Council recently voted to hire Pennsylvania-based MCM Consulting Group for $380,357 to handle the first stage of the proposed $20 million 911 radio project. The company will help determine the county’s equipment needs, prepare a comprehensive bid seeking interested vendors and identify grants and other possible outside funding.
The switch from a 20-year-old analog system to a digital one is warranted because equipment support for the radio transmitters and receivers that allow emergency responders to exchange messages will end Dec. 31, 2020, officials have said.
Agreement adds records management, field reporting, and civil service to the Northern Tier consortium
"Expanding to a regional solution for Law Enforcement Records Management Services (LERMS) was a logical next step for the Northern Tier consortium," said Terri Nelson, PMP, project supervisor for the MCM Consulting Group, Inc .
"Integrating the records management system with New World CAD will greatly enhance data sharing across the 10-county region and will enable agencies across the area to create efficient workflows for improved effectiveness."
WILKES-BARRE - A $20 million project to upgrade the Luzerne County 911 communication system from analog to digital has a project manager, following a unanimous county council vote Tuesday night.
Council approved a $380,357 contract with MCM Consulting Group to manage the upgrade project. County officials say it needs to be completed by 2020, when the manufacturer will stop providing support for the analog system currently used by 911 dispatchers and emergency responders throughout the county.
UNION CITY — Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper marched through the mud as she approached the base of what will be a 263-foot-tall communications tower. She looked up to the three workers from ECI Wireless who were bolting down another massive steel section of the tower 120 feet overhead.
“Good job, everybody,” Dahlkemper, wearing a hard hat, shouted.
On Tuesday, Dahlkemper, along with John Grappy, director of the Erie County Department of Public Safety, and others toured the last of eight new tower sites that are part of the county’s Next Generation Public Safety Radio Project. Construction on that tower, which is located at a PennDOT facility in the 9200 block of U.S. Route 6 in Union Township, was expected to be finished late Tuesday or sometime Wednesday, depending on weather conditions
Emergency crews throughout Erie County are getting a long awaited update to their radio systems. All emergency crews in the county will be equipped with a new radio system that allows them to communicate with other agencies who might also be responding.
Before, crews from different townships were unable to communicate directly.
Lycoming County officials have hinted at overhauling its public safety communication system on various occasions over the past year.
On Tuesday morning, the commissioners heard a presentation from Michael McGrady, president of MCM Consulting Group, detailing that a study lasting longer than nine months showed such an overhaul will cost about $7.4 million.
"That’s to build a system that’s going to last you for up to 20 years,” he said. “It’s a pretty good investment."
The Summit County Consortium worked closely with MCM Consulting Group, Inc. to evaluate potential vendors that would meet the needs of all six PSAPs, which answer approximately 665,000 services calls each year.
MCM Consulting was impressed by Tyler’s robust solutions and their features and functionality, which would fully integrate each PSAP’s respective systems, creating efficiencies between all agencies.
Read the Whole Article...Erie County’s $23.2 million next-generation public radio system project is taking shape.
Work ramped up this past week on the construction of eight new communication towers and at the sites of nine existing towers. Those towers, scattered throughout Erie County, are part of an intricate infrastructure upgrade that will improve communication between emergency responders, their counterparts in neighboring communities and dispatchers.
“They are working at a breakneck pace,” Public Safety Director John Grappy said of local contractors Perry Construction Co. and Keystone Electric.
The project marks what public safety officials believe is a long-overdue transition to a digital platform. Safety forces now operate on a patchwork of frequencies, from low-band to UHF and VHF.
Tioga County, PA Emergency Services
Tioga County is located in North Central Pennsylvania. Its Department of Emergency Services’ dispatch center covers 2,550 square miles (6,600 square km), primarily for Tioga and Potter Counties, but also areas in McKean, Bradford and Lycoming Counties. 26 fire and EMS services, and 26 police departments are handled by Dispatch.
Tioga County was looking to migrate from TDM to Ethernet technology and chose RAD’s solution based on recommendations from MCM Consulting Group, Inc. (MCM) and Tessco, a leading wireless system integrator and a RAD partner. Tioga County had decided to create a dual network path based on an existing DS3 microwave system that provides voice and data services for first responders.
AKRON, Ohio - Summit County, Cuyahoga Falls, Stow and Tallmadge are taking the next step in the process of consolidating their public safety dispatch operations.
The four communities, along with newcomers Fairlawn, Green and the City of Akron, announced on Oct. 11 their intention to hire MCM Consulting Group, Inc. to advise them on the implementation of the consolidated computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system and the possible consolidation of their dispatch operations.
About $6 million worth of mobile and portable radios, as well as control stations, will be installed in police, fire and emergency medical services vehicles across the county starting later this month.
New equipment for Erie County’s $23.2 million public safety radio system has arrived early and will be installed in police, fire and emergency medical services vehicles across the county starting this month.
The goal of the “Next Generation Public Safety Radio System” project is to move the existing system and its users onto a common communications platform. Doing so will enable emergency responders to more effectively communicate with each other, including among different departments.
The project was approved by Erie County Council in August 2015. MCM Consulting Group is managing the project and Texas-based E.J. Johnson won the bid to provide the equipment. Another company, Mobilcom, will install the mobile radios and control stations.
Summit County and several local cities intend to hire a consultant to guide them in exploring a shared dispatch system, and perhaps even consolidation of their physical operations.
If approved by their respective councils, MCM Consulting Group Inc. will advise the county and the cities of Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, Tallmadge, Fairlawn and Green on the implementation of a consolidated computer-aided dispatch system and the feasibility of an outright merger of dispatch operations.
Akron has also asked to be included in discussions about joining a shared computer-assisted dispatch system, but is not included in talks concerning the consolidation of all dispatch operations.
