City of Beverly Y2K Audit Committee Report
Presented this day, June 15th 1998 to the honorable Mayor William F. Scanlon, City Council President Peter Gilmore, and City Council Members in fulfillment of duties and obligations of the appointed volunteer citizens committee designed to help insure a smooth transition of city assets, resources, and services at the turn of the century.
Contents
Purpose
Committee Background
Team Members
Problem History
Methodology
Issues
Building and Equipment
Department Specific Equipment
Services Provided
Dependent Services
Contacts
Specific Department DetailsBeverly Police Department
Beverly Fire Department
Beverly Housing Authority
Beverly Civil Defense
Beverly Inspectional Services / City Electrician
Beverly Harbor Master
Beverly Department of Public Works / Water & Sewer Dept.
Beverly Library
Beverly Senior Center
Beverly Parks & Recreation
Beverly Health Department
Beverly Department of Veterans Affairs
Sealer of Weights and Measures
Beverly Information Services Department
Beverly Airport
City Solicitors Office
Beverly Youth Service
Beverly School System Beverly Hospital
Remaining Departments / ContactsRecommendations
Target Efforts by Risk
Assess Compliance
Develop a Vendor/Service Provider Contact Program
Final Note
Appendix A: Meeting Minutes
Appendix B. Year 2000 Warrantee Language
Appendix C. Year 2000 Websites
The purpose of this report is to convey to City officials the findings and recommendations of the Beverly Y2K Audit committee.
The mandate of the committee was to educate city officials and department heads about computer hardware, software, and electronic device issues that may impact city departments with respect to building and equipment issues, receipt of third party services, and the ability to provide department services to the citizenry at the turn of the century.
The committee was also charged with making a preliminary assessment of potential issues, and asked to make recommendations to the City Council and Mayor about appropriate actions to prevent potential problems and service interruptions.
The City Of Beverly Year 2000 Audit Committee was formed in February 1998.
Two members of the former City of Beverly Computer Commission, Gardner Trask and Dana Staples petitioned the City Council to form the Y2K Audit Committee. As computer professionals in the Medical and Banking Industries, Mr. Trask and Mr. Staples had been cognizant of year 2000 computer issues for some time, and wished to aid the city in a smooth transition of computer related equipment and services at the turn of the century.
Having been involved in the RFP and selection process for the current MUNIS system, Mr. Trask and Mr. Staples recognized that the city was in fair shape for City Computer Software issues. However, concerns about other hardware and third party software were still unresolved. Of particular interest was the manner in which embedded computer chips may cause an interruption in city equipment and services.
Two more citizen members, Dana Pommet and Ian Hayes, a City Council representative, Don Martin, and members of the City MIS department, Andrew Wood and Russ Fisk, rounded out the advisory team. Mr. Pommet is currently employed with the Beverly School Committee as their Information Technology Manager. Mr. Hayes is a Year-2000 professional. He has co-authored a best-selling Year 2000 book and consults internationally on the issue.
This board was formed to educate department heads about potential issues, aid in the development of an initial audit of suspect equipment and services, and to make particular recommendations about future actions. Because of the severity of the problem, coupled with its highly technical nature, the board wished to get a jump on potential issues, and insure enough time to adequately deal with any potential issues. It is the committees intent to give the city enough time to fix, replace, or otherwise resolve these issues with at least two budget cycles, and in a time frame whereby necessary service technicians will still be available. Recognizing that this issue will explode in late 1998 / early 1999, the board wanted to be ahead of the curve in resolving these problems.
The culmination of these efforts is embedded in this report. With its delivery, the committee considers their work completed. Future actions are at the discretion of the Mayor, his department heads, and the City Council.
We thank the Mayor and City Council for the opportunity to use our respective expertise and experience to aid our city. We wish to particularly thank the many department heads and City representatives who aided in this process. While this process is now complete, we humbly offer our expertise and services to the City of Beverly in the future.
Name Association Gardner S. Trask III Chairperson Citizen Representative Dana Staples Citizen Representative Dana Pommet Citizen Representative Ian Hayes Citizen Representative Don Martin City Council Representative Andrew Wood IS Representative Russ Fisk IS Representative
At the inception of the computer age, which started in earnest in the late 1950s, computer hardware costs were astronomical. Physical memory, data storage, and computer software development was also extremely costly. While we are now comfortable with desktop PCs, it is easy to forget that the technology and memory available in todays average beeper or cell phone would have literally filled a building the size of City Hall in 1960.
Cost, coupled with generally accepted programming standards, led programmers and engineers to code dates with just the last two digits. Thus, the date 1958 was represented internally, stored, and calculated as a simple 58. Programmers at the time would never considered wasting valuable resources storing the repetitive 19, nor would they have envisioned their code lasting forty or more years.
However, this practice of coding just the last two digits became a programming and engineering standard. Computer programs, as well as electronic chips were all manufactured with this convention embedded in them.
Several years ago, computer companies, banking, and medical industries started to recognize this short-sighted solution was about to have long term consequence. Internal calculations and computations may not work correctly. For example, to get a persons age, you would generally subtract the birth year from the current year, both represented in two digits. So, subtracting 62 from 98 would let you know the patient was 36 years old. A problem occurs in the year 2000 when 62 is subtracted from 00 yielding an age of 62 or if absolute numbers are used, 62. Similarly, a comparison of two dates, such as may be used to check the expiration date on an insurance policy, would determine that 02 (for 2002) occurred before 99 for 1999. Any date calculation, comparison or sort that uses two digit years rather than four digit years will experience problems. Systems may fail outright, produce incorrect information, pass bad data to other systems, or perform in a bizarre manner. These problems could be simple to fix, or a nightmare to find and correct. Further, there is a ripple effect as bad data is passed from system to system, corrupting otherwise compliant systems and resulting in increasing failures and problems. This is what has become known as the Year 2000 bug, Millennium Bug, or most commonly, the Y2K bug.
This same problem occurs in electronic chips (control chips, or embedded chips). Many of todays conveniences are controlled by electronic chips that are date sensitive. Electronic thermostats, traffic controls, lighting controls, burglar alarms, time locks, VCRs, fax machines, and even your coffee maker are dependent on knowing the date.
