[Scan-DC] Fire Company Threatens To Sue York County Over Radios

[Alan Henney]

http://www.firefightingnews.com/article.cfm?articleID=64331

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Fire Company Threatens To Sue York County Over Radios
April 2, 2009

Pennsylvania - Eureka Volunteer Fire Co. wants its money back and is
threatening to sue York County if it doesn't get it. If Eureka follows
through with that threat, it would be the second lawsuit filed against
the county stemming from delays and problems with the new $36 million
911 radio system.

Three police unions filed suit in February citing communication
problems with the new system and asking for a return to the old
system. The county has appealed that lawsuit, and county officials say
progress has been made on the new system since the lawsuit was filed.

Eureka officials say they paid the county $39,500 last April for
portable radios they cannot use; the fire company serves Stewartstown
and surrounding areas. Eureka's director, Alex Wilson, requested a
refund Wednesday morning during the public comment portion of the York
County commissioners meeting. Wilson and Eureka Chief Ira Walker Jr.
told commissioners they paid the bill April 28, 2008, in good faith.

Low power: For its payment, Eureka received dozens of battery-operated
portable radios, which would link firefighters to other emergency
responders in the county. Wilson said that besides the fact the system
has not yet been implemented for firefighters, the portable radios
they bought had faulty batteries and chargers.

The portables, which cost up to $2,300 each, would not hold charges
for more than an hour, Wilson said. The county contracted M/A-Com for
the new system; Tyco Electronics sold M/A-Com last September to
Massachusetts-based Cobham Defense Electronic Systems.

M/A-Com is supposed to replace the batteries and chargers, Wilson
said. When that happens, Wilson said, the 8-hour-rated battery will
still be insufficient for the firefighters who work 12-hour shifts.

"You can't run out of a burning building to go change a battery,"
Wilson said.

Refund: Walker said the fire company wants the money back. Cash could
be used for other expenses such as repairing old equipment or even
drawing some interest in a savings account until the new system is up
and running. At that time, Wilson and Walker said, Eureka would
re-issue a check to the county.

But as it stands, Eureka is out the money and struggling to keep old
communications equipment -- pagers and radios -- working. Wilson said
Eureka is a nonprofit that relies heavily on fundraisers to support
its $650,000 annual operation costs. He said the fire company
retrieves about $300,000 of the money via ambulance billing and a few
grants.

Pit beef: The balance of the cash results from money raised by pit
beef sales, carnivals and bingo games at the fire hall.

"To make ($39,500) we'd have to hold 40 pit beef sales and make
$1,000," Wilson said after the meeting. "Those sales would require
3,360 volunteer hours to pay the bill."

President Commissioner Steve Chronister told the men during the
meeting that he voted against pre-payment for the system and said the
county has little recourse against M/A-Com.

County Administrator/Chief Clerk Chuck Noll said after the meeting
that commissioners would discuss the refund. Noll said he hadn't
received refund requests from other user organizations in the county.
He added that the county is working diligently with M/A-Com to bring
the system online and that Eureka has been "continuously unhappy"
during months-long wait for the system.

"We didn't expect (the county) to pull the trigger day one. Nobody
did," Wilson said. "But it kept getting pushed out and pushed out.
There's obviously a disconnect somewhere."

Eric Bistline, executive director of York County Emergency Services,
did not return a phone call for comment about system problems,
equipment issues or completion dates. County officials have said they
believe they have made significant progress to address glitches with
the system law enforcement is using.

The problems have included lost or garbled transmissions using
portable radios and car-mounted radios that too often froze, county
officials have said.

Written by The York Dispatch

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