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,eecis Assessment Rc~~ort <br />Orange County E~ner~ency I~'lanagemenl <br />This situation is inefficient at best. <br />.lime 12m, 2Oh~ <br />The user organizations are presently using a variety of conventional (non-trunked) radio <br />channels and equipment that operate in the UI~' and VIA Low and High Bands. Most of <br />the users report problems with the existing systems. These problems include channel <br />crowding, poor coverage, as well as congestion, skip interference, aging equipment, lack <br />of advanced features, limited ability to communicate with other agencies, and various <br />other problems. <br />At Orange County Emergency Management, where the consolidated Police and <br />Fire/Ambulance radio dispatch consoles are located, the dispatchers' operating <br />procedures have adjusted to compensate for the mixture of equipment types and <br />frequency bands in use. The facility is crowded and currently lacks the ability to grow <br />with the communities needs. <br />Recognizing the need for an independent, comprehensive study of the existing <br />communications system and the future communications needs in Orange County, <br />Emergency Management retained the services of CTA Communications, Inc. in <br />December 2001. CTA's scope of work in Phase 1 included short-term recommendations <br />to correct all Orange County jurisdictions communications problems at minimum cost <br />and along-term recommendation that will provide their users with a reliable and <br />comprehensive two-way radio system. <br />Phase 2 is a long-term system design that would provide radio coverage estimates, define <br />site facilities, analyze alternatives, develop a preliminary radio system design and <br />develop an opinion of probable cost for a consolidated radio system. <br />Communications Problems & Concerns <br />The CTA investigation identified a number of problems with the existing radio systems <br />serving Orange County and its communities. Radio users reported some of these to CTA, <br />while other problems were observed directly by CTA Communications. Problems that <br />were determined to be severe, and which compromise the ability of the users to fulfill <br />their mission include: <br />Not Portable Based -- Dead spots, or lack of coverage, portable units cannot <br />generally and reliably be used, especially inside buildings. <br />~` Executive Summary <br />-~ ~ t I <br />COMMU~diCAT~ONS <br />