Thurston 911 Communications (Tcomm911)

The Board reviewed updates regarding I.T. services, including a new version of MobileCom, bug fixes for the CAD system, and ongoing troubleshooting for the Vertex 911 phone system. The Radio Systems update addressed the status of the Motorola contract, project completions, radio reprogramming progress, and the expansion of in-building amplifying systems. Other business included a presentation of the 2025 Year in Review, plans to establish a County Fire Investigation Team with Active911 notification procedures, and the authorization to create a new type code for fatality traffic accidents.

The Board held an executive session to conduct the performance evaluation of the Executive Director, resulting in the approval of a salary increase and additional MTP days. New business included a discussion regarding the status of the ESC building, which is slated for sale, and a review of the 2025 operational metrics, which covered call volumes, dispatch event statistics for law, fire, and EMS services, and recruitment updates.

Key discussions included issues with the IT Services subcommittee, specifically a hard CAD down scenario over the weekend that may have resulted in data loss, and a delay in the Central Square Vertex 911 phone system go-live date due to connectivity problems. The Radio Systems report covered upcoming radio reprogramming for Fire/EMS and Law Enforcement agencies, the status of the TCERN Core Upgrade, and discussions on Motorola Smart Connect technology. Furthermore, the deployment schedule for Digital Vehicle Repeater Systems was reviewed. New business addressed the assignment of temporary communication plans for dispatch during emergency incidents involving potential IDLH environments and the necessity of maintaining the official process for Coroner Notifications through TCOMM rather than direct contact by field units. The Executive Director is also developing a five-year TCOMM Strategic Plan.

The meeting included the election of an Interim Vice-Chair until the March Annual Meeting. Key operational updates included progress on the TCERN contract final months with Motorola, involving site walks and equipment relocation to the new shelter. The subscriber radio programming update is ongoing, with over 2,000 radios scheduled. The TCERN system update was successfully performed by Motorola. The new phone system has been in place for over a month, and CentralSquare is addressing punch list items. Director interviews for the first Telecommunicator academy of 2026 were conducted, and a new scheduling software is being selected. A new fence installation along Pacific Avenue was also noted. New business involved the adoption of the 2026-2030 Strategic Plan and the outline of the process for the Executive Director's performance review.

The meeting included the approval of the agenda and the minutes from the previous joint board meeting. Key discussions in the Executive Director's report centered on the TCERN project energization and site walk scheduling, the progress of subscriber radio reprogramming with a new tracking dashboard, the system upgrade for the TCERN Core Project from the 2020 to the 2024 version, and the successful cut-over of the new phone system. Staffing updates noted that the final academy class of 2025 graduates soon, with the next academy commencing in February 2026. New Business involved an executive session regarding labor negotiations. The Board subsequently approved and ratified the 2026-2029 IAFF Local 468 and the 2026-2028 WSCCCE 618C Collective Bargaining Agreements. Additionally, several policies (101, 215, 303, 313, 315, 322, and 329) related to Administrative, Financial, and Human Resources were updated and adopted via Resolution 2025-07. Resolution 2025-08 authorized the execution of an amendment to the Communications Site Agreement with Weyerhaeuser for the Bald Hills Radio Site, including a twenty-five-year extension and provisions for a new utility line.