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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: April 20, 2010 <br />Action Age~a <br />Item No. <br />SUBJECT: Public Safety Communications Improvements <br />DEPARTMENT: Emergency Services <br />PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />1) Emergency Services Reserve Capital <br />Project Ordinance <br />2) NCDOT Highway Camera Map <br />3) Public Safety Communications <br />Improvements Project Specifications <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Frank Montes de Oca, 919-245 -6100 <br />Craig Blackwood, 919-245-6100 <br />PURPOSE: To consider an allocation from the Emergency Services Reserve Capital Project to <br />update and improve the Public Safety Communications infrastructure. <br />BACKGROUND: In January 2009 the Orange County Emergency Services E911 Center <br />relocated to 510 Meadowlands Drive. Following several years of planning, the project <br />culminated in a successful transition from a conventional radio system consisting of various <br />aging components to 800 MHz technology. This system is the critical communication link <br />between the County and all emergency first response units within Orange County, the state and <br />partners in adjacent counties. <br />Backup Antennas: This system utilizes towers to transmit radio signals from the E911 Center <br />throughout the system. Currently there is no redundancy in the tower configuration. Should <br />one of the towers malfunction or fail catastrophically, an alternative link must be available to <br />maintain system integrity. Installing directional antennas on each back-up radio located in the <br />E911 Center will provide connection to these individual towers and regain communication with <br />the agencies on that tower if it becomes isolated. The cost to purchase back-up radio antennas <br />is $10,000. <br />Portable and Mobile Radios: Another integral part of the 800 MHz radio system is the field <br />units operating from portable and mobile radios. Since the system's startup, several changes <br />have taken place including the need to fully activate the system's "mayday" feature. This allows <br />firefighters and first responders to activate the button to summon help if they become trapped or <br />come under fire and cannot call for help using verbal communication. This requires portable <br />and mobile radios in the system to be re-programmed. This action will update every 800 MHz <br />radio in the County system with needed radio template changes and implement the emergency <br />"mayday" button feature. The cost for this 800 MHz radio programming is $25,000. <br />