[ScanIndiana] Emergency communication system in Marion County to be upgraded

[indiana_scanner_freak at suscom.net]

INDIANAPOLIS -- A new equipment upgrade estimated at more than $30 million could alleviate communication problems that Marion County emergency crews experienced during the late May storms, law enforcement officials said.

During the May 30 tornadoes and thunderstorms on Indianapolis' south side, a lightning strike disabled a key radio tower. That was followed by several 20- to 30-second bursts of radio silence because of the deluge of emergency workers all trying to talk at once.

The 14-year-old communications system, originally equipped for 2,600 users, but which now has about 5,000, was not able to accommodate all the calls.

"We had to ask everyone to keep traffic to a minimum, long enough for the system to get its breath and catch back up," said Linn Piper, director of the Metropolitan Emergency Communications Agency. "In the new system, that can happen faster."

There were no major problems resulting from the disruptions, but officials say a bad storm is precisely the time that emergency communications are crucial.

"The (current) system is out of date, and it's in need of an upgrade," said Lincoln Plowman, a City-County Council member who is a lieutenant with the Marion County Sheriff's Department. "We have to have good communication, and right now, the system is subject to trouble in bad weather. That's crazy."

Starting next month, city officials will seek bids on the project, which includes quicker, more sophisticated pagers, radios and laptop computers. The new equipment is expected to arrive in early 2005.

Piper told The Indianapolis Star for a story Monday that the project would include adding lightning protection to towers to ensure an uninterrupted power supply. Tower upgrades and new sirens would warn people during severe weather.

Barbara Lawrence, the city controller, said a combination of grants and other sources of money will be used to pay for the system. But an exact financing plan is still being determined.

While local budgets are tight, officials believe they can accomplish the improvements for several reasons including the availability of federal grants and existing local fees dedicated to the 911 system.

Hmmm Indy going digital????

-Steve

http://www.indystar.com/articles/6/156486-2376-127.html