What makes the Year 2000 problem so insidious is the interconnectedness of todays society. Every business and government entity depends on third-parties to provide necessary goods and services. Almost every business and government entity shares data with other third-parties. Because each of these entities will suffer Year 2000 problems to some degree, each is at risk of suffering failures. As businesses suffer interruptions or system failures, they may be unable to provide the goods and services on which its customers or partners rely. Without these goods and services, the businesses and government agencies that depend on them will suffer disruptions even if their own systems are compliant.
The concern however is not that we know equipment and services are going to fail, the concern is that we dont KNOW what is going to happen. Many embedded chips and computer hardware and software will run without incident. Some are known to be susceptible to failure. But the vast majority falls into the great unknown category.
The problem sounds trivial, and indeed it is not a great technological challenge. The challenge comes from having to review over 40 years of accumulated programming and engineering. It is not difficult to move a shovel-full of sand, until you are forced to do it a grain at a time.
The best effort we can make now is to determine what MAY be affected and try and resolve these issues as we can. An initial Audit, or triage of City equipment, provided services, and supporting services will let us know what MAY have to be resolved. The course of resolution itself can take many forms; fixing the problem, replacing the questionable software or equipment, redefining the service provided or relied upon, or determining that the problem can be safely ignored.
Determining what MAY be affected was the work of this City of Beverly Y2K Audit Committee.
The team decided that the best course of action was to have department representatives come and meet us at City Hall for one-on-one meetings. Early in the process the team decided to hold regular meetings on Thursday evenings at 5:30. This time coincided with the extended hours day City Hall observes, and provided an opportunity for the volunteer team members to get back to Beverly from their regular jobs. This also allowed Department Heads to send representatives without having to pay overtime.
The Committee Chair made the initial contact with department heads to outline the problem, answer general questions and to schedule meeting times.
Representatives met with two or more committee members to discuss general issues, as well as department particulars.
The meeting started with a discussion by committee members about the Y2K problem and potential department issues. Then committee members took turns running through the audit spreadsheet found in the next section. This prompted dialog between committee members and department representatives and drew out other specific issues of concern. These have been detailed in later sections of this report. Finally, department representatives were asked to consider the potential problems discussed, and look at the work to do with potential failure points in mind. It was asked that they jot these down, and report back to the committee.
As the team started to speak with the various departments, four primary points were discussed;
- General Building and Equipment
- Department Specific Equipment
- Services Provided
- Services Received.
A template of information was used to start the discussions and to get department representatives to start thinking about potential issues. That template is detailed below:
This is a list of generic Building and Equipment issues.
Buildings: |
Ö |
Building Access: | |
Electronic Locks | |
Card Keys | |
Keypad locks | |
Time Locks | |
Handicap Lifts | |
Elevators | |
Intercom systems | |
Entry Buzzers | |
Parking Garage Gates | |
Automatic Garage Doors | |
Close Circuit Entry Cameras | |
Building Security & Safety | |
Security Alarms | |
Fire Alarms | |
Fire Suppression / Sprinkler | |
Fire Door Controls | |
Alarmed Crash Bars | |
Environment Alarms | |
Carbon Monoxide detectors | |
Radon Detectors | |
Natural Gas detectors | |
Water Alarms | |
Storage Tank Alarms | |
Emergency Lights | |
Emergency Light Batteries | |
Battery Chargers | |
Security Rounds Clocks | |
Security Cameras | |
Security Monitors | |
Video Taped Surveillance | |
Recorded Phone System | |
Environmental | |
Electronic Heat Control / Thermostats | |
Electronic Air Conditioning Control | |
Heat Plant | |
Air Conditioning Plant | |
Fuel Source | |
Energy Management | |
Lighting Management | |
Backup Generators | |
Water / Sump Pumps | |
Water Meters | |
Solar Panels | |
Communications: | |
Phone Service | |
Phone Switch | |
Voice Mail System | |
Local Carrier | |
Long Distance Carrier | |
Cell Phone | |
Cell Phone Service | |
Pagers | |
Pager Service | |
Radios 2 way | |
Radios Mobile | |
Radios Marine | |
Radio Service | |
Office Equipment | |
Copy Machines | |
Fax Machines | |
Postage Meter | |
Electronic Scales | |
Computer Terminals | |
Desktop Computers | |
Laptop Computers | |
Printers | |
Personal Digital Assistant | |
Specialized Software | |
Scanners | |
VCR | |
Camcorders | |
Tape Recorders | |
Digital Cameras | |
This section would detail equipment particular to the department being audited.
This section would detail those service the department provides that, if interrupted for several weeks, could prove catastrophic.
There are obvious services, such as heating fuel delivery, electricity, waste disposal, and vehicle fuel that are necessary. This section would detail those services the specific department receives from other sources which, if interrupted for several weeks, could prove detrimental to the department.
The following departments were contacted and interviewed. The representatives names are listed below.
Department | Contact | Done |
Beverly Police Department MIS / Communications | Sgt. Phil McCarthy | Y |
Beverly Police Department Criminal Investigation | Capt. Cassola | Y |
Beverly Fire Department - Communications | Bob Batis | Y |
Beverly Fire Department - Mechanic | Jack Morris | Y |
Civil Defense | Mark Foster | Y |
Inspection Services | Tim Brennan | Y |
Department of Public Works | Mike Pappimichael | Y |
Water & Sewer | Brad Bixby | Y |
Beverly Housing Authority | Kevin Esckilivo | Y |
Airport | Bob Mazetti | Y |
Harbor Master | Dan McPherson | Y |
Health Department | Tom Scully | Y |
Library | Tom Scully | Y |
Senior Center | Tom Scully | Y |
Parks & Rec | Tom Scully | Y |
Veterans Affairs | Tom Scully | Y |
Computer Department | Tom Scully | Y |
Hospital | Jack Good VP of Public Relations | N |
Schools | Dana Pommet | Y |
City Hall | Chris Bradley | N |
City Solicitor | Marshal | Y |
Beverly Golf & Tennis | Lou Bennett | N |
City Hall | John Dunn | Y |
Youth Services | Tim Flaherty | Y |
Mass Electric | Ron Ambrose | N |
Boston Gas | Bob Moorehead | N |
Centex | Jennifer Sherman | N |
Representative:
Public Safety Director Pelonzzi
Chief Finnigan
Sargent Phil McCarthy
Captain Cassola
Building Locations:
- Main Station
- Farms Building
- Criminal Investigation / Traffic offices
- COP site at Beverly Housing
- Airport building
General Building / Equipment
X = Know or suspect issue.
