Cut-Over Set for Dec 9th

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On Tuesday 12/09 starting at 8am, the upgrade of the COIRS radio system will begin and is expected to last approximately 36 hours. We are upgrading the system to version 7.14 and moving it to the latest IP technology.

A detailed plan for the cut-over will be provided this coming Friday, but here is a preview.

For responders, most of the transition will be transparent. Radios DO NOT need to be touched or reprogrammed. All of the talk-groups will remain the same. There will be three primary impacts:

  1. Channels will be converted in two groups. During the conversion, only half of the normal talk-paths will be available so busy signals will be probable. Keeping unnecessary radio traffic to a minimum during this period will help greatly.
  2. The Hard Road tower site will be off line for several days before and during the conversion to accommodate hardware and connectivity upgrades specific to that site. Walkie coverage along the river corridor will be affected.
  3. Roaming between the Dub/Wor/Hill side of the system and the Delaware side of the system will be restricted. This may cause minor coverage problems in some of the border areas.

For dispatchers, console cutover impacts are:

  1. Consoles will be cut over in groups. There will be a period of time when dispatchers will be operating on back up radios/control stations. Motorola will make every attempt to bring half of the new MCC7500 consoles up on the new system as soon as the first group of channels is converted. During this conversion, walkies/control stations will need to be used. ‘
  2. For high risk incidents where radio traffic is critical, be prepared to use the EMERGENCY feature on the consoles to hold the frequency. This will keep users at the incident from getting busy signals and ensure resources are available.
  3. Be prepared to move to back up systems if needed (MARCS/COLS)

We will be meeting with Motorola on Wednesday to review the final cut-over plan. Once that plan is final, a detailed description will be sent. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jay Somerville or Patrick Brandt.