Adams County emergency responders need new radios

[Starcom21]

Adams County emergency responders need new radios

Adams County Sheriff Rich Wagner said the county is looking to upgrade radios for EMS and the sheriff’s office. Wagner said the radios are old, faulty and lose signal in some areas.

www.wgem.com

QUINCY (WGEM) - Adams County Sheriff Rich Wagner said the county is looking to upgrade radios for EMS and the sheriff’s office. Wagner said the radios are old, faulty and lose signal in some areas.

Wagner said the radios in their vehicles haven’t been replaced in more than a decade and their portable radios are about seven years old.

“This is the equipment we use every day. And I mean, think of your cell phone, if you’ve got a cell phone over 10 years old, how old is that cell phone function? Not very well,’ Wagner said. “So we need to enhance and bring our radio infrastructure up to the technology that’s out there today.”

He said without upgrades, it’s difficult for deputies to have reliable communication when out doing their job.



hat’s our lifeline for our deputies. Sometimes our deputies might be out there by themselves on a call. And without that radio working at that one critical time can be life or death for that officer,” Wagner said. “Or once again, it could delay our response to a victim of a crime.”

He said it’s an issue that stretches across the county.

“Unfortunately we’re on a bluff so anywhere below the bluff on Highway 57 or North Bottom Road there’s dead spots, but what we’re seeing is now we’re getting dead spots and very random areas,” Wagner said. “So we believe a new radio system is something the county needs. "

Adams County Ambulance and Emergency Management Chief John Simon said the county has found a solution to the problem, buying new radios that use more than radio waves.


“We were looking at technology that would leverage multiple platforms, not only radio communications but take advantage of LTE networks, potential Wi-Fi connections,” Simon said.

“For instance, if we’re out at one of our schools out in the county, we can program their Wi-Fi into the radio. So if we’re in that school, and we can’t get out via VHF signal radio signal, then tap into their Wi-Fi system and we’ll work off their Wi-Fi system,” Wagner said.

They said they just need to find the money to get them.

Before new radios will be installed into sheriff’s office vehicles or ambulances, they need to assess how much the upgrade will cost.


Simon said they’ve done an assessment on how many they need but they still have to work with the county board to determine where the funds will come from.

“Certainly have been looking at what those funding mechanisms are, what the price tag is, and we want to make sure that we’re financially responsible, but any part of that financial responsibility is making sure that the technology that we put in service today as we replace these are compatible with where we think technology is going in the future,” Simon said.

Simon said they’re estimating a need for about 100 new units collectively for the county.

He said they haven’t put out for quotes or bids yet, but expects it to be more than a million dollars.

“We’d just like to let everybody know that we’re working with the county board on this issue. They completely understand that we’re having some radio problems and we need to increase our technology. And we have their support and don’t do what they can to help us with this project,” Wagner said.

 

[kb9hgi]

2 Years later and still no new radios. I saw once where they got a grant so what did they do with that money?

 

[ChicagoRadio736]

They must not know about Starcom saying they need a new build system. lol

 

[Starcom21]

Well, the usual place to find the information, the County Board Minutes, havent been updated in 2 years.

https://www.adamscountyil.gov/county-board/archive-of-meeting-minutes#ETSB

 

[Starcom21]

Oh, there actually is some updated info, but it stopped updates in July 2023

https://www.adamscountyil.gov/county-board/joint-emergency-telephone-system-board-etsb

Director Douglas presented her Capital Equipment Replacement Plan for discussion and
possible action. She noted that $200,000.00 has been earmarked in anticipation of
expenses for the countywide radio system P25 infrastructure upgrade nd site expansion
to roll over into the next fiscal year. She also noted that $500,000.00 has been
earmarked for the CAD portion of the CAD/RMS implementation and $4,000.00 has
been earmarked for replacement of a copy machine

VHF Simulcast System P25 Upgrade/Site Expansion Project Status. Director Douglas
provided the board with an update on the status of the VHF simulcast system P25
upgrade and site expansion project status.
She noted that a contract was executed with Motorola Solutions, Inc. on December 14,
2023. She reported that the project team has been identified and there is a project kickoff
meeting scheduled for February 13, 2024.

