iXP Provides Complete Planning and Implementation for New Fire Department of New York Operations Center

Sector: Municipal Government

Focus: Planning and Implementation

Started: 2004

Situation

The Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) originally had a Fire Department Operations Center (FDOC) located in an adjacent building at 11 Metro Tech. While this center had been in operation for a number of years and had supported the operations of the FDNY through numerous major incidents, the FDNY recognized that the capabilities of the center needed to be enhanced through the use of new technologies and new procedures to continue meeting the needs of the City and the Department.

Solution

iXP provided a full set of planning and implementation services under two engagements to take the FDNY's state of the art 8000 square foot operations center from conception to live operations within the current FDNY Headquarters in 9 Metro Tech. The first engagement entailed the initial assessment, requirements, planning, and conceptual design. When FDNY hired a construction and technical teams for implementation, iXP provided project management services to ensure that the implementation was consistent with the FDNY requirements. iXP was the only vendor involved in both the design and implementation phase of this project.

Planning engagement

In the initial stage, iXP worked closely with senior FDNY Chiefs. iXP developed a detailed vision of the capabilities of the new operations center and prepared procurement specifications that would enable the FDNY to implement the appropriate new capabilities. The work for the initial study and conceptual design included:

• Assessment of current operations and technology;
• Operational requirements;
• Technical requirements;
• Recommended changes;
• Conceptual operational solution;
• High-level technology design;
• Preliminary floor plan;
• Preliminary technical area program;
• Initial implementation recommendations;
• Budgetary cost estimates;
• Implementation schedule; and
• Risk analysis

The conceptual operations recommendations report presented a proposed model of operations for the Fire Operations Center. This report identified a combination of procedures already in existence, revisions to existing procedures, and new procedures to support new modes of operation.

iXP documented the concept for the operations center design from a functional or fire department operations perspective. The recommendations addressed the following components:

• "Normal" day-to-day activities;
• Major incident handling operations;
• Scope of operations;
• Staffing, at both the normal and the higher activation levels;
• Communications procedures; and
• De- activation procedures, at the conclusion of a major incident.

Based on the FDNY's needs that had been identified, iXP prepared a layout of the operations center room with suggested locations of user positions, equipment, and other work areas. The iXP approach allowed FDNY to proceed with a detailed architectural design with the confidence that it would meet their operational vision.

Implementation Engagement

iXP provided comprehensive services in support of the FDOC implementation project including:

• Overall program management for all construction and technologies to ensure coordination and integration among FDNY operations, the multiple suppliers of technology, the project architects, and the construction team;
• Establishment and approval of a technical baseline for the operation of the FDOC immediately after the finish of construction;
• Creation and approval of a detailed operational concept for the new FDOC;
• Review and coordination of the General Contractor's work;
• Assistance in creating new operational procedures and guidelines; and
• Creation of a transition plan in concert with the construction team to ensure that acceptable service levels were maintained during the construction and transition of the FDOC.

Program management describes the multitude of project management services and controls that were provided throughout the implementation of the FDOC. iXP performed activities such as client communications, interface meetings, reports, and technical contractor staff management. One key activity was the management and documentation of the weekly project meetings. This process was supported by iXP's SAIF® methodology.

The technical baseline for initial operations was established based on the following factors:

• FDNY operational priority and need;
• Lead time for implementation of all technologies; and
• The construction schedule.

A technology implementation project schedule was confirmed and reviewed as one of the first tasks. This included activities of all vendors, the FDNY, any other City support, and any city contractors whose work impacted the project.

A budget plan for all technologies was created. The budget tracked the planned and actual costs associated with each technology. These documents were the management key to guiding activities, focusing efforts, and identifying overall project status.

Although the General Contractor worked for and reported to the FDNY, it was essential that tight coordination existed between construction of the facility and the technical and operational infrastructure. iXP provided periodic reviews of the construction process to assure that the facility was built to FDNY requirements and that the technologies were adequately accommodated by the newly constructed space. These reviews ensured that the space met both the technical and operational requirements of FDNY.

The technology transition from legacy-to-new, by necessity, occurred in multiple stages. The New FDOC was relocated in 9 Metro Tech and a staged implementation was therefore necessary because the transition would essentially occur without any downtime and many of the proposed technologies for the enhanced FDOC would not all be available when the new FDOC was occupied.

Operational transition from the legacy FDOC to the enhanced FDOC occurred in the first stage. FDOC operations staff was subjected to only one relocation. The intent was to transition the existing technology with only the minimal changes necessary for continued support of existing operations. New technologies were then phased in as they are determined ready for full operation.

For each technology, iXP established a migration strategy and action plan. Each technical platform required a unique plan because some technical components were disassembled in the legacy space and reassembled in the swing space without disruption in FDOC operations. For implementations that required a short "down time" period for a technology, iXP assisted the FDNY with identifying a back up or replacement mechanism/procedure during that period. iXP also assisted the FDNY with the establishment of back-up processes in the event of a primary systems failure during the transition period. In some cases it was possible to create a back up server, install that server in the swing space while the legacy server continued to operate, and then shut down the legacy server. In other cases, such as with video feeds, a duplicate connection in the transition space allowed uninterrupted video service during the initial transition.

Prior to cutover, iXP conducted final system testing. The testing process utilized pre-approved test scripts. iXP reviewed the system tests submitted by each vendor to ensure that they addressed all integration and interface points between individual systems.

iXP, as the last activity prior to any cut-over, conducted a readiness test of each technologies to be implemented in production. This test validated that the technologies are all operational, have been configured in accordance with their intended usage, and all integration points are behaving as expected. These tests were conducted using a combination of pre-approved test scripts and, where appropriate, additional measures to ensure that all technologies are ready for use in the live FDOC operation.

iXP worked with the FDNY to create updated FDOC Guidelines for the initial FDOC implementation. We assisted the FDNY in defining the FDOC organization and support the FDNY in creating the revised concept of operations.

iXP provided consulting services to the FDNY on FDOC training, which included a training plan, course syllabi, course materials, and training. In addition, iXP provided the results of the readiness testing and a recommendation as to the preparedness of the FDOC staff to operate and support the new technology in production.

iXP provided a set of services to support the migration of the legacy FDOC to a new enhanced environment. Our focus is on implementing technology solutions in accordance with the accepted vision for FOC operations. These technologies were meant to enable new capabilities with the FDOC. To ensure that these technologies are exploited to their fullest, iXP worked with the operations staff to ensure they were properly trained and the necessary policies/procedure/guidelines were in place and have been thoroughly tested.

Result

The initial cutover to the new FDOC occurred in January of 2006 and the full center was formally opened by Mayor Bloomberg in July of 2006.

Value Delivered. Problem Solved.