Item C16
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date: December 19. 2001
Division:
Public Safety
Bulk Item: Yes -L No
Department: Emergency Management
AGENDA ITEM WORDING:
Approval to apply for Emergency Management Preparedness and Assistance Trust Fund Competitive
Grant for the purchase of a portable emergency communications radio tower.
ITEM BACKGROUND:
Funds are provided through the Florida Department of Community Affairs to complete projects that
will enhance abilities to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of natural and
man-made disasters, on a competitive basis, each fiscal year. Emergency Management intends to apply
to DCA for funding in the amount of $20,415.00 to purchase a portable radio tower to facilitate
continued communications of emergency responders during times of emergency when normal
communications may be severely limited. No financial match on the part of Monroe County is
required.
PREVIOUS REVELANT BOCC ACTION:
The BOCC has not recently applied for nor been awarded funds under this program.
CONTRACT/AGREEMENT CHANGES:
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
Approval
TOT AL COST:
$20,415.00
BUDGETED: Yes
No X_
COST TO COUNTY: 0
REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes
No ---X AMOUNT PER MONTH_ Year
APPROVED BY: County Atty _ OMB/Purchasing _ Risk Management_
DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR APPROVAL: ~ /tJUJl 12.?:,.OI
>Aene Toner
DIVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL: '- ~Sl. ~~~:l- -t:\- 1':
James R. "Reggl "Paros
DOCUMENTATION:
Included X
To Follow_ Not Required_
AGENDA ITEM # /-(/0
DISPOSITION:
Revised 2/27/0 I
Monroe County Emergency Management
2002-2003
E.M.P.A.T.F. Project Proposal
Portable Emergency Radio Communications Tower
Monroe County Emergency Management
Portable Radio Communications Tower
Letter of Transmittal
The Monroe County Emergency Communications Department has identified the need for
a portable radio communications tower. This tower will better enable the
communications department to fulfill its Emergency Support Function role of ensuring a
reliable communications infrastructure for emergency responders during hurricanes,
wildfires, and other disasters which routinely disable the permanent network.
Due to its unique geography, Monroe County experiences problems with
communications even during normal conditions. Cellular phone and pager users often
encounter "dead spots" throughout this 120 chain of islands. Should the normal radio
tower become disabled after a hurricane, communications between the Emergency
Operations Center, Law Enforcement, Fire - Rescue, and Emergency Medical Services
personal in the field will be severely limited. This tower is intended to ensure continuity
of operations. and thereby protect the residents of Monroe County during the recovery
phase of any major event. A portable radio tower will also allow for the deployment of
an on-scene command post with reliable communications. Such an operation was
conducted in 2001 during the wildfires that burned portions of the Everglades in Monroe
and Miami-Dade Counties.
The Emergency Communications Director, Norm Leggett, has researched products from
various vendors, and identified what he feels is the best choice. The tower and related
equipment will cost a total of $20,415, and is available from a company called Aluma
Tower Company, Inc., ofVero Beach. This application is written in good faith and free
of any collusion, with the sole intent of acquiring the equipment described. The signer of
this application is the Mayor of the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners,
who has full authority through that Board, to enter into agreement with the Department of
Community Affairs for the completion of this project. Participation in this project will be
limited to Monroe County and its appropriate departments, notable Emergency
Management and Emergency Communications, Aluma Tower, Inc., and the Department
of Community Affairs. The scope is simply the one-time purchase of the named
equipment, which will then be used by Monroe County and those agencies assigned lead
roles for various Emergency Support Functions.
EMP A COMPETITIVE GRANT APPLICATION
TITLE PAGE
TITLE OF PROJECT
Emergency Communications Portable Radio Tower
AMOUNT REQUESTED FROM STATE $
20.415.00
AMOUNT MATCHING FUNDS COMMITTED $ 0
This is an application for a competitive grant under (indicate ONLY one):
XX 1) Emergency Management Competitive Grant Program, or
2) Municipal Competitive Grant Program
The application is submitted for consideration in the following category (select ONLY
one):
I) A project that will promote public education on disaster preparedness
and recovery issues.
2) A project that will enhance coordination of relief efforts of statewide
private sector organizations, including public-private business
partnerships.
