Overview
The
City of Manassas provides Electric and Water Utilities to residents and
in addition, the Police, Fire, and Rescue departments provide Public
Safety to the residents. None of this happens with the support of
Communications and Controls. In order to provide the residents with
these services, there are many systems that must be installed and
maintained on a daily basis.
SCADA
 The
Supervisor Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system is the system
that provides controls and automation for the utility services. These
Electric system is fed throughout the City via overhead and underground
cables, but all of the cables originate from 6 Substations. There are
also several power generation plants located throughout the City to
provide supplemental power during peak loads and for standby power to
critical facilities when the power goes out.
Radios
 The
radio system is used for the Public Safety departments and for the
Utility departments. Without the radio system, the Police, Fire, and
Rescue personnel would not be able to communicate during emergencies
and non-emergencies to save lives and prevent crime. The Utilities
personnel would not be able to operate the utilities efficiently
without being able to communicate with one another out in the field.
Fiber
 The
fiber optic system is the backbone for all of the Information
Technology, Radio, and SCADA systems. The fiber is run all throughout
the City. It is strategically configured to make the most use possible
out of each fiber or fiber pair. Sophisticated equipment is used to
splice the fibers together. The fiber must be spliced in order to
create specific routes or to repair the fiber when it is cut. Each
fiber cable is critical and when it goes down it must be spliced
together immediately. In addition to the utility and public safety
applications, the City's traffic signal system is all connected by
fiber to move traffic efficiently through the City.
Technician Training
 In
order for the technicians to install and maintain all the sophisticated
systems, they must be thoroughly trained on all aspects of the systems.
This site offers limited technician training presentations. The
presentations are designed to compliment the required training of the
Technician Certification Program. In addition to the training
presentations, the site also offers a wealth of information regarding
the equipment used for the City's many communications and controls
systems. Over a period of 6 years, the technicians are required to take
18 specific training courses as well as obtain an Associates degree in
Electrical/Electronics Engineering Technologies. In many cases, a
technician will not be hired without an Associates degree, however, in
some instances, previous experience may qualify an applicant for the
job. The applicant is still required to obtain the degree after being
hired.
Technician Development
 The
best way to develop a technician is to provide him or her with the
tools and information necessary to do the job during and after
training. Each section of this web site offers information regarding
specific systems within the City. On the job experience is one of the
best ways to develop new skills and mature the skills they have learned
in training. Development of a technician is mostly dependent on the
technician and how well he or she can retain information and apply the
skills. |