Earlier this year, the County of Summit and the Cities of Cuyahoga Falls, Stow and Tallmadge entered into a memorandum of understanding laying out the framework for a consolidated computer-aided dispatch system (“Consolidated CAD System”) and possible consolidation of dispatch operations. On Wednesday, October 11, 2017, those communities announced their intention to hire MCM Consulting Group, Inc. to advise the communities on the implementation of the Consolidated CAD System and the possible consolidation of their dispatch operations. The communities were joined by the Cities of Fairlawn and Green in both efforts and by the City of Akron for the Consolidated CAD System only. The City of Akron is not exploring a consolidation of its dispatch operations with the other communities.
The Monroe County, Pennsylvania hazard mitigation plan was updated in a long-term planning process which occurred between July 1, 2015 and October 1, 2016. Due to the in-depth nature of hazard mitigation planning, Monroe County sought the services of MCM Consulting Group, Inc. (MCM), which has a vast span of knowledge in hazard mitigation planning. Monroe County and MCM initiated the planning process with the development of a multi-discipline local planning team, which included representatives from local business, academia, government, and the first responder community.
A comprehensive capability assessment and a risk assessment were completed by Monroe County representatives and local government representatives. The capability and risk assessments give government and public safety representatives the opportunity to take a detailed, structured look at the hazards that could affect citizens, safety and infrastructure in their communities and county. The assessment also affords them an opportunity to look at their current ability to mitigate and recover from these hazards. In addition to county and local government representation, agencies including hospitals, museums, historical associations and educational institutions participated in the assessments.
Officials say equipment purchases for the radio project are under budget
Erie County government’s multimillion-dollar public safety radio system is proving to be a less-costly proposition — in terms of equipment — than local officials originally projected.
County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper’s administration said last week that the project, originally projected to cost $26.5 million, is slightly more than $3 million under budget right now due to lower-than-expected equipment costs.
Those expenses are being closely monitored by MCM Consulting group, which is coordinating the public safety radio project for the county. Michael McGrady, MCM’s president and chief executive, also told the Erie Times-News that equipment purchases for the radio project are under budget.
Speaking at the opening of the fire service and local government symposium Saturday, County Commissioner Rick Mirabito urged the group to think about the future of area fire services.
“From a bigger perspective, we have to think about how we’re going to deliver fire services not just two, three years from now, but really 20 to 25 years from now,” he said.
Due to 911 legislation passed in 2015 (ACT12), which funds a large percentage of all PSAPs operating budgets, non-county PSAPs in Pennsylvania are required to consolidate. The cities of Bethlehem and Allentown are both scheduled to lose their funding for their individual PSAPs in 2019. These cities are the last two municipalities to hold PSAP status and funding due to previous legislation.
To determine the best approach to the pending consolidation, the counties and cities hired MCM Consulting Group, Inc. to conduct a PSAP study on the best way for the neighboring agencies to address the requirements. Their study revealed that implementing a common software system for Lehigh and Northampton counties would be the most efficient and best approach for better public safety.
Plans to combine Snyder and Union counties’ 911 centers at one location in Penn Township, Snyder County, for a savings in excess of $1 million and improved services are moving forward.
About 60 emergency responders, law enforcement and community leaders attended a meeting Tuesday to hear the proposal pitched by MCM Consulting Group Inc. President Michael McGrady to merge the agencies in the next two to three years.
Posted: Tue, August 16, 2016
IRVING, TEXAS – August 16, 2016 – EF Johnson Technologies, Inc. (EFJohnson), the mission-critical P25 communications specialist for JVCKENWOOD Corporation, has signed a $16.1 million contract with Erie County, Pennsylvania to deliver a secure P25 Phase 2 communication system, new radio fleet, dispatch consoles, and long-term support services to upgrade and manage its radio network.
Erie, PA – Erie County Executive Kathy Dahlkemper on Tuesday announced a contract award to E.F. Johnson Co. as the radio manufacturer for Erie County’s Next Generation Public Safety Radio System.
A consultant is recommending a Luzerne County 911 emergency radio communications system overhaul and upgrade that would cost an estimated $19.26 million and take several years to complete.
Michael C. McGrady, of MCM Consulting Group, is presenting the proposal at several public sessions…
WILKES-BARRE -- Luzerne County announced Monday that changes are coming to improve the response to emergencies.
The last time Luzerne County 911 updated the system was about 20 years ago.
Michael McGrady, President and Chief Executive Officer of MCM Consulting Group, Inc. was recently honored as the Citizen of the Year during a ceremony at the Erie County Firefighters Association annual banquet.
Mr. McGrady and his company have been committed to the assessment, design and implementation of the Erie County next generation emergency communications radio system.
The Erie County Firefighters Association recognized Mr. McGrady and his company for their deep commitment to enhancing communications for first responders.
ALLENTOWN — A 911 regionalization study has recommended merging the Allentown and Bethlehem 911 centers with Lehigh and Northampton counties, respectively, in the next two years with an eventual goal of creating one regional center.
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A 911 regionalization research has really helpful merging Allentown and Bethlehem’s 911 facilities with their respective counties within the subsequent two years with an eventual objective of making one regional middle.
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Regional 911 center makes sense for Lehigh Valley, study finds. The Lehigh Valley should have a regional 911 center but it's unlikely a full consolidation could happen ahead of when state funding runs out in 2019, according to a study.
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Allentown, Bethlehem and Northampton and Lehigh counties are going study whether they should share 911 dispatch services.
The study, which will start in September, will look at both whether all four entities should merge dispatching and also whether Bethlehem should join with Northampton and Allentown should join with Lehigh.
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