New wireless network dedicated to Public Safety First Responders holds first communication
King County had a big day on Nov. 21, 2019 – the first two-way radio communication on a new wireless network that will handle public safety response for the next 20 plus years was held. This is the Puget Sound Emergency Radio Network (PSERN).
PSERN is managed by the Emergency Radio Communications Division, a division within King County’s Information Technology Department (KCIT), responsible for a nearly $300 million project that will serve first responders throughout King County.
The PSERN Project is expanding and updating the current system’s technology, and this work involves:
- Nearly 18,000 new radios to be programmed and distributed
- Coordination with 199 customer agencies
- Installing 144 consoles in 19 dispatch centers (mostly 911 call centers)
- Building and connecting 63 radio tower sites – from Vashon Island to Stevens Pass on U.S. 2.
- Obtaining over 140 signed agreements with PSERN customer agencies and legislative bodies
The PSERN Project team is excited to share this success and to be building an E-911 response network that every person in King County can count on to help keep them safe. A big thanks is due to all of the partner agencies, vendors and County leaders who have helped make this moment possible! To find out more about PSERN visit www.psern.org. A video of our first ever radio transmission is under Connect/Project News.
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Retirement plan transfer opportunity
Each January, certain members of Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) Plan 2 have the opportunity to transfer to PERS Plan 3. You are eligible to transfer to Plan 3 if you meet all of the following criteria:
- You enrolled in PERS Plan 2 before Sept. 1, 2002.
- You are currently in an eligible position.
- You will earn service credit in January.
Here’s how:
- Use the resources on the DRS website to help you decide if transferring to Plan 3 is right for you.
- Complete a DRS Member Transfer Form
- Return it to the King County Benefits, Payroll and Retirement Operations office during the month of January: Chinook Building, 2nd Floor, CNK-ES-0230, 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104.
- If you transfer to PERS Plan 3, you cannot return to PERS Plan 2. You should see the change on your payment advice in February 2020.
For more information, visit the DRS website or call DRS at 360-664-7000 or 800-547-6657.
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On the Move: An MLK Day ESJ Festival, Jan. 30
Departments all over King County government are working hard to move our county forward, and closer to our Equity and Social Justice goals. Join us at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Festival to learn how we’re moving forward, and share what you are doing to make King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive.
When: Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: Chinook Building, 121/123
For more information, contact Brooke McConnaughey at BMcConnaughey@kingcounty.gov.
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Pet of the Week: Pumpkin
Hi! My name is Pumpkin and I am available for adoption. I was brought in by a good samaritan on December 13th, 2019. I’m a bit of a scaredy guy at first but if you take things slow and get to know me, I’m actually a really cool dude! I love to play fetch, pretend that I’m the size of a lap dog and curl up in your lap and just hang out with my people. I love to go for walks and I pride my self on walking super nice and right next to my handler, I’m also super potty trained. I would love to work on my skills and attend a training class to learn new fun tricks! take me home and I promise I will be a 10/10 good boy!
Read more and view all available pets at www.kingcounty.gov/adoptapet.
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Happy New Year: Here come’s the sun, it’s alright
We wish our employees and residents a Happy New Year! May 2020 bring you many exciting opportunities and wonderful moments!
Despite the dark days we’ve had lately, remember what the Beatles sang, “here come’s the sun, it’s alright.” Look forward to this new year with reassurance the light will always come through.
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Thank you for another year of remarkable achievements
King County Executive Dow Constantine
Dear fellow King County employee,
Everywhere you look King County is moving forward. We are growing, we are building, and we are leading. And it is your efforts – and those of each of our King County colleagues – that are moving us forward and helping us build on our progress and successes.
Thanks to your talent, creativity, and hard work these last 12 months, we were able to deepen our investments, open new facilities, and rethink how we provide even more effective services.
What we achieved together this year is remarkable, and we have put together a slideshow of 19 accomplishments in 2019 to celebrate some of our achievements. Voters renewed the Parks Levy to invest millions into parks across King County. We opened the new Eagle Village shelter with innovative modular housing focused on serving Native American and Alaska Native people. We became the first local government in the United States to offer certified carbon credits to protect King County’s forests. And we set a new pet save rate record of 95%, up from the previous year’s record of 93%.
These are just a few of our accomplishments this year, and the difficulty of narrowing your achievements down to just 19 is a testament to your efforts.
Thank you for your contributions to our shared success this year. They bring us closer to our True North: making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive.
Best wishes for a happy, peaceful, and productive 2020.
Sincerely,
Dow Constantine
King County Executive
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What does an Olympian bring to her county role?
Crossposted from the DES Express
Susan Broome knows a little something about being a high performer. She was a sweep rower in the 1988 Summer Olympics, competing against the world’s best in Seoul. “Broome” is also a suitable aptronym – a name perfect for her role.
“People always get a kick out of that,” she said.
Broome was in the premier boat in the Women’s eight in the 1988 Olympics. As a sweep rower on the port side, she was among the top four rowers in the U.S. Broome also competed at the 1985 World Championships, winning a silver medal in the pair, and rowed in the eight at the 1987 Worlds, adding another silver medal. She recently went back to Colorado Springs for the induction ceremony for fellow Olympians into the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame.
Read more from the DES Express
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Featured Job: Social Services Professional – Veteran’s Program
Salary: $30.75 – $38.98 Hourly
Location: WA 98121, WA
Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week
Department: DCHS – Community & Human Services
Job Number: 2019SC11051
Closing: 1/5/2020 11:59 PM Pacific
Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
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Update on Department of Retirement Systems public records request
The Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) has advised that on Dec. 18, 2019, the Thurston County Superior Court issued an order temporarily restraining certain state agencies, including the Department of Retirement Systems, from releasing information in response to a public records request DRS received for certain items of information “for each person currently employed by a public employer in Washington.”
The court has scheduled a hearing on Dec. 27, 2019, to determine if the order should be made permanent. A copy of the order is available here. Read more on the DRS website. For information or questions, contact DRS at 844-704-6780 or drs.pdrnotice@drs.wa.gov.
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Saving more lives than ever before
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC
Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) continues to set the standard when it comes to saving animals’ lives. This year, more than 4,100 dogs, cats, and other animals in our care were adopted to new families or returned to their lost owner. Because of this amazing work, we expect to achieve another organizational milestone in 2019, reaching a live release rate for dogs and cats of 95%. This again puts RASKC in rare company for public, open-admission animal shelters in the United States.
The credit for this amazing achievement goes to our dedicated RASKC team of 44 staff and more than 800 volunteers, along with our many community partners. We’re driven to continually improve how we do our work, which in turn helps improve the lives of people and pets all over our region.
But we’re not going to rest on our laurels. We’re always challenging ourselves to learn, experiment, and grow. We’re building partnerships across our state with members of the Pet Alliance of Washington, which helps animal shelters learn best practices and creates strategic relationships for animal transfers for adoption, helping all from our shared experiences to improve pet save rates. We’re working with ASPCA (Northern Tier Shelter Initiative), the Best Friends Animal Society, the Humane Society of the United States, and other leading national groups to find the most promising practices from around the nation and incorporating those into our animal care and control program. And of course we’re always listening to the people right here in our region who generously support RASKC and its mission.
As we look ahead to 2020, we want to thank you for supporting RASKC this year and helping us make a positive impact on our community.
Read more from Tails from RASKC
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