[Scan-DC] Delaware Emergency radio still flawed

Tue Feb 15 23:34:45 EST 2005

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2005/02/12emergencyradios.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Emergency radio still flawed
By PATRICK JACKSON / The News Journal
02/12/2005
For Claymont Fire Chief Eric Haley, Nov. 10, 2001, was almost a
nightmare scenario.

Six of his firefighters were trapped on the second floor of a
Brandywine Hundred home and were unable to communicate because of
problems with the state's emergency radio system.

"It was scary. One of my best friends was in there," Haley said. "I
couldn't make out what he was saying, but by the tone of his voice, I
knew something was wrong. We were fortunate that everyone got out and
none of the firefighters were hurt."

It wasn't the first time the state's $50 million 800 megahertz
emergency radio system gave Claymont firefighters a scare.

In June of that year, two firefighters were trapped for three minutes
in the basement of a burning home because a tripped circuit breaker
had knocked out a signal amplifier needed to help emergency personnel
talk in a "dead zone." The computerized radios turned voices into
electronic squeaks and squawks.

Not only could the trapped firefighters not report their situation,
but firefighters on one side of the house couldn't talk to those on
the other, or with the New Castle County emergency communications
center.

That incident prompted lawmakers investigating problems with the radio
system to call on Gov. Ruth Ann Minner to rush a plan to fix the
system. Minner obliged, declaring the situation an emergency, which
allowed the state to accelerate the bidding and contract awarding
processes.

And after more than $4.5 million in fixes, many of the problems that
plagued Delaware's emergency radio system when it went on line in 1999
have been fixed.

But it will cost at least another $51.3 million to complete the job.

The state has signed a contract with Motorola for a four-year project
to upgrade the system.

This year's budget contains $12 million for improvements, and Minner
is seeking $19 million more in the budget year that starts July 1. The
Delaware Emergency Management Agency has added $3 million from a
federal grant for emergency response systems in case of a terrorist
attack involving weapons of mass destruction, said Gregory Patterson,
Minner's communications director.

Minner's budget also calls for hiring two technicians in the
Department of Safety and Homeland Security's communications division
to assist volunteer fire departments and paramedics if they have
problems with the radios.

That's important because, aside from Wilmington and Dover Air Force
Base, Delaware citizens rely exclusively on the state's 60 volunteer
fire companies and about 18,000 volunteer firefighters and paramedics
for protection. The fire service gets about $29 million from state and
local governments, but otherwise relies on private financial support,
according to a 2004 report from state Auditor R. Thomas Wagner Jr.

Fixing problems

The state's first deal with Motorola, signed in 1992, has been
criticized for not producing a reliable system.

The system was designed to let public safety personnel communicate
with each other from outdoors anywhere in the state on the same radio
system. It is a network of radios, antennas and computerized relays.

Initially, Motorola was required to deliver a system that would work
in 95 percent of outdoor areas. But when the system was deployed in
1999, firefighters in places such as Claymont and Rehoboth Beach
immediately reported dead spots that were fixed only after spending
almost $5 million more to build signal repeater towers. But the towers
did not get rid of dead spots inside tall structures with thick walls
such as hospitals, schools and office towers.

During legislative investigations into the problems, officials
testified that inside coverage requirements were dropped because it
made the system too expensive to build.

State officials said the new contract with Motorola has been carefully
worded to include performance benchmarks to make sure the state gets
what it needs.

Tom Jarrett, head of the state's Department of Technology and
Information, said Motorola has identified 1,000 "critical" buildings
where communications from the inside must work before the contract
obligations are met.

To make the system work inside buildings, Motorola is counting on a
network of signal repeaters mounted in emergency vehicles to boost the
strength of signals. The devices are being tested and should start
coming on line in the spring.

"We don't own a lot of those buildings, so we can't make them install
antennas or repeaters inside," Jarrett said. "But this is a technology
that has been proven in other places."

Patterson said the state has ordered 400 of the devices for use in
police, fire, paramedic and other emergency vehicles. He said the new
technology won't cure all the problems, but should greatly improve
communications among people on the scene and the state's 911 emergency
communication centers.

"The idea is that someone will be able to show up at the scene in
their police car, firetruck, ambulance or other vehicle, flip the
switch ... and they'll be talking clearly," said Patterson. "We can't
guarantee it will work everywhere, every time, but it should be a
dramatic improvement."

He was chosen in 2001 by Minner to lead the group ordered to work out
the system's problems.

Jarrett said outside coverage is now about 98 percent. When the new
antennas are erected, outside coverage should come close to 100
percent.

Moving with the times

Jarrett said the 1989-vintage computer software in the base stations,
antennas and field radios also must be replaced. The update will be
done in stages and should not hamper the ability of emergency
personnel on the old system to talk to people with new software.

"When you're dealing with this system, where police and firefighters
are depending on it, that kind of problem is simply not acceptable,"
he said. "These systems can talk to each other and the end users
probably won't be able to notice a difference between the old software
and the new."

Jarrett said the new contract was drawn up with the help of members of
Patterson's 2001 task force, which included emergency agency people
and representatives from police and fire departments. The first
contract was drawn up by state computer services employees.

"Technologists are inherently good with technology," he said.
"Sometimes they have a problem understanding the practical issues that
face the end-users. You need to have those end-users on board to make
sure the technology does what they need it to do."

Jim Cubbage, executive secretary of the Delaware Volunteer
Firefighters Association, said he thinks the new project is on the
right track.

"It would be good if we could do it all at once," he said. "But you
can't do that. Updating the infrastructure and setting all this up
takes time. I think we're moving about as well as we can."

Haley, the Claymont fire chief, said he thinks the upgrade will boost
confidence in a system he describes as "adequate."

"People are comfortable with it now, but I think there's always a
question in the back of your mind about whether it will work," he
said. "If this works the way we've been told it will, I think the
police, firefighters, EMTs and other first-responders will be really
confident that they'll be talking when they hit the button."

Contact Patrick Jackson at 678-4274 or pjackson at delawareonline.com.

Special to The News Journal/SUCHAT PEDERSON

The computer software used in antennas, such as this one in Claymont,
will be upgraded.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------