Buildings:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Building Access: Card Keys X
Keypad locks X
Intercom systems X
X
X
Entry Buzzers X
X
Parking Garage Gates Automatic Garage Doors X
X
Close Circuit Entry Cameras X
X
X
X
X
Building Security & Safety Security Alarms X
X
Fire Alarms X
X
X
X
X
Fire Suppression / Sprinkler X
X
Alarmed Crash Bars X
Emergency Lights X
X
X
X
X
Emergency Light Batteries X
X
X
X
X
Battery Chargers X
X
Security Rounds Clocks Security Cameras X
X
X
Security Monitors X
X
X
Video Taped Surveillance X
X
Recorded Phone System X
Environmental Electronic Heat Control / Thermostats X
X
Electronic Air Conditioning Control X
Heat Plant X
X
X
X
Air Conditioning Plant X
X
X
Fuel Source Oil
?
?
?
?
Lighting Management X
X
X
Backup Generators X
X
Communications: Phone Service X
X
X
X
Phone Switch X
X
X
X
Voice Mail System X
X
X
X
Local Carrier X
X
X
X
Long Distance Carrier X
X
X
X
Cell Phone X
X
X
X
Cell Phone Service X
X
X
X
Pagers X
X
X
X
Pager Service X
X
X
X
Radios 2 way X
X
X
X
Radios Mobile X
X
X
X
Radios Marine Radio Service X
X
X
X
Office Equipment Copy Machines X
X
X
X
Fax Machines X
X
X
X
Postage Meter X
Electronic Scales X
Computer Terminals X
X
X
X
Desktop Computers X
X
X
X
Laptop Computers X
X
X
X
Printers X
X
X
X
Personal Digital Assistant X
Specialized Software Scanners X
X
X
X
VCR X
X
X
Camcorders X
X
X
Tape Recorders X
X
X
Digital Cameras X
X
X
Department Specific Equipment
- Hardware / Software
- MicroSystems Profour System
- Acer Hardware
- 4 Personal Computers
- 15 Laptops
- Cellular access to LEAPS, NCIC, In-house data, and connected to 33 other County Departments
- Mobile Data Terminals
- Radio Transmission
- Radio and Sub Stations
- BAPERN
- Repeater Stations
- Breathalyzer
- Bullhorns and crowd control equipment
- Radar Detectors
- Vehicles
- Squad cars
- Mobile Unit (Camper)
- DARE Van
- Motorcycle(s)
- Animal Control Truck
- Light Bars
- Capture Station in booking Room
- Traffic Light Controls
- Prisoner Check System
- Backup Generators
Services Provided
- Radio / Equipment Battery Chargers
- Burglar Alarm Tracking
- Panic Alarm Tracking
- Enhanced 911
- Phone Trace / reverse 911
- Public safety
- Prisoner Transportation
- Telephony System. Outgoing Auto-dial Phone Messages
Service Relied Upon
- Vehicle Maintenance (Thomas Ford)
- Fuel Oil Delivery
Department hot spots
The Police Department monitors burglar and panic alarms from a variety of sources. The main service companies may be able to confirm Y2K compliance, however there are private alarms throughout the city. This may prove a troublesome issue. Should a host of alarms go off all at the same time, manpower may be an issue. Similarly, patrols should be increased in the event some alarms will fail.
The police rely heavily upon the radio dispatch and substations in the city. This is of particular concern, and should be checked VERY carefully.
Department Recommendations
Aside from general recommendations, the committee recommends that the Police department take the following actions:
- The department make as accurate an audit of incoming alarms as possible and contact third-party alarm vendors.
- We also suggest they start an education program to home and business owners concerning alarms and time lock issues.
- Also, we suggest that there be special staffing plans for the first evening / week of the year 2000. Police may be called upon to support the Fire department, or other City Services as well in the event of unforeseen issues. We recommend a staffing plan similar to that during a Declared Emergency such as a snow storm or flooding condition.
We are concerned not only with the possibility of many alarms going off together in error, but also the case where alarms may fail. As such, we suggest increased patrols on New Years Eve 1999.
- Finally, we suggest that no money be spent to upgrade the current Wang-based system. Instead the committee suggests that the new dispatch system be installed, and that any money to be spent be toward training of appropriate staff. The Wang-based system has a high probability of failure. Thus, of the three solutions (repair the Wang system, replace with the new system purchased with the grant, or consider a different system), we can only recommend getting the new system up and running as soon as possible. The committee recognizes the issues concerning budget, staffing, and training, but feel any conversion dollars would best be spent in this manner.
Representative:
- Bob Batis Communications Officer
- Jack Morris Mechanic
Building Locations:
- Main Fire Station - Hale Street
- Engine 5 - North Beverly
- Engine 3 - Beverly Farms Station
General Building / Equipment
Buildings: |
A. |
B. |
C. |
Building Access: | |||
Intercom systems | X |
X |
X |
Entry Buzzers | X |
X |
X |
Parking Garage Gates | |||
Automatic Garage Doors | X |
X |
X |
Close Circuit Entry Cameras | X |
||
Building Security & Safety | |||
Security Alarms | X |
X |
X |
Fire Alarms | X |
X |
X |
Fire Suppression / Sprinkler | X |
||
Emergency Lights | X |
X |
X |
Emergency Light Batteries | X |
X |
|
Battery Chargers | X |
X |
X |
Security Monitors | X |
X |
|
Recorded Phone System | X |
X |
X |
Environmental | |||
Heat Plant | Oil |
Oil |
Oil |
Backup Generators | X |
X |
X |
Water / Sump Pumps | X |
X |
|
Water Meters | X |
X |
X |
Communications: | |||
Phone Service | X |
X |
X |
Phone Switch | X |
X |
X |
Voice Mail System | X |
X |
X |
Local Carrier | X |
X |
X |
Long Distance Carrier | X |
X |
X |
Cell Phone | X |
X |
X |
Cell Phone Service | X |
X |
X |
Pagers | X |
X |
X |
Pager Service | X |
X |
X |
Radios 2 way | X |
X |
X |
Radios Mobile | X |
X |
X |
Radios Marine | X |
||
Radio Service | X |
X |
X |
Office Equipment | |||
Copy Machines | X |
X |
X |
Fax Machines | X |
X |
X |
Postage Meter | |||
Electronic Scales | |||
Computer Terminals | X |
X |
X |
Desktop Computers | X |
X |
X |
Laptop Computers | |||
Printers | X |
||
Personal Digital Assistant | |||
Specialized Software | X |
||
Scanners | X |
X |
X |
VCR | X |
X |
X |
Department Specific Equipment
Services Provided
- Vehicles
- 16 Fire Trucks and cars
- Rescue Boat
- Trucks with PTO and electronically controlled hydraulic systems
- Trucks with on-board computers.
