11 July 2017
This is my Final Speech for COMM171
The goal is to create a plan for technical issues arising from the day to day activities at the Call Center. The key tasks in implementing the plan are a priority list for issues, a procedure for getting help, who to call and when, and follow-up by the respective team members. Initiate the plan by gathering together information indicating what the problems are and how best to resolve them. Plan a course of action to correct and streamline a process for technical issues. Create a schedule for each of the phases of the plan to include time for preparations, reviewing existing data, developing a course of action, and the responsibilities of the team members.
A little history of how 911 can to be. “The Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 (911 Act) took effect on October 26, 1999. The purpose of the 911 Act is to improve public safety by encouraging and facilitating the prompt deployment of a nationwide, seamless communications infrastructure for emergency services.” Prior to the PSA of 1999, many people had to know the telephone numbers for the different agencies serving their community. More often than not, people would panic and dial an incorrect number, taking more time to get through to the essential services needed. After a caller would get through to the serving agency, they needed to be able to communicate the emergency and where it was located. In rural communities this could be a challenge since the road where they lived could be miles long with little or no markings as to location. This is true especially in the case with mobile telephones.
One solution was the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). “In December 2003, the FCC began collecting data to build a registry of public safety answering points (PSAPs). A primary PSAP is defined as a PSAP to which 911 calls are routed directly from the 911 Control Office, such as, a selective router or 911 tandem. A secondary PSAP is defined as a PSAP to which 911 calls are transferred from a primary PSAP. The PSAP database serves as a tool to aid the Commission in evaluating the state of PSAP readiness and E911 deployment.” When the concept of emergency call centers began to emerge, there were several logistical hurdles to overcome. Two of which were where to locate the center and what regional area it would serve. In Georgia, it was the county’s responsibility to provide a location to best serve their area. Call centers do not necessarily need to be in the county’s geographical center, but rather in an area easily accessible to telecommunication lines. The PSAP takes all calls to a given region and routes it appropriately to a call center.
As wireless communication became more common, a new problem arose. In the wireless industries, all calls were routed through the carriers’ exchange. This means back to the callers point of origin. So someone traveling through Georgia from Florida has an accident and calls 911 from their mobile device the call would be routed back to Florida. The call center in Florida would then have to transfer the call to a call center closer to the presumed location of the out-of-state caller. Since there were no fixed points of reference, there was no way for the Call Center to locate the caller. The TruePosition PSAX 1000 was one device used by wireless carriers’ base station to supplement equipment not built with PSAP capabilities. “According to the Cellular Telephone Industry Association (CTIA), 150,000 emergency wireless calls are made in the United States each day.” The PSAX devices made it possible for the cell tower to geo-locate the caller’s mobile device through triangulation and route it to the appropriate call center. While not very accurate, it did help. Later, the wireless carriers started building mobile devices with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and the call centers were adapted to accommodate, hence the Enhanced 911 (E911). This made it possible for the call center to route the appropriate resources to the emergency. “Once the caller's voice and ANI are transferred to the PSAP, the PSAP operator will be able to view a graphic display that shows the longitude and latitude of the person as accessed through GPS satellites. The operator's computer will link to the ALI database, which stores address data and other information.”
In Macon-Bibb County Georgia, the E911 Call Center has such a system. “The system was designed with ‘build teams’ from E-911, the Fire Department, and the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. The IT Department helped take the work done by the build teams and bring their systems together in the New World system so that there would be seamless communication between each of the agencies.” Call Centers continue to advance in technology and procedures. Today, the system can culminate information from a variety of sources and present it to an operator at a moment’s notice. This allows the first responders the best choices in every situation.
With the complexity of the Call Center’s equipment, multiple parties are responsible for its maintenance and upkeep. The Call Center gets calls 24/7, there are six call takers, four BCSO operators, two BCFD dispatch, and one supervisor working twelve hour shifts rotating every four days. There does not appear to be any system of support for equipment failures. Each 'shift' seems to have an independent way of reporting. The Fire Chief, the Major for the Sheriff's office, and the E911 Director all agree there needs to be a standard process for technical support. These range from a mouse not working to a failure in the New World system. The most catastrophic occurrence was when the radio system went dark due to a series of cascading events.
The team participants are the Call Center Director, the Systems and Network Manager, and the Radio Systems Manager. The responsible groups involved with providing resolutions are the IT Systems and Network staff, IT Radio Systems staff, and third party vendors. The team will develop four levels of support priority: Low (0), Minor (1), Major (2), and Critical (3). The purpose is to create a process for the Call Center operators to follow for a given scenario. This will help alleviate calls for any one group by delineating the areas of responsibility, and level of support. It will reduce lost man hours and save time providing the necessary assistance.
