Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Davis, CA. -Fire crews will buy better radios

From: NEXTEL-1
Date: Mon, 05 Jul 2004 16:46:24 -0400

Fire crews will buy better radios
By Beth Curda/Enterprise staff writer
On Christmas Day 2002, Davis Fire Chief Rose Conroy could not reach a
group of firefighters battling the fire at the Anderson Bank Building
downtown.

An incident commander had tried a few times to check in with the crew,
as the Fire Department does regularly during a response. Many of the
firefighters had responded to the calls, but the department hadn't heard
from one of the engine companies.

The city's radio system is outdated and communication sometimes fails,
but Conroy was nervous. Did something happen to them inside the
building, or was the radio just not working?

She called other firefighters to stop what they were doing on the scene
and find the crew that was not responding.
The good news: The unreachable firefighters were fine. They were working
on their assigned task. The problem was with the radio system.

The bad news: Because of the age of the system and its limitations,
communication problems like this one happen often, Fire Department
personnel say. The city's buildings and other objects often interfere
with the system's lines, Conroy said.
The radio system the Police and Fire departments and other city staff
use is antiquated and in need of replacement. For years, users of the
system have called for an upgrade. The city has been working through the
lengthy process since 1998, using consultants, studies and proposal
reviews to find the best and most economical system. Finally, the system
will be replaced.
Funding has been one problem, Conroy said.

"We have known about it, we have tried to address it and each year we
get another surprise from the state," she said. "... If the state hadn't
taken away that money, we could have solved this years ago."

Another problem, she said, has been the lengthy process. The first
meetings on the issue were in the mid-1990s.
Funding for a new system was included in the 2004-05 budget adopted by
the Davis City Council last month, and the council officially authorized
the purchase Tuesday. The council's vote was unanimous, 4-0.
Councilwoman Sue Greenwald was absent; she is in China.

Firefighters' lifeline
"It does worry me, and that's why we stop with ... the work that's being
done and send somebody to make sure that they're OK," Conroy said of the
Anderson Bank Building incident and others like it.

The radios are "the lifeline" for an injured firefighter, Conroy said.
In general situations, firefighters use them to say that they are
responding to an event, give updates, plan approaches and check in.

Communication problems related to the radio system occur frequently,
firefighter Roland Pussich said.  Almost daily, he said, an engine
company responds to a car accident on a freeway, and when firefighters
attempt to call for equipment or additional service, such as LifeFlight,
they cannot communicate with another engine company. They have to go
through the dispatcher.
"That captain on (one engine) hasn't been able to talk to (another
engine company) to plan ahead," Pussich said. "That takes a lot of time
and is critical to the patient because seconds count. ... It's not only
a risk to us, the firefighters, but also to the citizens because it's
just delaying the process."

Sometimes the Police Department cannot communicate with the Fire
Department. Sometimes, firefighters cannot talk to each other, or to the
dispatcher. Sometimes, firefighters inside a building cannot talk to
those on the outside.

"The firefighters are there to solve the problem, and what that means is
reduce the impact of this emergency that was going on when we arrived --
and that is to save lives, to protect the property and to protect the
environment," Conroy said. "And as long as they are actively doing
firefighting tasks, the process is moving along and we're able to obtain
those goals.
"If something happens to them, we need to rescue them. We need to get
them the services they need then."
But that means clear communication is a must.

"It happens so frequently that we just take it for granted (that) that's
part of what we're going to do," she said. "Because we're just working
within the system that we have."

Sometimes, Pussich said, firefighters go through the dispatcher to reach
another engine company. Other times, they have to abandon the radio
system completely and use a cellular phone.

"Our current situation is in any given area in town, we may or may not
have reception," Conroy said.
Aging system

The system was installed in the early 1950s, although the portable
radios city personnel use have been replaced over the years, according
to the city.

A key problem, Pussich said, are the frequencies.  The system's design
does not allow for simultaneous conversations, so often people must wait
for one connection to end before they can try using the line.

"You can really only have one conversation at a time," said Rick
Guidara, information technology administrator for the city. "So if they
need to talk to somebody else, they have to wait until that main
conversation stops."

The new system, which should be in place for public safety personnel in
10 months and for other city employees after that, allows for more
conversations on fewer frequencies, inter-agency connections and clearer
communication, Pussich and Guidara said.

The city will buy 111 portable Motorola radios for police and
firefighters, and 66 for other city employees. Departments will be able
to communicate with each other, so the radios would serve well in the
event of a power failure or emergency. Davis will be able to talk to
West Sacramento, Sacramento County and UC Davis.

"The nice thing about the new system," Guidara said, "is that even
though it has only four frequencies, dozens of conversations can happen
at the same time."

Grant money used

For now, the city is using $409,000 of FEMA Firefighters Assistance
grant money and $782,000 of city funds, and is looking at financing the
remaining $1.2 million.

The system is expected to cost the city about $250,000 per year for the
first two years, for the lease payment and base system replacement. In
year three, that estimate increases to $298,000, as radio replacements
are needed.

In years four and on, additional radio replacements may be needed, and
general maintenance will cost around $100,000 (increasing each year). In
years four through six, the city is expected to pay between $446,000 and
$456,000 for the radio system.

In the future, Guidara said, Davis will continue to look into getting
federal homeland security money. So far, it has not received any for the
radio system.

"It worked fine for years and years," Guidara said of the outgoing
system. "It's just that the city grew, and more and more happens and the
radios can't keep up with it."

The new equipment includes a base station at the Police Department, a
140-foot tower (the city will extend the existing 80-foot tower), a
radio for the police dispatchers, portable radios for public safety and
other city personnel, and a radio in each police and fire vehicle and in
other city vehicles.

The technology is expected to last seven to 10 years, until a new
advancement warrants replacement, Guidara said, but the city is hoping
to use the new system for at least a decade.

"It really depends on how the needs change in Davis, really," he said.

There have been no major catastrophes because of the radio system, so
far, Guidara said, partly because its users know its limitations.

-- Reach Beth Curda at [email-masked]

Sunday, July 4, 2004

http://www.davisenterprise.com/articles/2004/07/04/news/180new3.txt

 Davis, CA

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