The town’s $3.7-million public safety radio system upgrade that started in 2012 is expected to be operational by April 1.
Work on adding an antenna to an existing Moses Mountain tower in Danbury begins this week, according to deputy emergency manager, Dick Aarons. It’s the final piece in linking the signals among five different antennas around town.
Aarons said Moses Mountain was the final and key location that will enable all public safety departments — police, fire, parks and recreation, highway, and emergency management — to start using the new Motorola digital radio system in all communications.
He said the system will guarantee all public safety responders 95% communication from any house in Ridgefield through their portable radios.
The Board of Selectmen approved paying $1,800 a month to lease antenna space on the Moses Mountain at its Jan. 18 meeting.
From analog to digital
Aarons said that for more than 40 years the town has added to each agency’s stand-alone radio systems as population needs grew. Each agency had problems communicating with one another, but the new system allows radio communication among all agencies.
The existing “analog” system was also a problem because various remote antennas for receiving were connected to headquarters by phone lines.
“If a storm hits the trees, they can take the wires down, taking down the remote receivers,” he said.
This can strain communications between headquarters and officers or firemen in the field, especially with the town’s hilly terrain that can block signals.
The new digital system will no longer rely on phone lines.
“Transmitters and receivers all over town –– the five sites –– instead of being hooked up by phones line will use microwave lines, all communicating with each other,” said Aarons.