2006 APWA Northern California
Utilizing GIS to Establish Maintenance Routines
WVSD in a utilizing condition assessment, work history and debris collection with an integrated AM/CMMS with GIS capability to update their routine cycle for cleaning sewer lines. Using logic based upon severity or debris found in a line the District can determine if the frequency of line cleaning should be increased or decreased and view the information in GIS. The district developed a logic which will be discussed for rating lines. Based upon severity of debris tracked in the District’s maintenance system GIS is then used to recommend an increase or decrease in the cycle. Once in GIS the information can be viewed and the district was able to determine if the recommendation made sense and if there were lines in the same area that could be grouped into similar frequency of maintenance. By being able to view the information graphically the district is able to increase efficiency of line cleaning through better scheduling while maintaining effectiveness and preventing overflows by cleaning lines at the most optimal frequency.
Tools for FEMA Disaster Recovery: Financial System vs. Maintenance System
When natural disasters strike such as hurricanes, floods, fires, and tornados, counties and cities bear the responsibility of providing necessary recovery services and coordinating the relief effort. While work crews move quickly to provide services, administrators are busy scheduling and prioritizing work, directing communications, managing efforts between local and federal agencies, and ensuring that the field work effort is being tracked and accounted for according to FEMA requirements.
This presentation will address several counties’ experience with FEMA work reporting requirements for reimbursement during the hurricane events in Florida of 2004/2005 and snow storms in Reno Nevada and one Northern California agency. The first part will provide an overview of FEMA requirements and describe the pros and cons of two different systems that public agencies can utilize to capture information for reimbursement: maintenance systems and financial systems. The second part of the presentation will provide the process used and the lessons learned from a county prospective. The goal of this presentation is to help other agencies prepare and implement a well thought out FEMA reimbursement plan before disaster strikes. Acquiring the necessary data such as labor hours, activities performed, work locations, equipment hours and types used, and associated costs (including overtime) can be a cumbersome process. Financial systems work well to capture labor hours and with some modifications can track equipment use. Maintenance systems do a good job tracking labor, equipment, material use, work location, activities performed, and other vital data. The downside is that the recorded hours in the maintenance system must match the financial system. So, should the financial or maintenance system be used. The counties successful experiences will provide the answer and real solutions to this problem. The key to success is to have a single system selected or integrated, configured to capture the data, and have all reporting information pre-formatted and prepared.
Harry C. Lorick, PE, PTOE
Principal, LA Consulting Inc, Manhattan Beach, CA