The first off Cencom are...

[RadioDitch]

Stuff is finally in curing concrete for Union County.

-Tinitas ALS (Medic 41/43, 42, and 44) has officially commenced being dispatched by MONOC Control.

-RWJ Rahway (Medic 9 and 10) should follow within two weeks.

-Roselle FD and Hillside FD are expected to start being dispatched by County 2400 Fire Desk within two weeks. All FD's in the county dispatched by Cencom will go county, except...

-The merging of Berkeley Heights/New Providence/Summit communications centres was finally approved this week, and all will be condensed into Summit. Inital plan is for all three FD's and BLS to be dispatched by the new combined Comms Centre and not MONOC. Subject to change at the behest of politicians. BH/NP/Summit TRS is still status unknown.

The rest of the for lack of better words, implosion, expected now May 1st.

New Union County comms centre is expected to be finished by the start of June, and the P25 **PHASE 1** 700MHz system should be operatonal on-time in August, at which point EDACS will power off, and everything in the county will likely start changing again.

 

[KEVINOBRIEN6905]

where is this new center anyway? like to scope it out at some point!

 

[RadioDitch]

where is this new center anyway? like to scope it out at some point!

Same real estate in Westfield, different floor. They're moving from what's basically a closet on the top floor, to their own facility in the basement.

 

[NJEMT12982]

Wow, County PD dispatch is taking on a lot. As if they aren't already busy enough with all they have going on. I wonder if that means they will look to hire new dispatchers. Also, any word on what type of radios they will be using and when all involved will be issued? I would imagine since they are going Motorola, it will be the XTS series radio? Corrections being included on this new system as well or will they stay as they are now, UHF conventional?

 

[RadioDitch]

Wow, County PD dispatch is taking on a lot. As if they aren't already busy enough with all they have going on. I wonder if that means they will look to hire new dispatchers. Also, any word on what type of radios they will be using and when all involved will be issued? I would imagine since they are going Motorola, it will be the XTS series radio? Corrections being included on this new system as well or will they stay as they are now, UHF conventional?

They've already hired additional dispatchers, not sure how many. I wouldn't be surprised to see more. You figure they need at least two just as phone operators per shift plus shifts on the 4 day rotation for sherriff's, police, OEM, and fire.

No clue about UCDOC.

 

[Tac-1]

Looks like Scotch Plains will also be dispatch by the county as their repeater input is included in app request

File Number: 0005120834 Licensee: UNION, COUNTY OF Radio Service: Public Safety Pool, Conventional (PW) City: ELIZABETH, NJ Status: Pending (New)
Site: 1 Name: WESTFIELD Address: 300 NORTH AVE E. City: WESTFIELD, NJ County: UNION Coordinates: 40° 39' 2.5" N, 74° 20' 26.8" W
Frequency: 458.63750000 V

File Number: 0005123136 Licensee: UNION, COUNTY OF Radio Service: Public Safety Pool, Conventional (PW) City: ELIZABETH, NJ Status: Pending (New)
Site: 1 Name: WESTFIELD Address: 300 NORTH AVE E. City: ELIZABETH, NJ County: UNION Coordinates: 40° 39' 2.5" N, 74° 20' 26.8" W
Frequency: 465.07500000 V

File Number: 0005123137 Licensee: UNION, COUNTY OF Radio Service: Public Safety Pool, Conventional (PW) City: ELIZABETH, NJ Status: Pending (New)
Site: 1 Name: WESTFIELD Address: 300 NORTH AVE E. City: ELIZABETH, NJ County: UNION Coordinates: 40° 39' 2.5" N, 74° 20' 26.8" W
Frequency: 504.18750000 V

File Number: 0005167552 Licensee: UNION, COUNTY OF Radio Service: Public Safety Pool, Conventional (PW) City: ELIZABETH, NJ Status: Pending (New)
Site: 1 Name: WESTFIELD Address: 300 NORTH AVE E. City: WESTFIELD, NJ County: UNION Coordinates: 40° 39' 2.5" N, 74° 20' 26.8" W
Frequency: 458.38750000 V 458.95000000 V

File Number: 0005169694 Licensee: UNION, COUNTY OF Radio Service: Public Safety Pool, Conventional (PW) City: ELIZABETH, NJ Status: Pending (New)
Site: 1 Address: 300 NORTH AVE E City: WESTFIELD, NJ County: UNION Coordinates: 40° 39' 2.5" N, 74° 20' 26.8" W
Frequency: 155.17500000 V

 

[jvdet]

How can that be ?! consolidate disaptching?? the new center is too far away from some of the towns?

ok in Bergen Co thay updated the dispatch center from Hackensack to Mahwah - Police/Fire chiefs say its too far away for the county to dispatch a call under 2min, oh and how do the dispatchers know the towns cause they are in the County (they refer to he county as some alien not of this earth place)
Even before formal town meetings were held to join the county, a Vol fire chief/police officer said the county is lying if they can monitor fire ground comms ?!? i think they think radio waves take longer to travel between towns even longer from the county
Go Union!