3) A project that will improve the training and operations capabilities of
agencies assigned lead or support responsibilities in the State
Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.
xx 4) A project that will otherwise further state and local emergency
management priorities identified in the Notice of Fund Availability.
(Priority Area B)
APPLICANT INFORMATION:
Name of Organization: Monroe County Emergency Management
Address of Organization: 490 63rd St. Ocean
Marathon. FL 33050
E-mail address:ManningJ@.mai1.state.fl.us
Name of Chief Elected Official: Charles "Sonny" McCoy. Monroe County Mayor
Name of Chief Administrative Officer: James L. Roberts County Administrator
Name of Applicant Contact: Jeff Manning
Title of Applicant Contact: Emergency Management Planner
Telephone Number of Applicant Contact: (305) 289-6325
Federal Employee Identification (FEID) Number: 59-6000749
AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE [Must comply with 9G-19.008(7), F.A.C., or
application will not be scored] :
Signature:
Title:
2
Table of Contents
Letter of Transmittal
Title Page
Proposed Project Presentation
Budget Detail
Statement Regarding Project Match
Tie Breaker Question
Page I
Page 2
Page 4
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
3
Group I.
Monroe County
Portable Radio Communications Tower
Proposed Project Presentation
Description of Need, Proposed Solution, and Expected Benefits
1.
Monroe County stretches more than 120 miles from Key West in the south
to Ocean Reef in the north. Because of this, emergency response officials,
including law enforcement, fire-rescue, and emergency medical services
personal are required to cover a large area. It is quite likely that one or
more radio towers which normally provide the infrastructure for radio
communications will be disabled after a hurricane, certain tornadoes, wind
events, or other large scale disasters. Such an outage presents an obvious
public safety hazard in that emergency responders may not be able to
effectively communicate with one another nor with the Emergency
Operations Center in the crucial hours immediately following a disaster.
These first few hours, before even the most basic elements of the
infrastructure are repaired or replaced, can be critical in carrying out
search and rescue operations, and thereby ensuring the most efficient and
effective means of protecting public safety. The ability to provide
effective and reliable communications in the field immediately following a
disaster is crucial to life safety, and will mitigate against additional
injuries and casualties. Communications are an integral part to Monroe
County's Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, Hurricane
Standard Operating Procedures, Monroe County Sheriffs Office Standard
Operating Procedures, and Monroe County Fire-Rescue and Emergency
Medical Services Standard Operating Procedures. In addition, the Monroe
County EOC uses radio communications to determine status of shelters,
resources needed, and especially medical needs of those shelter residents
classified as special needs clients in shelters. Shelters absolutely must be
able to relay needs to the EOC, and the EOC must be able to dispatch
resources to shelters.
Monroe County is applying for the Emergency Management Competitive
Grant in Category 4, which includes projects that "further State and local
emergency management objectives which have been designated by the
state of Florida as priorities.. ." The associated priority is identified as
priority B in the Notice of Funding Availability as follows; in that the
project will improve emergency management capabilities in the
fundamental areas of response and recovery. Monroe County Emergency
Communications is assigned the lead role in Emergency Communications
4
(Monroe County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, pp. 23)
and as such, is also the support agency for other lead agencies throughout
the County, including Monroe County Sheriffs Office, Monroe County
Fire-Rescue, Monroe County Emergency Medical Service, and Monroe
County Emergency Management. The communications services provided
also support those agencies responsible for ESF's 6 and 11, Mass Care and
Food and Water. Radios are often the most effective way to communicate
with hurricane shelters once adverse conditions have arrived and normal
forms of communications are unavailable.
2. The short and long term goals of this project are virtually the same; to
provide a reliable, immediately deployable means of continuing
emergency communications throughout the County in the immediate hours
following a large scale disaster. In addition to supporting EOC operations,
law enforcement, fire personnel, and shelter managers in the field
following a hurricane or tornado, this project will allow Monroe County to
support wildfire suppression activities, especially on the mainland portion
of the County. Resources necessary for the continuance of this project
will consist primarily of operating costs, both personnel and fuel /
maintenance. Personnel are already assigned this task in the current
Monroe County CEMP and Emergency Communications SOP, and the
maintenance costs will be minimal. This project is simply a one time
capital outlay to upgrade current equipment.
