Lees Summit Fire
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mgolden2
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They are soon to be on the KC MARRS radio system....
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scannerowner
Member
So is all of Lee's Summit going to MARRS or just Fire? Last I've heard they weren't planning on it. I think they and Sugar Creek are the only ones, besides Kearney, Excelsior Springs, and Clay County Rural PDs, that are still analog conventional.
SK63
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Yeah, I would like to know too. They (Fire) are definitely doing something different as for the most part, are no longer using the Quick Call tones. Don't know if they are testing a different system or what.
scannerowner
Member
It seems some agencies will continue to page out on analog, then respond on digital. If you had a digital scanner, I'd say start searching for Talkgroups to see what they're using.
SK63
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From the Lees Summit Journal....Today
If the tornado that hit Lee’s Summit in July had been a big one, not only would damage have been worse, but the city’s response would have been hampered by out-of-date radios, Police Chief Travis Forbes says.
Forbes and Fire Chief Rick Poeschl at Thursday’s Lee’s Summit City Council meeting requested money to improve the city’s communications system and to relocate Fire Station 3 to a larger facility farther north in town.
The new communications system is estimated to cost $6.5 million to $7.5 million, Forbes said. The fire station would cost about $5 million.
The council agreed to ask its Finance and Budget Committee to work with the city’s Finance Department on suggestions for paying for the improvements.
Forbes said that all of the cities and agencies surrounding Lee’s Summit are on the Metropolitan Area Regional Radio System. It extends over the region on both sides of the state line.
“All of our partners are digital,” Forbes said. “We would have communication issues; our system will not work with their systems.”
In 2010, city leaders decided to upgrade the department’s radio system, spending about $2 million financed through a bond issue. The city at that time chose not to join the regional network as a cost-saving measure.
It did upgrade equipment to meet Federal Communications Commission standards for “narrow banding” but is still using a conventional radio system, while other departments are using digital systems.
Narrow banding was a change in regulations for using radio frequencies that the federal government mandated to clear up airwave congestion.
Forbes said Lee’s Summit’s current system isn’t “garbage” and works well within the city. Where it fails is when police try to coordinate with other departments.
Forbes gave examples.
He said several months ago, Independence was pursuing a murder suspect who fled into Lee’s Summit. Independence dispatchers had to contact by telephone Lee’s Summit dispatchers, who would relay information to Lee’s Summit officers, instead of the officers hearing information being directly broadcast by Independence.
Forbes said the delays made it more difficult to apprehend the suspect.
When Independence had a mass disturbance at a shopping center, its police department called Kansas City and Blue Springs for mutual aid. Lee’s Summit had officers who were close by in the north part of town but weren’t called because of the communication snags.
“It increases safety to police and firefighters,” Forbes said.
Then there was the EF1 tornado that touched down near Chipman and Douglas, and lesser storms in other parts of the city.
“Had it caused more damage, it would have caused a lot of communication problems,” Forbes said.
He said field sergeants have some dual-use radios with conventional and digital capabilities. That helps, but doesn’t correct other inadequacies of Lee’s Summit’s equipment, like lack of redundancy in case part of the system fails, Forbes said.
If a natural disaster or other problem takes down a radio tower in Lee’s Summit, for example, it will leave a hole in communications.
The metropolitan area system has other advantages. The city could use it for other departments and it would make radio communications easier between all employees and other cities, Forbes said.
Poeschl, in an interview, said the fire department faces the same difficulty.
“We are unable to communicate directly with other agency units,” Poeschl said. “We have to go through their dispatch center, who relays the information to their units. This can cause not only delays, but the possibility of misinterpretation of the information. That is not an optimal situation.”
Councilman Derek Holland asked Forbes to further research future technology, so if the city does invest money joining the Metropolitan Area Regional Radio System, it won’t be in the same situation after five years. “Are there other technologies that will make MARRS obsolete?” he asked.
If the tornado that hit Lee’s Summit in July had been a big one, not only would damage have been worse, but the city’s response would have been hampered by out-of-date radios, Police Chief Travis Forbes says.
Forbes and Fire Chief Rick Poeschl at Thursday’s Lee’s Summit City Council meeting requested money to improve the city’s communications system and to relocate Fire Station 3 to a larger facility farther north in town.
The new communications system is estimated to cost $6.5 million to $7.5 million, Forbes said. The fire station would cost about $5 million.
