City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
Meeting Date: 12/12/05 Item Number: C-5
AGENDA ITEM: Approve a Joint Resolution of all Interagency Communications
Interoperability System (ICIS) Members Declaring ICIS as a Priority Among
Homeland Security and Federal Appropriations Requests.
Contact Person/Dept.:
Jeff Eastman, Fire Chief
Phone Number: (310) 253-5915
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification:
Master Notification List (12/07/05); ICIS Governance Board (12/07/05)
Department Approval:
Jeff Eastman (11/30/05)
CAO Approval:
Martin Cole for Jerry Fulwood (12/5/05)
City Controller Approval:
N/A
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council approve the joint ICIS Resolution and authorize
the Mayor to sign the document declaring ICIS a priority among Homeland Security
and Federal Appropriations requests.
BACKGROUND:
The Interagency Communications Interoperability System (ICIS) is a concept that
allows cities using common band (UHF) communication systems to share their
infrastructure to communicate with each other and their home city throughout the
region. The ability to communicate with all agencies involved with incident response
and recovery efforts is known as “interoperability”. Achieving interoperability is a goal
every public safety agency in the nation is working to resolve.
Culver City switched from a “Conventional” radio system to a “Trunked” radio system
in 2001. Trunking is a technology that optimizes airtime within a radio system by
allowing users to have significantly more talkgroups (or channels) than it has actual
licensed frequencies. The old system had six frequencies assigned as six channels.
We now have thirty-two talkgroups using those same six frequencies. Our trunked
system also allows us to connect to a region wide communication network, ICIS,
under development within the Los Angeles basin.
ICIS is the next level to having every city on UHF (the same band) and using the
same technology (trunking). ICIS would allow agencies that are UHF trunked to
“plug in” to each other’s systems and use them as if they were their own when out of
their normal “home” area.
City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
ICIS will provide Culver City with the following:
• The capability of radio communications with Culver City Dispatch almost
anywhere in Los Angeles County. This is extremely valuable in a police
pursuit and when our companies are involved in providing mutual aid to
other jurisdictions.
• A back-up radio system-redundancy is very important in this age of
disasters and terrorism.
• The ability to communicate with any agency on the system using the same
radios at the push of a button.
On August 4, 2005, the City of Culver City entered into a Joint Powers Agreement
(JPA) with several other Cities in Los Angeles County in order to establish ICIS.
As a result of the City Council’s appropriation of several significant grant funds, the
Fire Department is currently upgrading our existing radio system per the following:
1. Equipment Upgrade at the Baldwin Hills Radio Site
2. Equipment Upgrade in the Police Department Dispatch Center
3. Equipment Upgrade at the ICIS master site located at the Glendale Civic
Center
4. Flash Software Upgrade for Police and Fire Subscriber Units (portable &
mobile radios)
5. Purchase mobile radios for the Fire Department
DISCUSSION:
The ICIS Governance Board has agreed that a joint resolution of City Councils from
each ICIS participating agency would be most effective when seeking Federal funds.
The attached resolution was developed to emphasize the concept and importance of
the ICIS organization.
The City of Culver City has complete confidence in the project. The City has fully
participated in both the concept and organizational governance board and
committees and is currently in the process of installing infrastructure to support ICIS
with recently purchased radio equipment.
ICIS needs funding to continue to increase the network to include other local and
regional agencies. Federal, State and local funding is available. A united front from
all the cities involved will assist ICIS to obtain the needed funds.
City of Culver City, California
City Council Agenda Item Report
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
There is no fiscal impact attached to this item.
ATTACHMENTS:
Resolution 2005-R ___
(A Joint Resolution of the Councils of the Cities of Beverly Hills, Burbank, Culver City,
Glendale, Montebello, and Pomona, Declaring ICIS as a Priority Among Homeland Security
and Federal Appropriation Requests.)
MOTION:
That the City Council:
1. Approve the Resolution declaring ICIS a priority among Homeland Security and
Federal Appropriations requests; and
2. Authorize the Mayor to sign the Resolution.
12/12/05
Approve a Jomt Resolution of all Interagency Conunutucations
Interoperability System (ICIS) Members Declaring ICIS as a
Priority Among Homeland Security and Federal Appropnations
Requests
MEETING DATE
AGENDA ITEM
ATTACHMENTS
Pages|109| Resolution No 2
A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCILS OF THE CITIES OF
BEVERLY HILLS, BURBANK, CULVER CITY, GLENDALE,
MONTEBELLO, AND POMONA, DECLARING ICIS AS A PRIORITY
AMONG HOMELAND SECURITY AND FEDERAL APPROPRIATION
REQUESTSRESOLUTION NO
A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCILS OF THE CITIES OF BEVERLY
HILLS, BURBANK, CULVER CITY, GLENDALE, MONTEBELLO, AND
POMONA, DECLARING ICIS AS A PRIORITY AMONG HOMELAND
SECURITY AND FEDERAL APPROPRIATION REQUESTS
Whereas, widespread disaster resulting from floods, fire, storms, earthquakes, hazardous
materials, tornados, landslides, mudslides, drought, explosions, not, hostile military actions, the
potential terronst use of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive Weapons of
Mass Destruction, or other catastrophe is an ever present possibility, and
Whereas, the protection of lives and property of the American people, from any type of
natural or man-made disaster emergency is of paramount concern, and
Whereas, the Cities of Beverly Hills, Burbank, Culver City, Glendale, Montebello, and
Pomona, ("Members"), to provide for a wide area mteroperable commurucations network, have
formed a joint powers authonty pursuant to Article 1, Chapter 5, Division 7, Title 1 of the
California Government Code called the Interagency Communications Interoperability System,
("ICIS"), and
Whereas, the ICIS Members have determined that working in concert and sharing their
radio communications resources is in the public interest as it provides the most effective and
economical radio communications network for all participating public entities to meet or enhance
their current public safety radio communications needs and to provide an architecture capable of
expanding to meet future needs, and
Whereas, the United States Government has taken steps to organize federal agencies to
plan, train and respond to domestic and foreign terrorist attacks and the United States Congress
has appropriated finding to allow local, regional, state, and federal agencies to prepare for and
respond to such cnses, and
Whereas, centralized coordination and communication among preparedness and
response entities at the local, regional, state, and federal levels are paramount to ensuring the
safety of our citizens, and
Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Councils of the Cities of Beverly Hills, Burbank,
Culver City, Glendale, Montebello, and Pomona|109| That ICIS is a proven solution for regional public safety communications
needs, and|109| That the ICIS project is a pnonty among other Homeland Security and
Public Safety Federal Appropnation requests from the ICIS MembersCity of Beverly Hills
Linda J Bnskman, Mayor
Attested To
Byron Pope, Acting City Clerk
Approved As To Form
Laurence S Wiener, City Attorney
City of Burbank
Jef Vander Borght, Mayor
Attested To
Margarita Campos, City Clerk
Approved As To Form
Dennis A Barlow, City Attorney
City of Culver City
Albert Vera, Mayor
Attested To
Christopher Annenta, City Clerk
Approved As To Form
City of Glendale
Rafi Manouluan, Mayor
Attested To
Ardashes Kassakhian, City Clerk
Approved As To Form
Scott H Howard, City Attorney
City of Montebello
William M Molinari, Mayor
Attested To
Robert J King, City Clerk
Approved As To Form
Marco A Martinez, City Attorney
City of Pomona
Marco Robles, Actmg Mayor
Attested To
Maria Macias, City Clerk
Approved As To Form
Carol A Schwab, City Attorney
Arnold Alvarez Glasman, City Attorney