 

[Tac-1]

Well fireground coms should be monitored at the scene not at a dispatch center by a personal assigned to that duty or field com unit has far as getting a call out that just a mater sending the tones or whatever they are using for there call out should be any difference from the county or the town unless the 911 is going to the town first and then relayed to the county even then it should it take much longer

 

[RadioDitch]

Scotch Plains:
I'm not so sure about Scotch Plains going to county yet. Think that's going to be wait and see since at last check the Scotch Plains/Fanwood services merger, which would include emergency services dispatch, is still up in the air. Then again, Tac-1 could also be dead on.

The one I really wanna see is if the Summit/New Prov/Berkeley Hts P25 Phase 1 TRS comes to fruition now that their merger was apparently approved. They have the hardware, and Summit's license includes the emissions for it.

-------------------------------------------------------

...unless the 911 is going to the town first and then relayed to the county even then it should it take much longer

Which is not likely the case. The towns were given two options for 9-1-1 coordination post Cencom. MONOC or County. Any FD that went to county dispatch, brought the 9-1-1 contract with them automatically. Any FD that didn't or was never with Cencom, the town still has a choice. Thus far the list of FD's to county are Hillside, Roselle, and Springfield. Westfield's 9-1-1 coordination and second due BLS went to MONOC.

How can that be ?! consolidate disaptching?? the new center is too far away from some of the towns?

In terms of radio range, the applications show 25 watts for output power as an FX1 control. Union County isn't like Bergen County. We're only at the worst 26mi E/W by about 11mi N/S. Even with the Watchung Mountains, 25w in that small an area being transmitted from almost dead center of Union County should not be an issue on a conventional UHF frequency. Especially considering Scotch Plains' radio tower from County Comms in Westfield is maybe 2mi direct with clear line of sight, and it'll be repeated anyway...if they go to county.

Also: Keep in mind, there is no mandate or requirement for any towns to give their radio comms to UCPD, even though County would love them to. It's still optional, totally up to the given town's 9-1-1 manager and chief of police.

 

[RadioDitch]

Oh, and lest we forget the FCC just froze all T-Band (450-512) applications anyway. Thanks guys!!

MissionCritical Communications, Radio Resource International, and Public Safety Report - wireless voice and data communications for mobile, remote and public safety operations

 

[jvdet]

I guess my point was missed- trying to be sarcastic
Bergen is not that much bigger - the first coment above distance and how could a county dispatcher know another town ...is being presented by PD/FD officals up here. Even though the county has been doing local disaptching for over 70 years - in weekily newspaper articles quotes by officals stated that IF a call is taken in the newer updated (from the old Hackensack dispatch center) in Mahwah that it MAY take too long to reach the local town...and that the dispatchers dont know the locals at all - even though the county takes the local dispatchers after the town in effect lays them off so the county can hired them.....it seems radio waves here dont travel at the speed of light...There are several towns here now operate without any officer in thier HQ - if you want them you pick up the lobby phone and the dispatcher radios the post car to go to HQ...a hand full of other ajoining towns are saying that the county is closing down the local HQ, so there one less officer working means less protection... County doesnt care if an officer stays in or goes on the road or the local manpower requirments- and if they want they can get a County Officer - but that goes back to HOW can he know the town (he Lives there), as for fire ground if the contract calls for it the county will do it as it does in about 11 other towns..this other group says the county cant do it....really oh well for another thread

 

[radiomanNJ1]

JVDET give it a rest
many of the bergen towns have been meeting with advisors/techs/ etc for 2 YEARS!! and along comes a Police chief says County Police cant dispatch so OK they dont on his say so, Morris, Somerset, Ocean can, but the water/coolaid is different in Bergen - let it go

 

[RadioDitch]

County is currently on the air with Cencom on Roselle Fire doing radio checks and tone tests. All working thus far for EMS, Fire Duty, Fire Career, Fire Callmen, and Alpha paging. This is all in prep for the upcoming dispatch handover next week (subject to change...again).

Expect to hear the same on Springfield FD and Hillside FD this week.

I would imagine since they are going Motorola, it will be the XTS series radio?

Nope. Kenwoods!

I believe TK-5410s for portables, TK-5910's for mobiles.

