Radio system on the fritz?
02-11-2001
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| PHOTO: By Taylor
Clark/Special to The Star
Patrol Deputy Alex Hudson uses a 800-mgh radio during his work at the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office. |
A $16 million Motorola radio system was installed in all public safety departments in the county as part of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program, CSEPP, which is designed to help evacuate the area in the event of a nerve-agent leak at the Anniston Army Depot.
It is and is not working, depending on who you ask.
The 800-megahertz radio system, which was installed in 1998 to allow all emergency response agencies in the county to communicate with one another in case of a disaster, is working great for some, while others became so frustrated with the system they turned their radios back in to the Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency.
The only 800-megahertz radios the Ohatchee Volunteer Fire Department has are mounted in their trucks. They turned all 26 of their hand-held radios in, said Ohatchee fire Chief Wayne Williams.
"We had that same old problem we always had; we couldn't talk on them," he said.
With some agencies unable to communicate efficiently with the radios and others who have turned theirs in, what will happen if there is an emergency involving nerve agent at the depot remains to be seen.
Delois Champ, spokeswoman for the county EMA, is confident the system will work in case of an emergency.
"We still have communication with those that turned their system in," Ms. Champ said. "We still have contact with them through the old UHF or VHF radios."
That contact, however, would not be direct. Emergency personnel using the older radios would have to go through a 911 dispatcher to reach those who use the 800-megahertz radios.
When the 800-megahertz radio system was first installed in 1998, many emergency response agencies in the outskirts of the county said they couldn't transmit or receive on the radios because of "dead spots," or areas where radio traffic was garbled.
Because of the number of complaints from agencies about the radios, Ms. Champ said communication experts from the federal EMA were called in to observe a countywide radio test.
Results from the CSEPP exercise indicated the radios passed.
"The system worked flawlessly with no distortion," the report says. "The system provided clear and reliable transmissions."
Still, some agencies are not satisfied.
"There are still places in the county where we can't talk," said Calhoun County Sheriff Larry Amerson. "The entire purpose for spending $16 million was to have better communication. In my opinion that has not happened."
"We have had some problems with them," said Calhoun County Commission Chairman Eli Henderson. "In Ohatchee, there are areas where they can't communicate at all, and there is a dead spot on the other side of Coldwater Mountain."
Calhoun County 911 officials admit the system is not perfect, but say they have managed to make it work.
"Occasionally we find those (dead spots), but I think you will find that with any system," said Jerry Jackson, director of Calhoun County 911. "It doesn't impede our operations."
County Commissioner Lea Fite agreed.
"As far as I know they are working sufficiently," he said. "It's not a Cadillac system by any means, but it's enough to do the job."
Motorola and EMA officials claim the system is working perfectly.
The problems were not with any of the 13 Motorola towers scattered across Calhoun and Talladega counties, nor was the problem with technology, Ms. Champ said.
She called it a "training problem," and said agencies that used the radios every day had very few problems. Those who didn't use them daily were the departments that had the most difficulty with them.
A Motorola spokeswoman said extra training was held, and since then, they have been working wonderfully.
Motorola engineers "fine tuned" some of the towers in an effort to improve radio operations in the outlying areas, said Pat Sturmon, director of public relations for Motorola.
"Motorola was very concerned because we had so many customer issues," she said. "We did a lot of things we don't normally do for our customers."
Anniston police and fire departments have been using the 800-megahertz radio system with little or no problems, officials said.
"We never have had any problem with them," said Anniston police Chief Wayne Chandler. "There were a few minor problems at first, but those were cleared up by the Motorola people."
"Over all, the system is working fairly well for us," said Anniston fire Chief Louis LeFoy. "I'm pleased with it myself."
Some law-enforcement officials are concerned about the $3,200 price tag per radio.
Ms. Sturmon admitted the radios are expensive, but said it is because they are basically small computers with many more features than the previous system.
"It's a leap from 1970s technology to the digital world," she said. "They're designed to be very sophisticated in case a disaster happens in Calhoun County."
Reciprocation between various agencies is paramount in case of a chemical weapons emergency, Commissioner Henderson said.
"Everybody needs to be on the same sheet of music as far as communications go."