Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
~ecds ;lssessment Report ,lone 1.3"', ~0~?~ <br />Orauge County Emergency il7anssgeanent <br />EXECUTIVE SUNIMARY <br />Abstract: <br />Orange County and its communities operate a variety of communications systems for <br />Emergency Services (Police, Fire and Ambulance), Facilities Services, Utilities and other <br />Public Safety and Public Service functions. These systems have been plagued with <br />problems in recent years. The existing systems are characterized by inadequate radio <br />coverage, limited capability for interoperability, aging equipment, channel crowding, <br />congestion, and lack of capacity. These major deficiencies, plus a number of other <br />operational and technical concerns such as a crowded dispatch and EOC facility, <br />interference and reliability, currently inhibit Orange County jurisdiction personnel from <br />operating at full capacity and efficiency. If these conditions are not remedied, the <br />existing communications situation will seriously impede the County's and its communities <br />ability to meet basic public safety demands as the community grows over the next 10 to 1 S <br />years. Lack of reliable communications will negatively impact the ability of all <br />jurisdiction's staff to perform their jobs in a timely manner, and may in extreme cases <br />place personnel at risk. <br />The needs assessment performed by CTA Communications has confirmed the concerns <br />expressed by Orange County and the participating communities staff members <br />interviewed. In this report, CTA analyzes existing Orange County and its communities <br />systems and problems, develops a list of attributes for a radio system based on interviews, <br />surveys and CTA's experience, and provides several short-term recommendations. Short- <br />term fixes will not resolve the major deficiencies of interoperability and radio coverage <br />for all jurisdictions. We recommend that Orange County and its communities replace <br />existing VHF and UHF conventional radio equipment with a modern trunked radio <br />system in a single frequency band, which will be a common communications system for <br />all jurisdictions. The envisioned system would provide sufficient capacity for current and <br />future operations through 2017. The report recommends Orange County and its <br />communities proceed as rapidly as possible to implement this system. <br />Background <br />The existing two-way radio communications capabilities of Orange County and its <br />communities are characterized as a collection of uncoordinated systems populated by <br />crowded and congested channels, with poor radio coverage on the street and inside <br />buildings in the County, and interference from other systems or users. These major <br />deficiencies, plus a number of other operational and technical concerns, inhibit impact the <br />ability of all jurisdiction's staff from operating at full capacity and efficiency. Mutual aid <br />and assistance to and from neighboring jurisdictions routinely occur with Emergency <br />Services personnel, but are cumbersome due to the limited ability for radio <br />communications with the public safety personnel of those jurisdictions. <br />~~ Executive Summary <br />I <br />-~ <br />COMMU~IICATIOI~S <br />