When reporting similar issues, they are recorded in a variety of formats for the same category (i.e. street, strt, st, Alabama, AL, Ala, etc). Reporting should have a standard entry of classifications for each category. The most common component having issues was the Automatic Location Information (ALI) or the Automatic Number Identification (ANI). While this is a mission essential system component, it does not necessarily affect all call stations. In cases where it only affects one station, then it would be classified as a Major severity. This goes for other mission essential systems. Non-mission essential equipment or systems would be listed as low priority. Minor severity is for items that pose an inconvenience for the end user, but do not compromise mission essential systems (i.e. a portable radio battery that does not hold a charge). A failure of a single call station is a Major severity since it does not affect all stations and the operator can utilize the ‘backup’ station. Failure of two or more stations is a Critical severity since it compromises the capacity of the Call Center. Low and Minor severities can wait until the next business day. Major severity can usually wait until the next day depending on the component of the system; it may need to be resolved before the end of the next shift. Critical severity necessitates immediate service and will require an acknowledgement from the on-call technician.
Once an issue has been identified, the operator notifies the supervisor and the supervisor determines if problem is a first echelon issue (i.e. USB mouse becomes unplugged, loose power cord on monitor, etc). When the solution is determined to be beyond first echelon, the user then initiates a Trouble Ticket (TT) through the BOSS ticketing system. The system alerts the on-call technician who then reviews the TT and determines the level of severity. There will be no acknowledgement from the technician for a Low or Minor severity. Major severity should be acknowledged from the technician with a return courtesy call. If the supervisor determines the severity is of a Critical nature (i.e. affecting mission essential systems), then they should call the technician while the operator submits the TT. The technician should respond to the On-call within fifteen minutes. If the supervisor gets no response during that time, they are to escalate to the next level in the calling tree. If no response after thirty minutes, the supervisor is to go to the second level of the calling tree.
The technician on-call will determine who needs to be called in the event of Major or Critical severity (if they are unable to resolve the issue). The third party vendors should only be called after hours if the issue cannot be resolved by the technician and it is a Major or Critical severity. No third party vendors should be called after hours for a Low or Minor severity. If a third party vendor is called to assist in resolving the issue, the on-call technician will stay on hand to document the proceedings. Once the issue is ‘put to bed’, the on-call technician will complete a follow-up report and notify the affected system’s manager before leaving the Call Center.
In Summary, it is the On-call technician’s responsibility to ensure the Call Center is back to mission ready status before leaving the site. If the following day is not a business day, the On-call technician should place a courtesy call to the Call Center and verify all is well. This should be followed each day until the next business day to encourage confidence from the Call Center staff. Third party vendors, according to contractual agreements, should follow-up with a thorough and detailed report of events and their solution the next business day.
27 June 2017
This is my Persuasive Speech for COMM171
This speech is purely fictitious and is loosely based on the ‘Bee Movie’. The tireless, always toiling, honey bee visits the many beautiful flowers. They select only the best for the color and quality. Some of these flowers are the ones that give us fruits and vegetables. But to the honey bee, it is just a source for their best product, honey.
They are overly protective of their product, even to the point of laying down their very lives for it. Which brings to bear an extremely critical question for the honey bee, to sting or not to sting? To them the production of honey is the driving force that makes up their lives, so stinging an intruder to the hive would mean a reduction in their honey production. This is a choice for the bee not to be taken lightly. One such intruder is the ever present human. These pests, when raiding the hive, make for an arduous task of protecting and production. The constant disruption of normal, everyday activities are burdensome for the honey bee. But for some reason, when these invaders arrive, the hive seems to go into a certain type of euphoria, as if the interruption of daily activities did not really matter. No one appears to know how long this state exists, but one thing is for sure, when it ends, the honey stores are greatly reduced. Did something get missed? Did they overestimate the quantity? For whatever reason, it is time to return to work gathering the ingredients to make more.
Not all of the honey bees are gatherers; some are scouts, nurses, and general workers. When it is time to begin production, the scouts will leave the hive and locate a source the necessary ingredients for the honey making. They will travel for miles and miles, searching in every direction to find the very best flowers. The scouts are always being careful to make the best choice. Once a choice is made and a field is located with perfect flower, they return to the hive and let the gatherers know where to go to find these elements. After the gatherers arrive to the area, they set to the task of getting what is most needed for production. The bee knows, their visits to the flower are just the thing it needs to become fertile and create the very seeds for the next generation of flowers. This process of pollination is just a trade from the flower to the honey bee for the nutrients the bee needs for the production of honey. Take something, give something, is like a motto to the honey bee. Once the gatherers have gotten all they can carry, they return to the hive to give their precious cargo to the workers to begin the process of making the honey.
While the scouts and gatherers are busy outside the hive, the workers are busy on the inside of the hive. The workers help to build and repair the hive. They build the chambers for the honey production and the nursery. The chambers for both are made with a special wax that only the honey bee can make. This wax is a very unique substance, because it can be molded to conform to any shape the bee desires, which is typically a hexagon shape. The chamber for the honey is where it is stored until needed for the hive during the cold winter months. One main item, that has not been mentioned, is the continuing need for new workers to keep the hive going. This is done by the queen who lays eggs in the nursery for future generations of honey bee. The nursery is also maintained by the worker and is constantly growing, changing, evolving with each generation of bee.