She reported that it is unknown at this time when equipment will arrive on site for
staging, however, noted that she anticipates having more information to share with the
board following the upcoming kickoff meeting
==================================

OTHER INFO 911/CAD -- FY 2024-2025 911 Budget. Director Douglas presented her Fund 202 budget, funded
60% by the City of Quincy and 40% by Adams County, for discussion and possible
action. 17 salaries (15 Dispatchers, 2 Dispatch Supervisors) and costs associated with
the Records Management System (RMS), both ineligible surcharge expenses, are
contained within the Fund 202 budget.
Director Douglas reported an increase of 11.63% in the proposed budget from the
current fiscal year budget and explained that this is due to the necessity to plan for the]
implementation of a new Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) and RMS system as the
current CAD/RMS vendor, Logistic Systems, is going out of business and will no longer
support the CAD/RMS system currently being utilized effective December 31, 2024.
The RMS portion of the implementation is anticipated to cost approximately
$100,000.00 and is an ineligible surcharge expense.
Director Douglas noted that she along with Quincy Police Department and Adams
County Sheriff’s Office officials have spent the past few months participating in a
selection process to procure a new CAD/RMS system. She stated that proposals
received have been carefully reviewed and down selected to what she is confident will
be the most suitable CAD/RMS solution for 911 that compliments both the needs of 911
and other City of Quincy and Adams County public safety agencies moving forward.
She noted that internal meetings have been held amongst local police, fire, and EMS
agencies to discuss the solution.
She further noted that the solution also contains a mobile data module that will replace
the antiquated mobile data solution currently utilized by 911, the Quincy Police
Department, and Adams County Sheriff’s Office.

 

[Starcom21]

Director Douglas informed the board that Wireless USA had retrieved the time server
from her this week and that it was extensively stability tested at the local shop to
ensure that it was giving a valid timing signal prior to Wireless USA attempting to
install it at the Camp Point tower site. She stated that she had confirmation from
Wireless USA that it was producing a valid signal when connected to comparators at the
shop and that she anticipated that Wireless USA would be able to schedule installation
at the tower site very soon.

John Simon stated that he believes the board should carefully evaluate who the board
enter into a service agreement with once infrastructure modifications (relating to the
P25 upgrade and site expansion) are complete.

Director Douglas stated that the current service agreement with Wireless USA is
approaching renewal in July 2024. She explained that the Wireless USA service
agreement covers radio infrastructure equipment and maintenance of the Centracom
Gold Elite consoles located at the courthouse 911 backup center. She further explained
that there is a separate service agreement in place with Motorola that covers the system
core, MCC7500 consoles located at the primary 911 center, and the multimedia logging
recorder.

Director Douglas noted that Wireless USA is contacted directly to address service
issues with equipment covered by their respective service agreement and Motorola is
contacted when service issues arise with equipment covered by their respective
agreement. She explained that when Motorola is contacted, Motorola ensures the
dispatch of a technician from a service provider, most often Wireless USA, to resolve
the issue, and oversees the status of the repair from start to finish.
It was discussed that the current service agreement in place with Wireless USA could
either be canceled or modified at the discretion of the board when the new warranty
takes effect upon completion of the P25 upgrade and site expansion project.

 

[Starcom21]

There is another forum post from January Adams County and Quincy P25 Upgrade

 

[Starcom21]

March update

Radio project seeks to improve emergency services communications

QUINCY —A $1.2 million radio digital radio upgrade is being pursued in Adams County on top of hundreds of thousands more for mobile radios.

www.whig.com

QUINCY —A $1.2 million radio digital radio upgrade is being pursued in Adams County on top of hundreds of thousands more for mobile radios.
Quincy Police Chief Adam Yates and 911 Director Jessica Douglas say the expense will pay off in improved sound quality and signal reception when coordinated operations are the difference between life and death.
“The 911 Center (is) a joint venture between the city of Quincy and Adams County,” Douglas said. “When we talk about ‘digital radio’ related projects, we mean we’re upgrading our existing conventional VHF simulcast … infrastructure to P25 digital capability. Analog technology has served us well, but it does fall short a little (in a modern digital environment).