The council agreed to ask its Finance and Budget Committee to work with the city’s Finance Department on suggestions for paying for the improvements.
Forbes said that all of the cities and agencies surrounding Lee’s Summit are on the Metropolitan Area Regional Radio System. It extends over the region on both sides of the state line.
“All of our partners are digital,” Forbes said. “We would have communication issues; our system will not work with their systems.”
In 2010, city leaders decided to upgrade the department’s radio system, spending about $2 million financed through a bond issue. The city at that time chose not to join the regional network as a cost-saving measure.
It did upgrade equipment to meet Federal Communications Commission standards for “narrow banding” but is still using a conventional radio system, while other departments are using digital systems.
Narrow banding was a change in regulations for using radio frequencies that the federal government mandated to clear up airwave congestion.
Forbes said Lee’s Summit’s current system isn’t “garbage” and works well within the city. Where it fails is when police try to coordinate with other departments.
Forbes gave examples.
He said several months ago, Independence was pursuing a murder suspect who fled into Lee’s Summit. Independence dispatchers had to contact by telephone Lee’s Summit dispatchers, who would relay information to Lee’s Summit officers, instead of the officers hearing information being directly broadcast by Independence.
Forbes said the delays made it more difficult to apprehend the suspect.
When Independence had a mass disturbance at a shopping center, its police department called Kansas City and Blue Springs for mutual aid. Lee’s Summit had officers who were close by in the north part of town but weren’t called because of the communication snags.
“It increases safety to police and firefighters,” Forbes said.
Then there was the EF1 tornado that touched down near Chipman and Douglas, and lesser storms in other parts of the city.
“Had it caused more damage, it would have caused a lot of communication problems,” Forbes said.
He said field sergeants have some dual-use radios with conventional and digital capabilities. That helps, but doesn’t correct other inadequacies of Lee’s Summit’s equipment, like lack of redundancy in case part of the system fails, Forbes said.
If a natural disaster or other problem takes down a radio tower in Lee’s Summit, for example, it will leave a hole in communications.
The metropolitan area system has other advantages. The city could use it for other departments and it would make radio communications easier between all employees and other cities, Forbes said.
Poeschl, in an interview, said the fire department faces the same difficulty.
“We are unable to communicate directly with other agency units,” Poeschl said. “We have to go through their dispatch center, who relays the information to their units. This can cause not only delays, but the possibility of misinterpretation of the information. That is not an optimal situation.”
Councilman Derek Holland asked Forbes to further research future technology, so if the city does invest money joining the Metropolitan Area Regional Radio System, it won’t be in the same situation after five years. “Are there other technologies that will make MARRS obsolete?” he asked.
mgolden2
Member
Eventually, but it won't be a quick transition. Right now it's all being held up by budgetary delays and such. All of this information came from a PD source down there.
Still transmitting on Analog
Lee's Summit Emergency services are still using the UHF analog fequencies. Kearney Police has now switched over to MARRS with a C/C TG and dispatched by Clay Municipal Disp. TG which I believe Oakview is on.
Lee's Summit Emergency services are still using the UHF analog fequencies. Kearney Police has now switched over to MARRS with a C/C TG and dispatched by Clay Municipal Disp. TG which I believe Oakview is on.
dfbarnes
Member
Sugar Creek is MARRS. Have been for a while. I think the Fire side is still doing some simulcasting to analog VHF. Police side is encrypted.
Lee's Summit is going to MARRS, as others have said. Incredibly important, absolutely needs to happen, and a real credit to their new(ish) police chief, for being a very big pusher in that direction.
Voters approved the Public Safety Bond. Radio upgrades were included in that initiative.
http://cityofls.net/City-of-Lees-Su...ond-Initiative-for-Public-Safety-Improvements
Kearney PD is on 34320 (Dispatched by Clay County) with a car to car talkgroup of 34328. Oakview is dispatched by Pleasant Valley on 34322.
http://cityofls.net/City-of-Lees-Su...ond-Initiative-for-Public-Safety-Improvements
Kearney PD is on 34320 (Dispatched by Clay County) with a car to car talkgroup of 34328. Oakview is dispatched by Pleasant Valley on 34322.
scannerowner
Member
Any word if Kearney FD will change over to MARRS? Also, who else shares that Muni talkgroup?
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Just the Clay County School Resource guys. Randolph PD had been using it at one point before they disbanded last year. Not sure what Kearney FD is planning.
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