Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Dead zones affect 911

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 15 Apr 2004 12:35:00 -0400

Tuesday, April 13, 2004

Dead zones affect 911
Otsego County (NY)
Officials: Calls not heard in parts of Otsego

By Tom Grace

Cooperstown News Bureau

Sometimes, when you call for help, no one can hear you in parts of
western Otsego County.

Pager calls from the county's emergency dispatchers to EMTs and
firefighters just don't make it over the hills to
parts of Pittsfield and Morris, according to Rep. James Powers,
R-Butternuts.

"It's a serious problem, and I've heard it's getting worse," said
Powers. "We've got to do something about it."

Tom Reed, chairman of the town of Pittsfield's fire commissioners, said
Monday, "Seven years ago, it wasn't too
bad, but it's getting worse. We've had times when the chief got calls
and I didn't. And we've had times when I got
the call and the chief (Robert Rumovicz) didn't.

"I've had calls where I've been the only one in the ambulance because no
one else got toned out," said Reed.

Because he is an emergency medical technician, he can legally go out on
a call alone, said Reed. But at times,
he's had to call for help when someone was in distress, he said.

"I've talked to county officials and they say they're waiting to get a
grant to help the situation. But I don't think
we can wait for a Homeland Security grant," said Reed. "This is serious,
and it's not just Pittsfield — they've had
trouble in Morris and Unadilla, too."

James Tallman, the county's chief dispatcher, agreed that dispatchers
sometimes have a hard time summoning
EMS and fire personnel in western Otsego County.

"We're not having a problem communicating with the deputies because
they're on a different frequency, but it can
be a problem with fire and EMS," he said.

Tallman said the dead spots might be eliminated if the county added a
tower or two to its microwave network.

Powers said, "There's a tower at Chenango Lake that might let us cover a
lot of this area, but they want
$4,000-a-month for us to use it."

Lyle "Butch" Jones Jr., the county's emergency services coordinator,
said, "We have poor pager coverage in some
areas. It's an ongoing problem, and we've got to fix it."

Charles Bateman, R-Cooperstown, chairman of the county's Public Safety
Committee, said he spoke to Reed on
Monday.

"The committee is investigating this, and we're looking for money to do
something about it," said Bateman. "In
some places, people aren't getting their tones regularly and that's no
good. You have to be able to communicate
in an emergency."

Bateman said that the county had paid $50,000 to have its communications
system analyzed and may upgrade it
substantially as soon as money can be found. Consultant Kimball
Associates has recommended measures to
improve the system, he said.

Public Safety Committee Ronald Feldstein, D-Otego, said he has has
contacted U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer's
office, which is working to secure a $1 million grant to repair the
system.

"It would help the system, but I don't know whether it would improve the
situation in Pittsfield," said Feldstein.
"We've had pockets of poor reception around the county for years in
Cherry Valley, Unadilla. But the people from
Pittsfield are stepping up to the plate, letting us know they're having
problems."

Feldstein said the responsibility for good emergency communications is
shared by the county and municipalities,
and everyone must keep equipment in good repair for it to work well.

A dispatcher at the communications center Monday said that when people
need emergency help, they call 911 or
other emergency lines. A dispatcher takes their message, then calls the
pagers of EMTs and firefighters, directing
them to go where help is needed.

Jones said the call goes to the microwave tower nearest the affected
area and travels through the air to the
dialed pagers. If someone lives in a valley or the equipment isn't
functioning up to full power, the call may not
reach its destination, he said.

The tone-out call is usually acknowledged by the first firefighter or
emergency services person to reach the local
station, letting the control center know that help is on the way, the
dispatcher said.

http://www.thedailystar.com/news/stories/2004/04/13/zone.html

--
    "NEXTEL-1 IT'S NOT JUST NEXTEL"
  Note The New address
Subscribe to Nextel-1: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL-1

  "NEXTEL2 FOR iDEN SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS"
Subscribe to Nextel2: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL2

  "WIRELESS FORUM HOMELAND SECURITY GROUP"
     The Complete Resource for Wireless Homeland Security.
Subscribe to WFHSG:  http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/WFHSG

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
Printer at MyInks.com.  Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada.
http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/61FxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

-- 
    "NEXTEL-1 IT'S NOT JUST NEXTEL"
  Note The New address 
Subscribe to Nextel-1: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL-1

  "NEXTEL2 FOR iDEN SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS"
Subscribe to Nextel2: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL2

  "WIRELESS FORUM HOMELAND SECURITY GROUP"
     The Complete Resource for Wireless Homeland Security.
Subscribe to WFHSG:  http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/WFHSG

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEXTEL-1/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     [email-masked]

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
     http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/