Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Emergency center to get new radios

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003 05:22:31 -0400

Emergency center to get new radios

Sunday, April 13, 2003

By Karen Kane, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Talk may be cheap, but emergency communications systems are anything
but.

Butler County commissioners signed off last week on the most costly
portion
of a $6 million revamp of the county's public safety radio system.

After years of talking about the need for a better radio system,
commissioners
Wednesday signed a $3.57 million deal with Motorola Corp. The radio
project will be funded through the planned bond issue for a new county
jail, a
project that does not yet have a set price.

Motorola will equip the county's emergency control center with
ultra-high
frequency (UHF) radio equipment to replace the antiquated low-band
system
that's been used the past 30 years.

Frank Matis, 911 director, said the new system is expected to be fully
operational in 18 months. He'll be relieved.

"The situation is bad. Fire and police can't communicate back and forth
with
each other because the police use a high-band [system] and the fire are
using
the low-band," Matis said, explaining that 911 dispatchers have to relay

messages between the departments. Plus, parts for the low-band equipment

can't be replaced because they're no longer made, he said.

Matis said Motorola will equip the county emergency center with a
state-of-the-art radio system capable of communicating with each of the
county's police and fire departments and ambulance services, and all the

services will be able to communicate with each other.

Matis said the county now uses a mix of low-band, high-band and
ultra-high
band equipment to communicate with the various services. "In a disaster,
it
would be important for responders to be able to communicate with each
other
directly," he said.

Matis said sites are being located for 10 transmitters that will be
installed
throughout the county. He predicted that most of the transmitters will
be
attached to existing towers or water tanks.

Meanwhile, he is working with area fire departments to find funding for
radio
equipment that will mesh with the county's new system. The cost could
range
from $10,000 to $50,000, Matis said.

The next big purchase for the county will be to "connect" the 10 new
transmitters. Matis said the county will choose either a microwave
system that
uses satellite-style dishes or telephone lines.

Matis said the Butler County Fire Chiefs Association has been pushing
for the
revamp the past five years. Matis said the old system will be maintained
"as
long as we can" to give fire departments time to buy new equipment.

http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_north/20030413nbut0413p5.asp

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