"Today our analog radios provide communication between all (emergency response) personnel. They’re simplistic and provide a really simple user experience for our first responders, but they’re very susceptible to background noise in noisy environments and radio interference that can produce static.”
911’s current infrastructure consists of nine transmitter sites scattered throughout the county and city. The upgrades would improve hardware and add a 10th site.
“As the responders start to move towards the boundaries of our coverage area — that’s when voice transmission starts getting a little garbled,” she said.
The rollout must proceed carefully because the half-a-dozen emergency departments using the system will be upgrading their portable radios at different times as budgets allow.
“Not everybody is going to have their radios all at one time. So we have to design and roll out the system in such a way that allows for that maximum flexibility,” Douglas said. “It’s really like replacing a flat tire on a moving vehicle.”
The Joint Emergency Telephone System Board has already approved the $1.2 million for infrastructure. The county and city have been upgrading their departments’ radios more or less out of their own pockets.
After the upgrades transmitters can be programmed for digital or analog communication, allowing for a grace period before the full switch.

Post-swap benefits will be reduced background noise, increased security of communication and less troubleshooting comms during tense operations.
Yates says QPD has felt the inconsistency in quality for the last five years.

“I often remind people that, of all the tools that a police officer has on their gun belt, the portable radio is the most important tool an officer has,” he said. “It’s important that these radios work when officers need them to, but we’ve seen a significant decline in the reliability of the portable radios that allow us to communicate with the dispatch center. “
The radios the department purchased in 2019 were specifically chosen for their capacity to be upgraded to the digital format.
“Analog signal is an old technology,” Yates said. “Take, for example, an officer responding to a disturbance where there’s not a lot of information provided to the operator before he arrives. Say he realizes there’s an individual that needs to be treated by paramedics. The officer is now out of his car and in the house. What he would like to do is get on the radio and give dispatch detailed information about their injuries so that an ambulance can respond for treatment. At times, our officers are not about to do that. So the officer needs to either grab a cellphone and call the 911 center or they have to go back to their squad car to get on (its) mobile radio (which has better reception.) That takes the officer away from the situation that they’re trying to deal with — it’s just not good business…police, fire, EMS, the Sheriff's Department, the Highway Department; they’re all communications that run through the 911 center.”
In another example, Yates said officers securing locations have lost communication between officers at opposite corners of a structure.

“Officer A may well not know what Officer B is doing. Officer C might not be able to relay what’s happening to officers that are supposed to be surrounding a house; whether the suspect is in custody, whether they believe the suspect is about to flee out the back of the house — these communication issues are huge safety concerns for us,” Yates said. “And we've been dealing with those pretty consistently over the last five to seven years.”
Officers are trained to troubleshoot their radios by holding a radio a certain way or finding more favorable geography, but finagling with tech defeats their purpose in such delicate situations.

“No portable radio is perfect in every situation,” Yates said. “There’s always going to be environmental factors, (especially indoors). What we're looking for is more consistent functionality when our officers are outside of buildings during a foot pursuit, or while they're standing in an intersection working in a traffic crash: we need those communications to work. And hopefully, this upgrade to the digital platform will significantly improve that functionality.”

For the Quincy Police Department alone, the City Council approved $196,146 for 21 digital squad car radios and 80 portable radios in January. Yates doesn’t have a firm timeline but he anticipates the department will be prepared for a switch to digital later in the year.

 

[kb9hgi]

Hope they don't go encryption. We should be able to listen we pay enough taxes in this place