Attachment_5D_Contractor_Maintained_NWR_Transmitter_Site_Activity_Report_(EMRS)_Procedures_SCETV_2018.pdf

ON-LINE CONTRACTOR

MAINTENANCE REPORTING

ON-LINE QUICK REFERENCE

(REV 01/06)

Contractors who maintain National Weather Service (NWS) equipment will report their maintenance activities using the Engineering Management Reporting System (EMRS). An electronic, web-based reporting form is available through the EMRS website. The web form is easy to use and requires a minimal amount of time to enter the required data. Contractors can use the form to report both corrective and preventive maintenance.

Quick Reference Topics

How do I access the EMRS?

How do I access the Maintenance Reporting Web Form?

When would I use a NWS Document Number?

What does the Open Date and Time refer to?

How do I select the equipment type and serial number?

Where can I find a list of Equipment Codes for a specific site?

Where do I differentiate between fully operational and partially operational equipment?

Where can I input information about "Type Maintenance", "Action Taken" & "How Malfunction"?

Are there examples of scheduled routine maintenance events?

Where do I provide a detailed description of the maintenance event?

Accessing the EMRS

Maintenance contractors will access the maintenance reporting web form via the EMRS website. The EMRS website uses secure encryption technology to transmit data over the Internet. Contractors are provided user names and passwords from NWS Headquarters to gain access to the required web forms.

Users must access the EMRS maintenance reporting web forms via the EMRS Portal Page located at the following URL:

http://ops13web.nws.noaa.gov/pls/emrsuser/emrs_main.home

At the portal page, click on the link labeled, “Enter the EMRS Portal”.

Return to the Top

Clicking the “Enter the EMRS Portal” link will take the user to the OPS13 Login Page

Enter the username and password combination provided to you by NWS Headquarters and then click the login button.

Accessing the Required Web Forms

After log-in, users will be taken to the first data entry screen. This web form requires entry of the local NWS Weather Forecast Office (WFO) that is the point of contact for the maintenance event being documented.

Click on the down arrow to show the entire list of WFOs available. Choose the WFO that coordinated this maintenance event with your company. After choosing the correct WFO from the drop down list, click the “Continue” button.

Another web page with two drop down menus will appear. The two drop down menus on this second web page are for the NWS Document Number or the equipment site location.

NWS Document Number

Contractors may have been provided with a NWS “Document Number” when originally contacted about the maintenance event being documented. If available, choose the provided Document Number from the smaller drop down menu. Contractors should always choose a NWS Document Number from the list if provided with one. Doing so makes the maintenance reporting process much simpler. Many of the required data fields on the maintenance reporting form will be auto-populated if a Document Number is chosen from the list. Be sure to choose the same document number provided in the original correspondence from the NWS maintenance manager.

If a NWS Document Number was not provided, the site location should be chosen from the second, larger drop down menu. Clicking on the down arrow will reveal a list of all site locations and their associated Station Identifier (SID) code. Click on the SID code that corresponds to the site where the equipment was maintained. The remainder of the maintenance reporting process is simplified if a SID is entered at this stage. If the SID cannot be accurately determined, leave this field blank.

If the SID is known, enter it in the second drop down menu and click the “Continue” button. This will generate the Contractor Maintenance Reporting form (shown below). Once completed, the information from the web form is sent to the local NWS WFO where the maintenance manager will review it for quality control and then forward it to NWS Headquarters.

Data Entry Requirements - Contractor Maintenance Reporting Web Form

The web-based Maintenance Reporting form is used to complete the maintenance reporting process, documenting the details of the maintenance event. All mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk.

These fields must be populated with valid entries in order for the web form to be submitted.

Maintenance Event Start/End Date and Time

The maintenance reporting web form begins with the Open Date/Open Time and Close Date/Close Time fields. The “Open Date” is the date the maintenance event began, entered in the MM/DD/YYYY convention. The “Open Time” is the time the maintenance event began (arrival on site). The “Close Date” is the date the maintenance event ended. The “Close Time” is the time the maintenance event ended (equipment restored to service).

Enter local time in the "Time" fields using a 12-hour time convention; users must insert the colon between the hours and minutes. Be sure to correctly choose “am” or “pm” from the “Open Time” and “Close Time” drop down menus. A completed date and time entry is shown below.

Equipment Type and Serial Number

The type of equipment is the next required data field to be entered. NWS equipment systems and subsystems are assigned equipment codes for maintenance reporting. The NWS Maintenance Manager will provide the equipment codes necessary for maintenance reporting. Enter the equipment code in the field labeled “Please enter or select the type of equipment maintained”. A full equipment code list is available by clicking the first data entry pull down box.

*Note: If the SID was entered on the “Choose Document or Site Location” web form, then an abbreviated equipment code list specific to that site is shown.

Clicking the down arrow produces a dialog box. The box below shows the abbreviated equipment code list for a specific site.

An equipment code and brief description is provided for each system or subsystem at the site. Choose the correct equipment code from the list and click the "OK" button. The equipment code will then be populated onto the maintenance reporting form.

