Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Faced with cluttered airwaves, county seeks supdated communications system

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2003 01:39:19 -0500

Faced with cluttered airwaves, county seeks supdated communications system

2003-12-12
by Darren Dunlap
of The Daily Times Staff

When Timothy Laron Lattimore took hostages two months ago at a McArthur
Road home, the Blount County Sheriff's Office cleared one radio channel for
the crisis.

Officers needed an open communications line solely for the situation, and with
the county's radio system, that was the only way to get it.

``Even on a day-to-day basis, the airwaves have so much traffic,'' said Blount
County Sheriff Jim Berrong.

He approached Blount County Budget Committee members this month about
the radio situation and told them the county needs an expanded network -- a
trunking system.

Commissioners gave Berrong approval to talk with the county's Motorola
dealer about the cost and capabilities of a trunking system.

Last year, the Sheriff's Office applied for a $1.4 million federal grant for the

upgrades, which would expand communications by patching digital talk groups
into the current system.

That would mean police officers, firefighters or highway crews would not have
to wait for a break in conversation on a channel to communicate. Agencies
could communicate with more ease. It also would eliminate a handful of ``dead
spots'' on the fringes of the county, where radios don't always get a signal.

Blount County Mayor Beverley Woodruff called the current system
``antiquated,'' and E-911 Director Jeff Caylor didn't disagree with that
description.

The current 400 megahertz system is 16 years old and offers 12 channels, split
between law enforcement offices, fire departments and public works agencies
from Blount County, Maryville and Alcoa. Each agency has its own channel.

Since Caylor first took a job at the center as a dispatcher in the mid-1980s, a
lot has changed. Dispatchers have computer-aided dispatch software to help
with the flow of calls and location of homes. Geographic Information System
technology will soon make it possible to track patrol cars on digital maps.
Rather than writing calls on small cards, dispatchers now type the information
into computers.

About 10 years ago, emergency services directors noticed it was getting harder
to navigate the airwaves.

``It's something we've been looking at since 1991,'' said Berrong.

Initially, the county sought additional frequencies, which are licensed by the
Federal Communications Commission. But there aren't any available -- none
that would cover the county's 559 square miles of land.

Blount County's growth has climbed steadily, from 85,962 people in 1990 to
105,823 in 2000, according to the U.S. Census. The largest segment of that
population growth is people 45-64 years old. The Tennessee Advisory
Commission on Intergovernmental Relations profile of Blount County showed
that age bracket grew by 48.7 percent in the '90s. As citizens age, the demand
for emergency health calls goes up.

``We've become more dependent on our emergency people for a lot of things,''
said Blount County Fire Chief Doug McClanahan.

The spectrum of services has increased, too, he said.

Kenny Wiggins, public works director for Alcoa, said his crews need the radio
for daily operations and, particularly, during snow and rainstorms.

``When we have an event like that, it becomes even more crucial,'' he said.

Berrong estimated the cost of the system improvements at $1 million to $3
million. The exact requirements are not yet known.

``Right now, we're not certain how big of a network it will take to suit our
needs,'' said Caylor.

The county will also seek a grant through the Department of Homeland
Security. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, emergency services across the nation have
tried to improve interoperability -- communications between agencies.

```Interoperability' -- that's the buzzword on these Homeland Security grants,''

said Caylor.

With cost sharing and grants, law enforcement officials hope to improve the
system with little or no cost to local taxpayers.

``About the only alternative is to go to a trunking system, and that's an
expensive system,'' said Wayne Chodak, Alcoa Police Chief.

Agencies in Alcoa, Maryville and Blount County support the idea and the
collective effort to improve the current system.

``There's really no (governmental) territory as far as radios,'' said Wiggins.
``The more flexibility, the better.''

http://www.thedailytimes.com/sited/story/html/151211

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