HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 02-07-2017-13-6 - Information Item - Memorandum - Status of Countywide Radio Communications Project INFORMATION ITEM
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To: Board of County Commissioners
From: Thomas Campbell, ES System Technician, Project Manager
Date: January 27, 2017
Re: Status of Countywide Radio Communications Project
Current Activities:
Federal Engineering is exploring a number of radio system options, trying to determine what
each looks like functionally and financially, so we can decide which best fits the needs of
Orange County and Orange County's emergency responders. To date, the options include a
standalone 800 MHz system, an 800 MHz system that is shared with another jurisdiction to
reduce costs related to infrastructure, and VHF options, possibly in conjunction with limited 800
MHz coverage.
The system analysis is on schedule and final recommendations are anticipated to be received
by April 2017.
Completed Activities:
Federal Engineering conducted a Workshop at Emergency Services which was attended by
representatives of various emergency responder agencies on December 22, 2016. The
workshop's purpose was to examine how the different types of systems might result in different
coverage levels, how that coverage compares to the current coverage on the existing system,
and how different system specifications may affect that coverage.
The results of this workshop will be used to inform cost modeling by Federal Engineering, and
also give an idea of what a phased rollout of any new radio infrastructure would look like, and
how radio coverage would change as the system were rolled out.
Federal Engineering had previously conducted interviews with emergency responders
throughout the county to understand exactly how the current radio system is used and what
type of growth each agency expects to see in coming decades. This information is used to
understand the capacity requirements of the County, to ensure that any design meets the
industry standard for Grade of Service of 1%. That is to say no more than 1% of calls on the
system result in a busy signal.
For detailed or technical questions, please contact:
ES Project Manager: Thomas Campbell at (919) 245-6140 or tampbell @orangecountvnc.gov
Federal Engineering: Clifton Brown, PE at (704) 451-5090 or cbrown @fedenq.com
510 Meadowlands Drive 1 Hillsborough, NC 27278 1 (919)245-6100 Office