- Radio Transmission recording
- Telephone / Primary Operator Handset
- Call Check Recording
- Radio Transmitters / Substations / Repeaters
- Main Station Comparitor / Transmitter / Receiver
- Brimbal Hill T/R
- Farms Repeater
- Automatic lights and Claxons / Sirens / PA System Upon Alarm
- Master Box Alarms:
- City Hall
- Municipal offices
- Schools
- Lynch Park Barn
- Senior Center
- Housing Authority
- Carbon monoxide Mobile Detector & Charger
- Flammable Gas Detector
- 4 Defribulators with download receivers
- Software HAZMAT tracking
- Water Pumps
- Air Compressors for air tanks
- Battery Chargers
- Mechanics Electronic Diagnostic tools
- Fuel Tank Yard
- Medical Suction Devices
- Hand Lights and Battery Chargers
- Dive Team Regulators and equipment
- Emergency Light Bars
- Rescue Saws
- Vehicle Compressors
- Other Fire fighting equipment.
Aside from general recommendations, the committee recommends that the Fire department take the following actions:
- The department make as accurate an audit of incoming alarms as possible and contact third-party alarm vendors.
- We also suggest they start an education program to home and business owners concerning fire and panic alarms.
- Also, we suggest that there be special staffing plans for the first evening / week of the year 2000. We recommend a staffing plan similar to that during a Declared Emergency such as a snow storm or flooding condition.
- A thorough review of the radio transmission / dispatch/ and repeater substation system.
Representative:
Kevin Eskillivo
Building Locations:
Garden City, Roger Conant, Story Avenue, Herrick Street, Balch Street
General Building / Equipment
Mr. Eskillivo and I discussed this issue at length. He and his team are working on this very problem. Mr. Eskillivo reminds us that the housing authority is comprised of State and Federal properties and that they, the State and Federal Government, are responsible for these facilities. Mr. Eskillivo agrees that an education program may help Beverly Seniors understand and prepare for Y2K issues.
Department Recommendations
Aside from general recommendations to the City Health Authority, the committee recommends that the City Health Department spearhead a education program to help seniors understand and prepare for issues that may arise because of the Y2K bug. This transcends Housing tenants, and should include information concerning computer filled prescription programs, computer controlled heating oil delivery, maintaining extra cash and food, etc. Seniors are especially vulnerable, and the Health Department should also make sure they have a contingency plan in the event of widespread power outages, fuel delivery problems, etc.
Representative:
Mark Foster
Building Locations / General Building / Equipment
Civil defense is responsible for three buildings. They maintain burglar and fire alarms. Mark is also dependent on normal communications equipment such as phones, pagers, cell phones, and mobile radios. The computer system is provided and maintained by the citys IS department.
Department Specific Equipment
- GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) equipment
- Emergency radios / battery chargers
- Emergency lighting
- Disaster related equipment.
Services Provided
Civil Defense is responsible for disaster relief and planning for the city. Working in conjunction with Federal, State and local police and fire departments, Civil Defense is a crucial link in the public safety chain.
Service Relied Upon
- Federal Disaster Agencies
- State Disaster Agencies
- Local Public Safety Aid
Department Recommendations
Aside from general recommendations, the committee recommends that the Civil Defense department take the following actions:
A complete and detailed audit of necessary equipment. This department in particular concerns the committee because the equipment used is generally provided or donated by government surplus. The age of the equipment, and the ability to replace it in a timely manner is of some issue.
Beverly Inspectional Services / City Electrician
Representative:
- Tim Brennan
- Ed Comeau
Building Locations:
General Building / Equipment
In general, Inspectional Services is responsible for the major physical aspects and power/heating/cooling needs of Town Hall They also maintain their own offices across Cabot street, as well as the whistle building and a shop at Central Garage.
Buildings: |
A. |
B. |
C. |
D. |
Building Access: | ||||
Time Locks | X |
|||
Elevators | X |
|||
Intercom systems | X |
|||
Entry Buzzers | X |
|||
Building Security & Safety | ||||
Security Alarms | X |
X |
X |
|
Fire Alarms | X |
X |
X |
|
Alarmed Crash Bars | X |
|||
Emergency Lights | X |
X |
X |
|
Emergency Light Batteries | X |
X |
||
Battery Chargers | X |
X |
||
Recorded Phone System | X |
|||
Environmental | ||||
Heat Plant | Oil |
Oil |
Oil |
Oil |
Air Conditioning Plant | Window |
Window |
||
Lighting Management | X |
|||
Backup Generators | X |
X |
||
Water / Sump Pumps | X |
|||
Water Meters | X |
X |
||
Communications: | ||||
Phone Service | X |
X |
X |
X |
Phone Switch | X |
|||
Voice Mail System | X |
X |
X |
|
Local Carrier | X |
X |
||
Long Distance Carrier | X |
X |
||
Cell Phone | X |
X |
||
Cell Phone Service | X |
X |
||
Pagers | X |
X |
||
Pager Service | X |
X |
||
Radios 2 way | X |
X |
||
Radios Mobile | X |
|||
Radios Marine | ||||
Radio Service | ||||
Office Equipment | ||||
Copy Machines | X |
|||
Fax Machines | X |
|||
Scanners | X |
|||
Department Specific Equipment
- Support Trucks and Cars
- Backup generators
- Electronic Diagnostic tools
Services Provided
Aside from the inspectional and electrician services provided, this department is also responsible for the Street Lighting, Traffic Controls and Street Fire boxes throughout the city.
