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4 <br />History <br />October 27, 2003 <br />VIPER included in the Capital Investment Plan <br />Augus# 8, 2004 <br />Final VIPER Analysis Report {Consolidated Communications Network Design} <br />May 17, 2005 <br />Approved Grant funding for (147) new 800 MHz portable radios <br />August 16, 2005 <br />Approval of Regional Grant Application (Durham & Orange) <br />March 2, 2006 <br />Accept COPS In#eroperable Communications Technology Grant Program Award <br />January 23, 2007 <br />Acceptance of Grant Allocation from the Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program <br />VIPER Radio Limitations <br />Quote from the MMA Report, "Assessment of the Current, Fire, Rescue, and Emergency <br />Services Delivery System, May 3, 2011" <br />"The VIPER radio system is an essential element of Orange County emergency services <br />system. The radios system's configuration has limitations. Several Volunteer fire agencies <br />reported "dead spots" where radio recep#ion and transmission are not possible. The VIPER <br />radio system uses the 800 MHz band. Radio frequencies in the 800 MHz band width do not <br />penetrate buildings effectively. Building penetration refers to the reception and transmission <br />from handheld radios operating within buildings. Dead spots and poor building penetration <br />place responders at risk when operating under emergency conditions." <br />Possible VIPER Solutions <br />System Coverage -The percent of the area served (Orange County} by a radio system where <br />a user can have radio reception and transmission whether using a mobile radio ar a handheld <br />radio. The current system does not produce 100°lo coverage there are "dead spots" <br />Attached is the "F~nal Viper Analysis Report" that lists VIPER tower sites (page 12} serving <br />Orange County. All tower sites recommended in Table 3-1, page 12 have been constructed. <br />To solve the coverage issue construction of new towers in strategic locations is required. It will <br />take approximately one year to permit a new tower. The estimated .cost of a new tower is <br />$750,000 to $1,000,000 each. Orange County is likely to need two or more new towers. <br />System Capacity -how many different calls can the radio system handle at once. When all of <br />the channels are busy, the user gets a busy signal which comes across the radio as a "bonk". <br />The capacity of the radio system is limited by the tower site with the least number of channels <br />on the tower. The VIPER radio system is a state-wide shared radio system. The number of <br />state-wide users continues to increase, with both the Sheriff's Department and Alamance <br />County having come on line in the fast year. Within the next 12-24 months, Person County will <br />expand ifs VIPER use as well as increases in capacity occurring in Alamance County. The <br />VIPER system is a broadcasting system, in many cases sending the same message to multiple <br />