City of Oak Creek

Common Council Report

Meeting Date: March 7, 2006

Item No.:        

Recommendation:  That the Common Council approve the Fire Department’s purchase of eighteen (18) Mobile Data computers and mounting hardware as listed below:

6       Tablet computers and printers to be installed in the Fire Department’s ALS and BLS units

1       Tablet computer and printer to be installed in the Fire Inspector’s vehicle

11      Notebook computers to be installed in the Fire Department’s fire trucks        

Background:  During the initial budget process, the Fire Department provided justification and requested the authorization to purchase and install 18 MDC’s.  In 2005 the Fire Department had applied for a grant to cover the cost of purchase and installation of the units.  The recommendation was to not fund the request due to the requirement that grant money would not be given if a municipality had already budgeted funds for the purchase; but to fund the purchase out of the contingency fund in 2006 if the grant was not approved.  In December of 2005 the grant request was not approved.

The mobile data computers will be used in conjunction with the new Phoenix Computer Aided Dispatch software.  The MDC’s will allow the dispatchers to send emergency call information, track units positions (GPS) and provide additional patient/premise information to responding units.  The MDC’s will also be loaded with GIS and mapping software along with commercial and apartment building fire preplans to allow firefighters to prepare for an incident on the way to the emergency.  The tablet units in the ALS and BLS units will contain emergency medical forms and printers to allow the EMS personnel to fill out emergency medical forms and print them for the doctors at the emergency room to use when the patient arrives at the hospital.  The inspection MDC will be used to complete inspection forms and print the inspection reports in the field while updating the software instantly instead of having the inspector having to handwrite the forms and then entering them manually into the computer system back at the office.  

Fiscal Impact:  The total cost of the eighteen MDC’s with mounting hardware and installation is $96,353.50.  Note: the MDC computers will be purchased from the State of Wisconsin bidding contract.

A breakdown of the cost is as follows:

12   Mobile Data Computers (Panasonic Toughbook 29’s) @ $3,974 each:      $47,688.00

7    Tablet Mobile Data Computers @ $4,341 each:                                      $30,387.00

18   Mounting hardware, antennas and installation                                        $16,535.50

7    Printers @ $249 each:                                                                           $1,743.00

                                                                                               TOTAL:            $96,353.50

The purchase would come out of the following sources:  $20,000 from the Data Processing CIP, $5,640 from the 2005 Ambulance CIP #05010, $5,640 from the We Energies Mitigation Fund #19, and the balance will come from Fire Station #1 Remodeling CIP #03031.

Prepared by: Caesar Geiger IT Manager	Respectfully submitted, Patrick DeGrave City Administrator
Approved by: Brian M. Satula Fire Chief	Fiscal Review by: Beverly A. Buretta, CMC City Clerk