Representative:
- Dan McPherson
- Lou Bochynski
Building Locations:
General Building / Equipment
Buildings: |
A. |
B. |
C. |
Building Access: | |||
Handicap Lifts | X |
||
Close Circuit Entry Cameras | X |
X |
|
Building Security & Safety | |||
Security Alarms | X |
X |
|
Fire Alarms | X |
X |
|
Emergency Lights | X |
X |
X |
Emergency Light Batteries | X |
X |
|
Environmental | |||
Electronic Heat Control / Thermostats | ? |
||
Electronic Air Conditioning Control | ? |
||
Heat Plant | X |
X |
X |
Air Conditioning Plant | X |
X |
|
Fuel Source | OIL |
OIL |
? |
Energy Management | ? |
||
Lighting Management | X |
||
Backup Generators | X |
||
Water / Sump Pumps | X |
||
Water Meters | X |
X |
|
Solar Panels | X |
||
Communications: | |||
Phone Service | X |
X |
|
Phone Switch | X |
X |
|
Voice Mail System | X |
X |
|
Local Carrier | X |
X |
|
Long Distance Carrier | X |
X |
|
Cell Phone | X |
X |
|
Cell Phone Service | X |
X |
|
Pagers | X |
X |
|
Pager Service | X |
X |
|
Radios 2 way | X |
X |
|
Radios Mobile | X |
X |
|
Radios Marine | X |
X |
|
Radio Service | X |
X |
|
Office Equipment | |||
Copy Machines | X |
||
Fax Machines | X |
||
Postage Meter | X |
||
Electronic Scales | |||
Computer Terminals | X |
||
Desktop Computers | X |
||
Laptop Computers | X |
||
Printers | X |
||
Personal Digital Assistant | |||
Specialized Software | X |
||
Scanners | X |
||
VCR | X |
||
Camcorders | X |
||
Tape Recorders | X |
||
Digital Cameras | |||
Department Specific Equipment
- Laptops
- Navigation Software
- GPS tracking system
- Q & A / Differential
- 1 Pumpout boat
- 2 Patrol Boats
- Dive Boat
- Vehicles
- Lightbars
- Mobile and Marine Radios
- Radar
- Depth Finders
- Water Level Sensors
- Electronic Diagnostic Tools (mechanic)
Services Provided
- Maritime Responsibilities
- Police / Fire / EMT
- Public Safety
- Search and Rescue
Service Relied Upon
- Fuel for the fleet Jubilee Yacht Club
- Radio Transmission
Department Recommendations
Aside from general recommendations, the committee recommends that the Harbor Masters Office take the following actions:
- Reliance on GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) equipment, mobile communications, fleet boats, depth finders, and other marine equipment is high. These should be tested as soon as possible.
- The Mayor and City Council will do well to remember that even though this issue may take place in the dead of winter, the Harbor Masters Office remains a very important part of the public safety triangle (on equal basis with fire and police). Maritime law supercedes land-based law, and any disaster or search and rescue that is on, or abuts, the sea is the primary responsibility of the Harbor Master. Thus working fleet vehicle and marine-based equipment is essential.
Beverly Department of Public Works / Water & Sewer Dept.
Representative:
- Michael J. Papamechail Director of Public Service
- Brad Bixby Water & Sewer Foreman
- Dick McNiel Project Coordinator
- Phil Klimowiez Parks & Forest Department
- Bob Bolton Motor Pool Foreman
- Tracy Levesque Administrative Assistant
Building Locations:
The DPW and Water and Sewer Department maintain several buildings throughout the city. These have various security and fire alarm configurations. Some have automatic garage doors and closed circuit cameras. Some also contain water sensors and other environmental alarms. Because of the number, and varied responses, we have forgone the building and equipment portion of the table below.
General Building / Equipment
Communications: | Department Wide |
Phone Service | X |
Phone Switch | X |
Voice Mail System | X |
Local Carrier | X |
Long Distance Carrier | X |
Cell Phone | X |
Cell Phone Service | X |
Pagers | X |
Pager Service | X |
Radios 2 way | X |
Radios Mobile | X |
Radios Marine | X |
Radio Service | X |
Office Equipment | |
Copy Machines | X |
Fax Machines | X |
Postage Meter | |
Electronic Scales | |
Computer Terminals | X |
Desktop Computers | X |
Laptop Computers | X |
Printers | X |
Personal Digital Assistant | |
Specialized Software | X |
Scanners | X |
VCR | X |
Department Specific Equipment
General equipment
- Water Pumps
- Swipe Card Access
- Swipe Card Fuel Cards
- Time Management / Time Clocks
- Backup and portable generators
Forest and Grounds
- Irrigation control
Mechanic
- 35 Cars and Trucks
- 2 backhoes
- 2 loaders
- 2 bobcats
- 2 sweepers
- 2 holders
- 1 VacAll
- 2 compressors
- Battery Chargers
- Electronic Diagnostic tools
Water & Sewer
- Generators
- Exercise Clocks
- Computer gauges for Wenham Lake
- Filtration Plant Equipment
- Quindar Tank Level Monitoring system
- Relay station Electric panels
- Sewer Alarms
- Sewer Pump contacts / relays
- Electronic Water Meters / Readers
- Metal Detectors
- Pipe Location Detectors
- 2 portable Generators
Service Relied Upon
- Southern Essex Sewerage Commission
Department Recommendations
Aside from general recommendations, the committee recommends that the DPW take actions to insure snow removal and emergency services will not be disrupted.
Beverly Department of Veterans Affairs /
Sealer of Weights and Measures /
Beverly Information Services Department
Representative:
Tom Scully
*NOTE: Tom Scully is the department head responsible for the above listed departments, and as such represents all of them accordingly.
