Solutions recommended to fix radio communication problem

State Electronics has given county officials a list of recommendations which could clear up interference problems that have been occurring with radio equipment used by emergency personnel. A July 15 meeting was attended by commissioners Don Field and Mike Darga, along with sheriff Terry Flewelling and undersheriff Bob Paschke.

Representing State Electronics were president Dean Hull and a company technician. Some of the recommendations include replacing consoles, the tower at the sheriff?s department, old phone lines and equipment, and increased maintenance and training.

THERE ARE a number of reasons why Presque Isle County has experienced problems with the communication system, Hull said, and most of them fall back on the lightning strike of June 2002, which ?fried? many of the components of the console. When the system was hit, the county?s insurance carrier requested the units be fixed, rather than replaced. Hull believes the units should have been replaced, with the old ones being fixed and used as backups. He said his company is taking some of the blame for not pressing the issue further.

?We needed to advise our customer right away that this is a very poor decision to make, to try to repair this equipment,? Hull said. ?It?s too important to repair.? The insurance company is not accepting any more claims from the lightning strike.

One of the other major issues is the portable units are receiving messages from central dispatch, but they cannot transmit back to the base. The reason for that is a lack of base units and repeaters in some areas.

HULL ALSO said there may be a lack of knowledge about the radios? ability to perform, and the age of some of the units. The next step is to conduct a meeting with all the county fire departments and set up the radios where each community has its own channels, and to be sure they know the mutual aid channels from all neighboring counties and townships.

?We want to get everybody on the same page, so they can talk back and forth to each other,? said Paschke. ?If they are called in on a fire, they should be able to call in on a fire channel, so it?s not plugging up dispatch.? State Electronics has offered to provide a training seminar on the proper use of the radios, including how to charge the battery correctly. Poorly maintained batteries are the number one reason for poor performance with portable units, Hull said.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS include: ? Replacing consoles at the 911 center. The consoles have proven unreliable at times and could have an adverse effect for the public safety personnel who rely on the system.

? Replace the tower at the sheriff?s department. The tower is not safe to climb and it probably is not grounded properly. Hull said it will continue to be a source of problems if it is not replaced or properly grounded.

? All phones lines need to be replaced between the 911 center and the control stations. The lines were installed when the building was constructed and have experienced many lightning hits.

? All base equipment should be replaced and put into a communications rack and shielded. Without proper shielding, the units are subject to ?cross talk.?

? Add receiver sites or repeaters in all areas where communications are difficult to transmit to or receive from.

? All FCC licenses need to be checked to ensure they are transmitting at the height and power designated by the FCC.

STATE ELECTRONICS believes if these measures are taken, the county wou

ld have a communication system it could rely on and give public safety officials the confidence they need to do their jobs. The cost for all the repairs was not available. ?I believe the commissioners certainly understand a lot more about radio than they did a couple of weeks ago,? said Hull. ?They understand that we are not hiding from anything. We understand the importance of communication and it?s important that we fix it to the point that it?s at a level that meets everyone?s expectations.?

As to the resolution from the PI Michigan Township Association, requesting 100 percent coverage in all the townships.

?I don?t know of any county, anywhere,? Hull said, ?where you can guarantee 100 percent coverage.?

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