County officials: We've done the radio research
By PETER GUINTA
Created 05/01/2011 - 12:00am
Summary:
Purchasing a multi-million-dollar anything is not something governments do on the spur of the moment.
peter.guinta@staugustine.com
Purchasing a multi-million-dollar anything is not something governments do on the spur of the moment.
That's why St. Johns County Fire-Rescue officials said Friday that they want the public to know that county officials have researched the need and capabilities of a proposed new 800 MHz radio system thoroughly.
Fire Prevention Chief Jeff Prevatt said, "We went to a professional consultant to tell us what to do. None of us in government have the expertise to make that recommendation."
Prevatt said that in February 2003, fire and law enforcement officials began talking to communication companies, emergency services officials, electronics vendors, engineering consultants and state agencies about possible upgrades to their radio systems.
That year, the county ordered an evaluation of its entire system from Hasty's Communications of Jacksonville, a Motorola dealer, a study which showed that the county's current system was "50 percent unsupportable."
That meant it was old, obsolete, and the equipment was not manufactured any more.
Assistant Chief Carl Shank said, "We had to scour the Internet just to find parts to keep the dispatch consoles running."
The county then sought and received two Department of Homeland Security grants to upgrade its system.
"That was just to beef up what we had to buy time and get us into a position where we can look at other systems," Shank said.
Prevatt said he worked with the State Technology Office in 2004 on another evaluation of the county's radio system, this time focusing on Fire-Rescue and the Sheriff's Office systems.
"The question of whether we should stay UHF or go to 800 MHz went before the County Commission twice," he said, adding that, at that point, it was still in the research and discussion phase.
Staying with the current system was thought to be "a short-term fix," Shank said.
To reserve band width, the county applied for and has been assigned 15 frequencies for the 800 MHz trunk system.
Again the county sought an evaluation, this time by the independent engineering company RCC Consultants Inc., which has offices all over the United States.
The RCC report did not recommend upgrading the old system due to "potential interference and congestion."
RCC had no interest in the outcome of this study, Prevatt said.
"They are only consultants. They do not build one bit of this. They're not affiliated with any vendor or tower company. They're completely independent," he said.
If the 800 MHz is chosen, which seems more likely than upgrading the old one, nine new towers -- on nine new sites -- would need to be built.
The total cost for the new system, roughly $27 million, is broken down like this:
* $8 million: For the new 250-foot, self-supporting towers rated for a Category 5 hurricane and their sites.
Prevatt said, "The current towers that we have are not the right height, location or strength."
* $2 million: For a microwave system, which connects all the sites together.
* The remaining $17 million: For radio infrastructure, radios, mobiles and portables.
"Research shows us that we're moving down the right path for public safety in St. Johns County," Shank said. "Do we dump millions into an antiquated system? Or do we do it the right way? Our current communication system is not where this county should be right now."
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