 

[mikemey]

How can that be ?! consolidate disaptching?? the new center is too far away from some of the towns?

ok in Bergen Co thay updated the dispatch center from Hackensack to Mahwah - Police/Fire chiefs say its too far away for the county to dispatch a call under 2min, oh and how do the dispatchers know the towns cause they are in the County (they refer to he county as some alien not of this earth place)
Even before formal town meetings were held to join the county, a Vol fire chief/police officer said the county is lying if they can monitor fire ground comms ?!? i think they think radio waves take longer to travel between towns even longer from the county
Go Union!

I've gotten used to a central County Communications living in Chester County, PA, and I believe for PD and FD it works well, so long as the communication system can handle it.

There's no reason Bergen County couldn't do the same. Besides, doesn't Governor Krispy Kreme want things consolidated? I've seen that nice new building in Mahwah. I'm sure it could be expanded to cover the County, or, failing that, open a south county annex.

It's not time that's the concern, it's home rule. PD's/FD's don't want to give up control. Its part of the reason property taxes are now past $10k in Bergen County.

 

[902]

I'll let you guys in on a secret. Okay, it's not really a secret. It doesn't matter where the dispatch center is. With IP connectivity, it could be anywhere, including overseas. Canada's not quite overseas, but when Vonage first turned up and there had not been any resolved taxing issues with many American PSAPs, the 9-1-1 calls from across the US were being answered by Northern911 - 911 Call Routing | Alarm Monitoring | Fire Dispatch | Telematics in Canada and they were relaying them through 10 digit numbers to the local US PSAPs. Same goes for radios and mobile computing systems. As long as there's a radio base station within range and connectivity, it doesn't matter where the brick and mortar is. Case in point - the marine operator for Upstate New York back in the day when boats used the VHF public coast channels for phone calls was located near Battery Park in Manhattan. That was pre-RoIP. Today, one location could have run the whole country. When you see the magic LTE proof of concept diagram, you'll see regionalization not at the county level, but in geographic regions of the country.

Don't construe that to mean I believe in a megamart mentality toward dispatching. I don't. Consolidation is both good and bad. Good in that it uses less resources, but bad in that there are less employment opportunities for the many different types of people needed to run a dispatch center (the displaced workers would also need to go elsewhere if their place closes - maybe even relocate for another similar job), and it tends to thwart competitive bidding opportunities for smaller businesses (only one vendor or type of equipment might work on/in a regional radio system). Local dispatch is intimately familiar with an area and may know lots of things that a regional dispatch does not, but even that is a fleeting benefit as discretion gets removed from dispatch in favor of defensible uniformity regardless of staff.

It's purely a political consideration. Do you want to keep local people employed or cut expenses? Both have good and bad points. Sometimes the consideration is simply that the mayor wants to pick up the phone and the person on the other end jumps (remember, political decisions don't have to make sense). "Do you know who I am?"

About the freeze. It's NOT in effect yet. Get them T-Band applications out if there are applications to get out (there was a thread in the news/announcements section with some details). The coordinators expect the freeze to go into effect once David Furth issues the public notice.

 

[RadioDitch]

You all have good points. And actually VoIP is used to link the simulcast sites of the Union County EDACS TRS, and will be used for the P25 system. But perhaps we should get back on topic, to the matter at hand? Cencom's death, Union County's assent...

Updated list going to county dispatch:
----------------------------------------------------------
Clark FD
Kenilworth FD / Kenilworth Fire-Rescue
Hillside FD
Roselle FD
Scotch Plains FD
Springfield FD

 

[sfd901]

Springfield is currently still in negotiations with REMCS for dispatching and has not committed to County as far as I understand. Also Hillside still not 100% going to county

 

[RadioDitch]

Springfield is currently still in negotiations with REMCS for dispatching and has not committed to County as far as I understand. Also Hillside still not 100% going to county

I'll take your word on Springfield. The county seems to have ignored your negotiations on REMCS and started to set up licensing an hardware for y'all though for some reason. Hillside however should be a done deal. County tested tone out on Hillside last night on the input.

 

[RadioDitch]

UCPD 2400 completed sucessful further testing today of the Fire Duty, EMS Duty, Career, Callmen, Evacuation, and General Alarm tones on Roselle Fire.

Radio techs were also doing some sort of testing on Fanwood PD.

 

[NJEMT12982]

I heard "2400" do the radio test for Roselle FD earlier tonight around 1830. Sounds like things are moving into place. An earlier post referenced that frequencies are staying the same for now. Is that an indication that any agency or department dispatched by "2400" will be a part of the new trunked system?