Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Emergency planners get OK for 911 plan

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 19:35:05 -0500

<Snip>
In the summer, emergency personnel said they could not receive radio
communications around Nittany Mall, near College Avenue and Walker
Drive and in front of the Alpha Fire Company's West Beaver Avenue
station.

It was believed cellular phone towers owned by Nextel Partners Inc. were
causing the interference.

"We identified three sites where there were problems," Tancibok said. "It's
not entirely Nextel's fault, but what was, we are working on correcting."
---------------------------------------------------------
Posted on Thu, Feb. 06, 2003

Emergency planners get OK for 911 plan
By Lara Brenckle
[email-masked]

BELLEFONTE - Centre County's emergency communications department
has received the go-ahead to prepare a three-year 911 plan, detailing the
county's emergency operations.

The county commissioners on Tuesday approved an $18,000 contract
between the county and L. Robert Kimball & Associates to draw up the
plan, as required by Pennsylvania law.

Dan Tancibok, the county's director of public safety, said the plan is
necessary and the funds for it would be covered through the surcharge
telephone customers pay.

Tancibok said Centre County's emergency operations are good, but could
be enhanced with additional technology.

Currently, people who dial 911 from their cell phones to report
emergencies cannot be traced by the dispatch center, Tancibok said.
Dispatchers rely on the people calling to provide directions to the incident.

"Clearly, this is a very big public safety issue," Tancibok said.

Because money from the surcharge cannot be used to fund equipment that
would help locate cellular calls, Tancibok said a 911 surcharge for cellular
phones is necessary.

A bill, which would tack a statewide $1 charge on the monthly phone bills of
all cellular customers, got bogged down in a Senate committee before the
end of the last session.

Had it passed, money collected from the surcharge would have been
placed in a state fund, which counties could access to purchase locating
equipment.

"About 46 percent of the calls we get at 911 come in from cell phones,"
Tancibok said. "Those cell phones don't pay into the system that supports
911; that's all funded through wire lines."

Tancibok also updated commissioners on the problems emergency
personnel were having getting radio reception in some areas of the county.

In the summer, emergency personnel said they could not receive radio
communications around Nittany Mall, near College Avenue and Walker
Drive and in front of the Alpha Fire Company's West Beaver Avenue
station.

It was believed cellular phone towers owned by Nextel Partners Inc. were
causing the interference.

"We identified three sites where there were problems," Tancibok said. "It's
not entirely Nextel's fault, but what was, we are working on correcting."

Tancibok said problems with the Nittany Mall and College Avenue/Walker
Drive location have been solved.

Problems with reception in front of the Alpha building -- at the corner of
Atherton Street and Beaver Avenue -- continue, he said. Through
investigation, it was revealed the problem stems from Nextel and AT&T
communication towers, plus problems with the company's equipment.

Tancibok said all parties were cooperating; AT&T was expected to get
filters on its communications devices within a few weeks and that may
solve the problem, he said.

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/5119427.htm

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