Building Locations:
- Library (Main building / Farms Building / Bookmobile / Delivery Van)
- Senior Center
- Parks & Recreation (Lynch Park Building / other city parks)
- Health Department
- Veterans Affairs
- Information Services
General Building / Equipment
Buildings: |
|
Building Access: | |
Electronic Locks | A,B |
Card Keys | |
Keypad locks | |
Time Locks | B |
Handicap Lifts | B |
Elevators | B |
Intercom systems | A,B |
Entry Buzzers | A,B |
Parking Garage Gates | |
Automatic Garage Doors | B |
Close Circuit Entry Cameras | A,B |
Building Security & Safety | |
Security Alarms | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Fire Alarms | A,B,C |
Fire Suppression / Sprinkler | A,B,C |
Fire Door Controls | |
Alarmed Crash Bars | B |
Environment Alarms | A,B |
Carbon Monoxide detectors | |
Radon Detectors | |
Natural Gas detectors | |
Water Alarms | A,B |
Storage Tank Alarms | |
Emergency Lights | A,B,C |
Emergency Light Batteries | A,B |
Battery Chargers | A,B |
Security Rounds Clocks | |
Security Cameras | A,B |
Environmental | |
Electronic Heat Control / Thermostats | A,B |
Electronic Air Conditioning Control | A,B |
Heat Plant | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Air Conditioning Plant | A,B,F |
Energy Management | A,B,F |
Lighting Management | A,B |
Backup Generators | A,B,F |
Water Meters | A,B,C,D |
Communications: | |
Phone Service | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Phone Switch | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Voice Mail System | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Local Carrier | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Long Distance Carrier | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Cell Phone | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Cell Phone Service | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Pagers | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Pager Service | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Office Equipment | |
Copy Machines | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Fax Machines | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Computer Terminals | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Desktop Computers | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Laptop Computers | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Printers | A,B,C,D,E,F |
Specialized Software | A,B,C,D,E,F |
VCR | A,B |
Department Specific Equipment
Library
- Microfiche machines
- Copiers
- bookmobile
- Delivery Van
- Self Setting Wall Clocks
- Security Light Timers
- Environmental Controls
Recreation Department
- Duplicating Machine
- 2 Way Radios Police
- 2 Way Radios School
Sealer of Weights and Measures
- Electronic Measurement Equipment
Senior Center
- 4 Vans
- 2 Way radios (in vehicles)
Health Department
- Medical Equipment
- Drug Delivery Program
School Health Offices / Dental Clinic
- Medical Equipment
IS Department
- Computer hardware and software, switching panels, and specialized service equipment.
Department Recommendations
Aside from general recommendations, the committee recommends that the Health Department take the following actions:
- Develop a public education program, especially for seniors, to inform and educate about Y2K preparation and to minimize unnecessary concern. Of particular note are services seniors relied upon that may be computer controlled such as automatic fuel deliveries, or computerized prescription refills, etc.
- The Health Department is responsible for the distribution of vaccines and medications through the schools, senior center, and vaccination programs. These supplies are sent to the city from Federal and State agencies and distributed to the schools, senior centers, clinics, and hospitals by health department officials. The committee recommends the Health Department check with suppliers to insure accurate and timely deliveries.
Aside from general recommendations, the committee recommends that the Information Service Department take the following actions:
- While the Committee is certain Russ and Andy are ahead of the curve on resolving Y2K issues with city hardware and software, we recommend a formal written plan be developed and reviewed to insure timely solutions with adequate time for thorough testing.
Representative:
Robert Mezzetti
Department Recommendations
Aside from general recommendations, the committee recommends that the department take the following actions:
Mr. Mazzetti and a committee representative spoke over the phone on two occasions. Mr. Mazzetti informs the committee that the tower and air traffic control are under the auspices of the Federal Aviation Association (FAA). Further, Mr. Mazzetti has done a personal review and does not believe he, or the airport mechanic have any electronic equipment that may be effected. The committee feels a more detailed audit is warranted and suggests a formal meeting be scheduled to help educate Mr. Mazzetti about the issues, and perform a comprehensive audit.
Representative:
Marshal Handley
Department Recommendations
The City Solicitors office has been quick to embrace the Y2K issue. The committee has forwarded language to be added to all future RFP and contract language concerning the purchase of services and/or equipment that could be affected by the Y2K bug. Mr. Handley has worked to insure that the purchasing agent for the school and the citys Director of Procurement are aware of the new contract language. This language has been included as Appendix B.
Representative:
Tim Flaherty
Department Recommendations
From Mr. Flaherty, the committee has learned that the equipment used by Youth Services is primarily under the direction of the YMCA. The committee is confident that Mr. Flaherty understands the issue, and has made a fair evaluation of his department.
Representative:
Dana Pommet
Department Recommendations
Dana Pommet is a current member of the Y2K committee. As such we are confident he is looking out for, and will handle, any Y2K issues that may arise with computer hardware and software.
The committee recommends that the Superintendent of schools appoint a Y2K czar to investigate other building and equipment issues that may affect the school system.
The committee would also like to suggest a collaborative effort at the next Net Day to aid in the identification and resolution of hardware issues.
Representative:
- Jack Good VP of Public Relations
- Steve Rector Director of I.S.
Department Recommendations
After lengthy discussions with Mr. Good and Mr. Rector, the committee is confident the Hospital has their own Y2K issue well in hand. The committee would recommend however, a formal meeting, to discuss how catastrophic Y2K issues could affect the hospital or community. This is more of a disaster planning issue.
Remaining Departments / Contacts
- Beverly Golf & Tennis
- Collector of Taxes
- Assessors Office
- Community Development
- Engineering
- Major Utilities Providers
- And General City Hall Representation.
This audit was the first step in a series of steps that must be taken if the City of Beverly is to minimize the effect of Year 2000 disruptions on its operations and the resulting impact of those disruptions on the citizens of Beverly. As documented in this report, the audit has identified a number of areas of concern that require additional research as well as possible correction.
The committee has two primary directives, as well as several supporting recommendations:
First and foremost, we recommend that the City take immediate action to do a detailed audit and resolve the issues uncovered. While the City is well ahead of the curve in identifying potential problems, city departments can not afford to relax their efforts. Any equipment that needs to be replaced should be spread over as many budget cycles as possible. And any repairs that are required should be undertaken as soon as possible, before technicians become a scare commodity. While the Y2K Committee has jump started the process, by this time next year, there will be no one who has not heard of the Y2K bug, and replacement parts and services will be in high demand. Solve the problems now, before the rest of the world realizes there is a problem.
