Emergency Services Director Phil Ricks gave the board an overview this evening of the costs associated with two systems designed to improve communications, especially on portable radios.
The October 2012 completion of narrow banding, a federal mandate, caused radio coverage to shrink on all of the county's six frequencies, papers contained in this evening's agenda packet say. “Halifax County Sheriff, EMS and fire have all reported areas of concern, especially with portable radios.”
The biggest problem areas, Commissioner Marcelle Smith said following the meeting, are outlying areas of the county, particularly Hobgood and Scotland Neck and happen across the board, including fire, EMS and the sheriff's office.
Fixes to the issue, according to the report Ricks gave to board, include a VHF simulcast system or a Viper system, the Viper system being the most costly.
The simulcast system would require the replacement of all VHF repeaters on sheriff, EMS and fire channels and utilizes equipment already in use by those agencies. It would expand coverage for those agencies and provide a better platform for paging fire and EMS as well as allowing better coverage.
The biggest drawback, the report noted, is the expansion of an obsolete analog system when digital is the wave of the future. The system costs $500,000, more if its specifications are designed for digital.
Viper — Voice Inoperability Plan for Emergency Responders — is what the state Highway Patrol and other state agencies are using.
The biggest advantages of going to this system are the infrastructure is maintained by the state, state assets in case of site failure or disaster needs and operability with county and state agencies.
The biggest drawback is the cost, the report said. “Mobile radios cost an average of $4,000 each and portables average $2,500 each.”
A mobile unit would have to be purchased for every deputy, firefighter and EMS technician on duty and each deputy, EMS technician and fire officer on duty would need a portable.
Issues of additional tower sites and the question of future user fees serve as the biggest disadvantages, according to the report. The estimated cost is $2 million with equipment maintenance being the only recurring cost.
“Narrow band was not our choice,” Smith said. “It was a mandate given. What I do is dangerous. It's not as dangerous as a first responder. It makes no sense to me that if I'm sitting in a clear and open spot they can't hear me on a radio. I'm not sure where we go. We will have to do something. We are putting our officers at risk.”
Board Chairman James Pierce said he had numerous questions. “It sounds like the Viper system is the way to go.”
Since the matter will be discussed in full at the December retreat, Commissioner Carolyn Johnson requested that Ricks give the board any additional information possible. “That way we will be more informed before we start that discussion.”
Said Pierce, “It's going to be a major expense.”