The number of emergency management personnel who could conceivably
benefit from this project are in effect all of the County's Law
Enforcement, Fire Rescue, and EMS personnel, nearly 1000 responders,
all of whom depend primarily upon radio communications when operating
in the field. Monroe County Public Works is responsible for the
immediate deployment of debris removal equipment, identification of
trouble areas and clearing many of the roads in the County. Public Works
crews work to assure access for emergency response vehicles in the
immediate recovery phase. Radios are utilized to communicate in these
operations, and essential Public Works employees would benefit from the
implementation of this project as well. This number does not take into
account those State resources which may be deployed into the area
following a large scale emergency, notably additional law enforcement,
and other mutual-aid resources.
The project is short term in that it can be immediately realized, purchase
and delivery can take place in a matter of weeks. The long term benefits
are that portable tower will have a significant life expectancy, benefiting
emergency responders and the residents of the county through many future
hurricane seasons.
5
Group II.
Collateral Information for the Proposal
3.
This project is consistent with the State of Florida's CEMP, and Monroe
County's CEMP, both of which outline the roles and responsibilities of
ESF 2, Emergency Communications. These responsibilities state in part,
ESF 2's duties as being to " assure provisions for communications support
to State, County, and local response efforts..." Monroe County's CEMP
explicitly states the following; "The County's communications
infrastructure will be damaged and disaster communication responses will
be difficult to coordinate due to a breakdown in public and private
systems." (Monroe County CEMP, pp. 23) It continues; " The
requirement for communications during the response phase may exceed
the capability of existing resources.
Monroe County Emergency Communications is tasked with preparations
of communications equipment in the EOC, coordination of Emergency
Alert System Messages, and the viability of the communications network
in advance of a disaster. In the response and recovery phases, Emergency
Communications is responsible for coordination of support agencies in
directing and prioritizing communications resources, needs, and services.
The department will assist post disaster programs including, but not
limited to outreach programs such as Disaster Recover Centers, in
establishing any necessary communications. Communications with
shelters may be entirely dependent upon radio communications following
an event, and these radio communications will likely depend upon a Law
Enforcement representative or shelter manager on site, as well the
temporary radio tower described in this project application.
4. This approach, namely, the purchase of a deployable, temporary, yet
effective radio communications tower, has been chosen for a variety of
reasons. Emergency Communications currently has in its inventory a
portable radio tower that is limited to 60 feet in elevation. The upgrade to
a tower 100 feet in height proposed through the means of this grant
application, will significantly increase the range of both the
Communications Radio command post, and the range that ground based
portables will be able to be used. With a repeater which will be installed
be the Emergency Communications Department, hand held portable radios
will continue to be effective, even in the absence of one of the permanent
towers. Cellular telephones, the other obvious means of wireless
communications, have proven to be unreliable throughout the Keys,
especially after a high wind event. During Hurricane Georges in 1998,
cell phone towers were among the first casualties in the County's
infrastructure. Cellular telephone communications were non-existent in
6
many cases, and communications from the Emergency Operations Center
to and among responders in the field were significantly hindered. This
poses an obvious threat to the safety not only of both residents of Monroe
County and the emergency responders attempting to help them.
It is expected that this proposal is a very cost-effective means of
mitigating the potential effects of a hurricane, wildfire, or other large scale
disaster in Monroe County. This project will consist primarily of a one-
time operating capital outlay, i.e, equipment that is non-consumable and
non-expendable in nature, and it will have a life expectancy of more than
one year. The project will require no ongoing administrative costs. The
Senior Director of the Emergency Communications Director has
researched the product being sought through various vendors, and has
identified what he feels is the most viable alternative. Monroe County
will assume the nominal costs of maintenance and operation associated
with the equipment if purchased.
Please see the attached budget detailed budget form.
7
Date:
PROPOSED BUDGET
Jn~Kind" ,'\ Total ';:;,
:,:Services . ' . Gnfr1t~e'~1~
>'Match. .;;Cost ';~:':~
$20,415
$20,415
$20,415
$20,415
100%
100%
8