Accordingly, the second primary directive of the committee is for the city to assign a Y2K Czar, a department head who will be responsible for the continued assessment, review, and resolution of these issues in a timely manner. This position should report to the Mayor and City Council on a periodic basis as to the state of resolution.
In support of this new position, the committee recommends the following actions at the department level:
Each department must conduct a detailed assessment of its own computer systems, embedded technology and suppliers of goods and services to determine which entities are truly at risk and then determine the appropriate actions to avoid disruptions. Depending on the criticality of the entity and the potential impact of its failure, actions will range from "do nothing" to replacing the piece of equipment or finding a new supplier. When an appropriate correction strategy is not available for a critical entity, a contingency plan is needed to deal with the consequences of that entitys failure.
The basic process recommended by the Y2K Audit Committee involves the following steps.
Complete the inventory
Using the data in this report as a starting point, each department should create a complete and accurate inventory of those computer systems, pieces of equipment and suppliers of goods and services that may be affected by Year 2000 problems. This inventory must include specific information such as manufacturer, model number, contact information, etc. that will be used to determine if a given entity will have a date problem.
- Assess compliance
After the inventories have been compiled, each type of item on the list must be assessed to determine if it is affected. The steps in this assessment process are described in detail in the next section of the recommendations. This assessment will create a list of critical entities that will encounter Year 2000 problems.
- Determine correction strategy
Each critical entity identified in the previous step will require a correction effort and/or a contingency plan to counter the effects of its failure. These corrections are specific to the entity itself. For example, equipment containing embedded technology may need to be upgraded or replaced. In other cases, it may be possible to live with the consequences of the failure or a simple "work-around" may be available.
- Implement corrections
New equipment must be ordered, software upgraded, etc. well before the end of 1999 to ensure timely delivery, installation and testing. Early implementation also leaves time to correct unanticipated issues.
- Test
Where feasible, it is a good idea to test affected computer systems and equipment to ensure that it is indeed compliant. Unfortunately, experience on many large scale Year 2000 projects has found that compliant solutions provided by vendors often do not work as well as claimed. The primary rule to follow is: "If it hasnt been tested, its not Year 2000 compliant." Relying on vendor assurances of compliance is a good first step, but it shouldnt be the only one for critical equipment or systems. Sometimes it is necessary to go beyond verbal assurances, and verify compliance yourself.
The Y2K Audit Committee urges the City of Beverly to immediately begin to resolve its Year 2000 problems. The threat of disruption is real and each day of delay increases the difficulty of achieving compliance. Procrastinators throughout the corporate and governmental world will compete for limited resources to implement their Year 2000 fixes. These resources range from equipment installation specialists to inventories of critical parts. Beverly, as a small city with limited funds, will not be able to compete with larger government agencies and public corporations for help in dealing with its problems. Further, if new or upgraded parts, software or equipment are needed to avoid problems, the longer that Beverly waits, the more difficult and costly it will be to acquire and install those pieces.
Clearly, there is not enough time nor funding to examine and correct all affected equipment and systems. When there is not enough time or money to do everything, the best approach is to attack the most risky areas first. For all software, hardware, equipment, PCs and other components, ask whether these items are truly important. Could you live without them? Or would their failure cause disruptions in operations and interrupt services that you are pledged to provide? Would your constituents be harmed if you couldnt provide services due to Year 2000 failures or interruptions? For example, if an administrative system prints the wrong date on a report, it may be a minor annoyance without any major side effects. However, if a failure to handle dates correctly leads you to shut down a vital public service, then the underlying system or equipment is critical to Beverlys operations.
One approach to ensure that all items have been found and properly prioritized is to consider the processes used by each department to deliver its services. For example, processing a marriage or birth certificate requires a series of steps beginning with a notification by a constituent.
- Step 1: Identify the critical services and their processes for each department
A service is critical if any disruption will cause serious consequences such as life
safety issues, high costs or trigger disruptions of other critical services. Rank all
processes according to their relative importance. Ask whether each process is truly
critical to departmental operations.
Break the critical processes into steps. Consider which software systems, hardware,
equipment, PCs and outside services are needed to accomplish each step. Consider the
alternatives if a given entity were unavailable. If the process could continue without
interruption, that entity is not critical despite supporting a critical process.
Using the lists in this report as a starting point, determine which entities are
potentially at risk of encountering Year 2000 issues. As a basic rule of thumb, assess and
fix the most important pieces first, and address the remainder as time allows.
In some cases, compliance can be determined by physically examining or testing a given entity. Numerous books, article and web pages discuss methods for conducting Year 2000 tests and document the types of date conditions that should be used. (For example, December 31, 1999, January 1, 2000, February 29, 2000). However, TAKE CARE IN PERFORMING YEAR 2000 SIMULATED TESTS. Simulating the Year 2000 and performing a test can cause unintended side effects. Systems may freeze or fail, some permanently. You have to follow the instructions for the particular item, and ask the vendor when instructions are unclear.
In most cases, the best first step will be to contact the vendor for information. The vendor may be able to confirm that its product is Year 2000 compliant or may tell you that you need to upgrade or replace the product. The vendor could also tell you that it doesnt know whether its product will work or cannot guarantee that it will work. If you dont have confidence in the vendors reply, then test the item yourself.
Vendor information is available from a number of sources. Vendor sales personnel can often provide data on the compliance of their products and services. Many vendors post information on the Internet. This information is invaluable for developing compliance strategies. The steps for implementing a program to contact vendors is described below.
Develop a Vendor/Service Provider Contact Program
Beverly will obtain several benefits by contacting vendors about the Year 2000 compliance of their products.
- First, the vendor may actually know the true status of its product, and let you know whether you are safe or whether you will need a replacement or upgrade. For a service vendor, the vendor may assure you that all of its systems are or will be compliant and that services will remain uninterrupted.
- Second, if a vendor cannot guarantee the compliance of its product or systems, or fails to instill confidence, you can take further steps. For products, test them for compliance yourself (but see the warning on the previous page). For services, identify alternate sources.
- Third, if the vendor cannot guarantee compliance or it is impossible to test a product, you can develop contingency plans in case the product fails in 2000 or the vendor fails to provide services. Lastly, creating a paper trail of vendor contacts will be useful if you decide to take legal action against a vendor.
