Chesterton Tribune

 

 

County eyes $9.8 million plan to join state 911 communication system

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By JEFF SCHULTZ

Five years ago Porter County was moving towards an 800 megahertz rebanding project for emergency communications. Now, after some setbacks, it is one of only a few counties in the state that hasn’t made the jump to P25 updates for interoperable digital radio systems.

Over a dozen firefighters, EMS workers, sheriff’s police officers and staff of the County’s Emergency Management Agency attended Tuesday’s Porter County Commissioners’ meeting where a presentation was given on the County’s 30-year-old VHF radio system and the benefits of opting to be part of the P25 upgrade by the state’s Integrated Public Safety Commission (IPSC).

Portage Fire Chief Tom Fieffer said emergency service teams were successful in obtaining over $1.5 million in grant money in 2011 and 2012 for new radio sets to meet the narrowbanding standards with the last project moving towards the 800 mhz system.

However, they have not been successful since in getting subsequent grants.

County Commissioner President John Evans, R-North, said that even with the admirable efforts by former 911 Communications Director John Jokantas and his successor C.J. Wittmer, the County has “seemed to have fallen through the cracks” on getting the system up to speed.

Because of this, the advisory board for the 911 Communications Center will be revived.

“We got away from that and we’d like to go back to that,” Evans said.

Leading the presentation, Northern Indiana Accounts Manager for Motorola Jay Burla said the P25 platform launched with the IPSC first in 2014. Counties and cities that purchase systems and equipment in the state will not have to pay maintenance or upgrades guaranteed for the next 20 years with Motorola being the vendor, saving them potentially millions of dollars.

However, the County would need to join the system which Burla said would be a one-time investment of about $9.8 million.

That would consist of constructing five tower sites in the county -- near Duneland, Portage, Valparaiso, Boone Grove and Kouts/Hebron.

Evans said it’s something that “obviously” the County would need to take under advisement and have discussions with the County Council and the 911 Advisory Board.

Burla and ISCP Field Director John Asher said the system currently holds 64,000 users and the new system will be able to hold up to 128,000 users.

Fieffer said it would take 12 to 18 months to fully integrate the P25 system. He said it would be preferable to have it in place by 2018 when the law will require a new set a bandwidth standards.

“It’s a huge number but it’s something we have to do,” Fieffer said. He is hoping the implementation can be done in ways that are less burdensome for the taxpayers.

County Commissioner Jeff Good, R-Center, said the municipalities should be included in discussions to see how they can help.

“I don’t know what the (solution) is but we need to have the dialogue,” said Good.

P25 equipment is all digital and uses such applications as Bluetooth that can instantly send vital data to emergency responders.

Burla said that LaPorte and other surrounding counties have put up tower sites already and that will give Porter County a leg up in its interoperability.

Buying the equipment in bulk, the County would save more than $5 million as the cost would otherwise be more than $15 million, he said.

 

 

Posted 8/24/2016

 
 
 
 

 

 

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