The next data entry field labeled, “Please enter or select the serial number of the equipment maintained”, is for the serial number of the equipment maintained. The serial number is not required but should be entered if known. Serial numbers are available by clicking the second data entry pull down box.

A valid equipment code must be entered before the serial number drop down menu will work.

*Note: The SID must also be entered on the “Choose Document or Site Location” web form.

Clicking on the serial number down arrow will produce a dialog box listing all valid serial numbers for the equipment code selected. Choose the correct serial number from the list and click the “OK” button. The serial number will be populated onto the form.

Maintenance Activity and Equipment Operational Status Time

The next four data fields describe the maintenance activity hours and the operational status of the equipment during the maintenance event.

The first field shown is labeled, “How long did it take to complete the maintenance?”. Enter the number of staff-hours performed at the site to restore the equipment back to service. Use the HH:MM time convention and include the colon between hours and minutes. If more than one technician was required, enter the cumulative time of all technicians participating in the maintenance event.

*Note: This field is not the duration of the maintenance event; rather, it is the amount of technician time performed during the maintenance event.

The next field is labeled, “How long was the equipment fully operational?”. This is the amount of time during the maintenance event that the equipment was fully operational. Equipment is considered fully operational when it operates with no loss of output of intended products or functions.

The next field is labeled, “How long was the equipment partly operational?”. This is the amount of time during the maintenance event that the equipment was partly operational. Equipment is considered partly operational when it operates in an impaired, degraded, or reduced mode; but is still able to perform or produce at least one of its primary functions.

The last field is labeled, “How long was the equipment completely not operational?”. This is the amount of time during the maintenance event that the equipment was not functioning. Equipment is considered not operational when there is a loss of all primary products or the equipment cannot perform its primary functions.

The sum of the “fully operational”, “partly operational”, and “not operational” status times should equal the full duration of the maintenance event, or the difference between the Open Date/Time and the Close Date/Time.

Type Maintenance, Action Taken, and How Equipment Malfunctioned

The next three fields describe the type of maintenance performed, the actions taken on the equipment, and how the equipment malfunctioned. These fields are not mandatory but should be entered if known.

The first field is labeled, “Please select a type of maintenance performed.” Several common maintenance types ranging from preventive maintenance to corrective actions to equipment management have been assigned codes. These type maintenance codes are available for selection via the drop down menu.

Clicking on the down arrow reveals the list of Type Maintenance codes. Clicking on any value in the list automatically loads it onto the maintenance reporting form.

Preventive Maintenance Inspections (PMI) and Samples, and Non-Routine Events

PMI's or scheduled routine maintenance events, are divided into several categories based upon frequency of inspection. Below is an example of a Monthly PMI (code 4), a Four Month PMI (code 11), and an Annual PMI (code 8).

NWR Monthly PMI A-26 Sample Form

NWR Four Month PMI A-26 Sample Form

NWR Annual PMI A-26 Sample Form

Non-routine maintenance events, or repair events, are reported using the code “C” for corrective action.

Action Taken

The next field is labeled, “Please select an action taken.” Several common maintenance actions have been assigned codes and these codes are available for selection via the drop down menu. Clicking on the down arrow reveals the list of Action Taken codes. Clicking on any value in the list automatically loads it onto the maintenance reporting form.

If a PMI related type maintenance code was entered in the Type Maintenance field, choose the Action Taken code of “X – Test/Inspect/Service”.

If a type maintenance code of “C” was entered, choose an Action Taken code that most accurately describes the corrective actions taken to restore the equipment back to service. Examples include: "F - Repair", "G - Repair/Replace Minor Parts", "N -Temporary Repair", "R - Remove & Replace", "S - Remove & Reinstall", "V - Clean", "W - Reboot".

How the Equipment Malfunctioned

The last field shown is labeled, “Please select how the equipment malfunctioned.” Several common equipment malfunctions have been assigned codes and these codes are available for selection via the drop down menu. Clicking on the down arrow reveals the list of How Malfunction codes. Clicking on any value in the list automatically loads it onto the maintenance reporting form.

If a PMI related type maintenance code was entered in the Type Maintenance field, choose the How Malfunction code of “999 – Not Applicable”.

If a type maintenance code of “C” was entered in the Type Maintenance field, choose a How Malfunction code that most accurately describes the equipment failure.

If there is no equipment failure, but telecom equipment serving the equipment has failed, choose the How Malfunction code of “902 – No Defect: Outage caused by associated equipment failure”

If the failure cannot be determined, choose the How Malfunction code of “901 – Unknown / Other”.

Maintenance Event Detailed Description

The last required field on the maintenance reporting form is a data entry text box where the technician enters a detailed description of the maintenance event.

Any and all pertinent details associated with the maintenance event are to be documented in this field.

Information such as problems experienced with the repair, replacement parts, or associated communication equipment should be noted. Information relating to equipment shelter problems should also be noted.

Submitting the Form

When all fields marked with an asterisk have been entered, click the Submit button at the bottom of the maintenance reporting web form. This will send the information to the local NWS maintenance manager, who will quality control the data submitted.