Putting together a vendor management program is daunting at first because there is a lot of paperwork involved. To provide some relief, Mayor Scanlon has agreed to provide a clerical person to assist in tracking vendors. Some effort will be needed to initially craft the vendor contact program. Critical set up steps include:
- Basic operating procedures will need to be developed. These procedures include when letters will be sent, how telephone follow-up will be handled, and when lawyer involvement is required.
- Development of supporting materials, such as form letters and survey questions.
- Development of contact lists and tracking mechanisms. Ideally, this list will be kept on a computer or database so that efforts and responses can be easily input and tracked. The list should contain contact names and addresses, an activity log, status fields, follow-up requirements and compliance information gathered from the contacts.
- Determination of how to interpret vendor information and assess any communicated risks
- Decisions on how and when hand-offs to other areas or other people will occur.
Although initial vendor contact and tracking may be handled through clerical support, each department will have to invest resources in this program in order to make it successful. Key responsibilities include:
- Assign person(s) to support this effort
Although a clerical resource will be provided to send and track responses, this person will require departmental assistance. Key tasks involve providing lists of vendors to contact and following up with vendor issues as they are identified.
- Build and refine a contact list
Each department must create its own list of vendors to contact. Remove inappropriate contacts -- very small and low priority vendors -- from the list. Finally, since time is short, sort the list so that the most critical vendors are contacted first. Contact less important vendors as time permits.
- Evaluate risks
As information is gathered for each critical vendor, each department must evaluate the risks to their own operations. To allow equal comparisons between vendors, use a standard, objective approach to rank risk, focusing on how the failure of the vendors product or services would impact Beverlys operations. For example, if a vendor is unaware of the Year 2000 problem, they are in the high risk category. If the vendor says that they are working on the problem, but cant provide any evidence that this is true, they are in a moderate risk category. If a vendor can provide a compliant product or upgrade, then they are in the low risk category.
- Determine actions
Once you have identified the most critical, risky vendors, rank them according to their risk level and assign follow-up efforts if additional pressure needs to be exerted on a vendor. For high risk vendors, continue to monitor their progress and, at a pre-determined checkpoint, invoke contingency plans and possibly trigger legal actions.
The committee is pleased to have had the opportunity to serve the city. We have all expressed, individually, our willingness to volunteer our services and expertise to the Y2K czar, and/or department heads in a focused effort to resolve any Y2K issues. We would like to help as we can. Please call on us.
With our thanks;
Gardner S. Trask III Dana Staples
Chairperson Staples@mediaone.net
Ian Hayes Dana Pommet
Ian_Hayes@compuserve.com Pommet@Earthlink.net
Date: | Actions: |
March 12, 1998 | The Committee held its first organizational meeting. Gardner Trask was elected Chairperson. The committee decided to hold regular meetings on Thursdays at 5:30pm. Preliminary discussions of scope and approach were conducted. |
March 19, 1998 | The Committee defined its scope to include providing assistance to City Departments in recognizing and assessing the impact of Year 2000 issues. A target of 90 days was established for completion of the committees work. The committee invited John Dunn to attend the meeting of March 26th. |
March 26, 1998 | The Committee discussed its proposed approach with Mr. Dunn. Mr. Dunn agreed to assist in forwarding a letter to all department heads defining the plans of the committee. |
April 2, 1998 | The Committee met with Sgt. McCarthy representing the Police Department. |
April 9, 1998 | The Committee met with Bob Batis, the Fire Department Communications Officer. |
April 16, 1998 | The Committee met with Tim Brennan & Ed Comeau representing Inspectional Services and Mark Foster representing Civil Defense. |
April 23, 1998 | The Committee met with Jack Morris, the Fire Department Mechanic |
May 7, 1998 | The Committee met with Mike Pappimichael and 5 representatives of the Department of Public Works. |
May 21, 1998 | The Committee met with Tom Scully representing the Library, Senior Center, Health Department, Parks & Recreation, Veterans affairs, and the Computer Department. |
June 11, 1998 | The Committee held several informal working sessions to prepare its final report. |
June 15, 1998 | The Committee presented its findings to the City Council and Mayor. |
Appendix B. Year 2000 Warrantee Language
Suggested Year 2000 Warranty
(Short Form)
For Software
Licensor warrants that the occurrence in or use by the Software of dates on or after January 1, 2000 ("Millennial Dates") will not adversely affect its performance with respect to date-dependent data, computations, output, or other functions (including, without limitation, calculating, comparing and sequencing) and that the Software will create, store, process and output information related to or including Millennial Dates without error or omissions, loss of functionality, or degradation in performance, and at no additional cost to Licensee. At Licensees request, Licensor will provide evidence sufficient to demonstrate adequate testing of the Software to meet the foregoing requirements.
Suggested Year 2000 Warranty
(Short Form)
For Services of any kind
[The warranty below covers the millennium transition and the 90 days thereafter. It says that there will be no disruptions or adverse effect on performance due to the transition. There is an optional qualifier that would let the provider off the hook if its failure or disruption is caused by another third party and through no fault of the provider. You may not want to include this qualifier if you want to be able to sue regardless of whether the fault lies with the provider.]
Service Provider represents and warrants that through, during and for the ninety day period following the transition from December 31, 1999 to January 1, 2000, it will provide Services hereunder without disruption or adverse effects on its performance due to such transition; [provided, however, that the foregoing shall not apply to situations where a failure or disruption by a third party causes the Service Provider, through no fault of its own, to experience a failure or other problem that disrupts or adversely affects the Services hereunder.]
Appendix C. Year 2000 Websites
There is no shortage of Year 2000 websites on the Internet. The sites listed below offer a starting point for gaining additional Year 2000 information. Also, many vendors post the compliance status of their products on the Internet. This information can be found on individual vendor sites.
www.YEAR2000.com - A good starting point for Year 2000 research
www.state.ma.us/y2k Massachusetts State Government Y2K site
www.wa.gov/dis/2000/y2000.htm Washington State Y2K site. Contains information provided by vendors responding to their vendor surveys
www.IT2000.com US IT site
http://pw2.netcom.com/~helliott/00.htm A connection into virtually all major Year 2000 sites
www.VIASOFT.com PC analysis tools (OnMark)
www.gmt-2000.com/gmt-2000 PC analysis tools and PC issues
End of Document