Just remember, as the hive grows, so too does its need for more chamber space and honey, their very lives depend on it. So think twice about buying honey the next time you are shopping in the grocery store. It is a product stolen from those who spend all their lives to make.
20 June 2017
This is my Argumentative Speech for COMM171
The humble honey bee: public servant or private entrepreneur?
The beekeeper toils under harsh conditions to gather the sweet golden nectar that bees produce. While the honey bees are tirelessly toiling, visiting the many beautiful flowers, selecting only the best for color and quality. Several of these flowers develop into fruits and vegetables for human consumption. To the honey bee, it is just a source for their best product, honey.
The honey bee is very caring of their honey, to the point of laying down their lives for it. Which brings them to an extremely critical question, to sting or not to sting? The production of honey is the driving force that makes up their lives, so stinging an intruder to the hive would mean a reduction in their honey production. The bee keeper is aware of this and makes every effort to seem friendly towards the bees. However, to the bee, these pests when raiding the hive make it difficult to protect. One can only imagine the disruption of everyday life when this happens. The bee keeper has a tactic, a smoker, which can make the bees rather docile. But, to the bee, the hive seems to go into a certain type of euphoria. During this time, the bee keeper harvests as much honey as he can while the bees are confused. As the honey bee begins to recover from their stupor, they come to the realization that the honey stores are greatly reduced. Did they miss something? Was the quantity overestimated? Well, the stores need to be replaced, so it is time to return to work gathering the ingredients to make more. The bee keeper always leaves enough honey for the bees to survive.
The honey bees have a caste system, the queen, scouts, gathers, nurses, and general workers. When it is time to begin production, the scouts will leave the hive and locate a source the necessary ingredients for the honey making. They will travel for miles and miles, searching in every direction to find the very best flowers. Bee keepers have learned to make the bee’s job easier by placing the hive near a cultivated field. The scouts are always being careful to make the best choice. Once a choice is made and a field is located with perfect flower, they return to the hive and let the gatherers know where to go to find these elements. When they travel to the field, they set to the task of getting what is most needed for production. The bee knows their visits are just the thing the flower needs to become fertile and create the very seeds for the next generation of flowers. This process of pollination is just a trade from the flower to the honey bee for the nutrients the bee needs for the production of honey. Take something, give something, the honey bees’ motto of a sort. The gatherers can only carry so much, at which point they return to the hive to deposit their load. The task then falls to the workers to complete the process of making the honey.
Bee keepers do the best they can to keep the hive free of parasites and other unwanted guests. The Honey bee workers are busy on the inside building and repairing the hive. The scouts and gatherers, meanwhile, are busy outside the hive. Bee keepers also work to guide the honey bee to build the honey chambers such that the honey is easier to harvest when it is ready. For honey production and the nursery, bees build chambers made with a special wax that only the honey bee can make. This unique substance is molded to a hexagon shape. Honey is stored in these chambers until the colder time of year when there are no flowers. Bee keepers usually will provide the bee with a food source to help them get through the colder months. The hive also has a constant need for new workers to replace the older ones. This is where the queen comes into the scene. She is responsible for the future success of the hive by laying the eggs of the next generation. Workers maintain a nursery where the eggs will be kept until they reach full maturity and join the hive.
13 June 2017
This is my Informative Speech for COMM171
“The Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 (911 Act) took effect on October 26, 1999. The purpose of the 911 Act is to improve public safety by encouraging and facilitating the prompt deployment of a nationwide, seamless communications infrastructure for emergency services.”
https://www.fcc.gov/general/9-1-1-and-e9-1-1-services
Call centers continue to advance in technology and procedures. Today, software can culminate information from a variety of sources and present it to an operator at a moment’s notice. This allows the first responders the best choices in a life or death situation.
6 June 2017
This is my Descriptive Speech for COMM171
In the previous narrative, I demonstrated the purpose of preventive maintenance. Now I will describe how the repair was performed. Working with a fully loaded and operational tower is different than building one from scratch or empty. The wind loading can severely affect the various structural members. One such member is the guy wire. The guy wire connects the tower to an anchor point on the ground. The wind pushes the tower and the anchor keeps it from moving, much like a tent peg when camping.
Completion of the repairs made everyone breathe a sigh of relief. As the brace was being removed, apprehension was high. The repairs were a success. Catastrophe had been avoided this time. Since tower was stabilized, it became a question of whether or not to keep it. The cost to correct the problem is higher than the cost to remove the tower. Because the tower was now a liability, the decision was made to remove it.
30 May 2017
This is my Narative Speech for COMM171
Preventive maintenance is the regularly scheduled check of facilities, vehicles, or equipment that would otherwise effect services should it have a breakdown. In this narrative, I will give a real example of failed maintenance and its consequences. It involves a four hundred foot communications tower and several government public service agencies which are tenants on the structure.
Catastrophe was avoided this time. In the future, there will be no more complacency or lack of knowledge. We have learned to keep the area clear of vegetation, vehicular traffic, and to repair minor issues as they arise. Annual inspections are in the works for regular contracts and following the recommendations from the reports. All of these steps will help to ensure a good practice of preventive maintenance.