Posting Language
Title
Authorize negotiation and execution of an interlocal agreement with the Texas Department of Public Safety to participate in the Texas Interoperable Radio Interconnect System, a grant-funded statewide interconnect system, to promote radio communications interoperability by tying together multiple jurisdictions using compatible hardware and cloud-based software.
De
Lead Department
Communications and Technology Management.
Fiscal Note
This item has no fiscal impact.
For More Information:
Inquiries should be directed to Pushpa Srinivasa, CTM-Wireless Communication Services Division Manager, (512) 972-3209, pushpa.srinivasa@austintexas.gov.
Additional Backup Information:
Beginning in 2005, the City has supported ongoing efforts to improve radio communications interoperability, defined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as “the ability of emergency responders to communicate among jurisdictions, disciplines, and levels of government, using a variety of frequency bands, as needed and as authorized.” Following Council’s contract award in 2000 to Motorola Solutions, Inc. to construct the Austin-Travis County Regional Radio System, built using the Project-25 (P25) common digital trunked radio standards technology, the City has continued to support growth of the system into the surrounding contiguous counties and other counties in various geographical areas of Texas. Federal, state, county, municipal, district, and tribal governments participation is needed to improve efforts toward achieving radio communications interoperability.
Each participant in the Texas Interoperable Radio Interconnect System (TIRIS) operates its own independent public safety radio system to serve the needs of the respective region and agencies. Connecting the public safety radio systems via the TIRIS Critical Connect portal will improve the interoperability of the system(s) and allow additional communications capabilities between users on the system. Each participant’s public safety radio system is owned and operated independently. Some have adopted the P25 suite of standards (trunked or conventional) and others use conventional analog technology.
The scope of this proposed agreement with the Texas Department of Public Safety is to establish the TIRIS system as an Internet Protocol (IP) connection between each participant public safety radio system and the TIRIS Critical Connect portal. The agreement will outline the roles and responsibilities of each participant, the TIRIS Governance Board, and the TIRIS Executive Committee regarding the management and connection of the participants through the IP cloud based Inter Sub-System Interface connection, known as “Critical Connect.”