[TrunkCom] Local Government Contemplates Buying Nextel's EWAC (EDACS) System.

[Marcel]

Times Record
Fort Smith, AR 729

Radio Options

By Rusty Garrett

Sebastian County is undertaking a comprehensive study of radio systems
before
deciding whether to purchase and operate a radio system that leases
service to
several government service providers.

County Judge David Hudson briefed Sebastian County Quorum Court members
on
the proposed purchase of the system at the court�s March 19 meeting.

At a budget meeting Tuesday, Hudson intends to announce the formation of
a
four-member Radio Advisory Committee, charged with reviewing the EDACS
system and comparing it with other options for county-wide radio
communications
service. The committee also will review proposals from vendors
interested in
providing a radio system.

Hudson said the committee may make a recommendation to the Quorum Court
or
may simply prepare a report comparing the systems it reviews.

The study focuses on the EDACS system because it is used by eight
different
agencies in Sebastian County: Sebastian County and Fort Smith EMS, the
Sebastian
County Detention Center, the Arkansas Military Department, the Greenwood

Water Department and the cities of Barling, Lavaca, Mansfield, Central
and
Huntington.

The eight are customers on a system owned and operated by Nextel Corp.
Nextel
has announced its intentions to discontinue the service at some future
date. The
county is investigating buying the system equipment, reprogramming it
for use on 18
public service frequencies the county has acquired, and operating and
maintaining
the system for emergency communications.

Under the scenario, the county would continue to charge the agencies for
use of the
system and apply the revenue toward the purchase cost and annual
maintenance on
the system. The incorporation of other agencies into the EDACS system
could
occur over time.

�An existing investment has been made (in the EDACS system),� Hudson
said.
�There are agencies in Sebastian County that are interrelated in
providing emergency
services, particularly in the EMS area.�

He said the EDACS system enables the EMS providers to communicate with
one
another, as well as with first responders in the field and medical
personnel at local
hospital emergency rooms.

Although its estimated useful remaining life may be a decade, the county
buying into
the system �could be a short-term thing,� Hudson said. �It could be a
three-year
program, after which we could move into phase 2, which could be
something
different.� In either case, buying the EDACS system, he said, �helps us
stabilize
operations which are very critical. We would be in control of the
system.�

Projected cost of the EDACS system is $62,000 for equipment and
relocation of a
tower site, and $15,200 for the first year of insurance, rental and
maintenance.

�We don�t have the final figures,� Hudson said. �We think acquiring
everything at
those rates is a possibility.� So far, no money has been budgeted for
the project.

�We wanted to brief the Quorum Court before moving the project forward,�

Hudson said.

The county also drafted a memorandum of agreement spelling out the
provisions of
county acquisition and operation. �We wanted to know if the other
entities would
want to participate in the procurement process. The county will not
undertake this as
the sole operator. This will be an intergovernmental, interagency
project,� he added.

EDACS is an acronym for enhanced digital access communications system.
It is a
technology employing a �trunked� system, which employs computerization
to assign
users a specific portion of a frequency, enabling multiple conversations
to occur
simultaneously.

The system also has the capability of setting up private conversations
between
parties that cannot be heard by others, of establishing individual
channels for
different services � allowing a city�s water department, fire department
and police
department to use the same system without interfering with one another.

EDACS is a proprietary system and is not compatible with conventional
radio
systems, although it allows links to be established with another system,
enabling
users of EDACS and non-EDACS systems to communicate.

Dave Whiteis, deputy director of the Sebastian County Department of
Emergency
Management, said while other systems will be evaluated, building on the
EDACS
system makes sense.

�We have something that works. It�s the backbone that we�ve been using
for years
and that�s what we�re looking at trying to maintain. ... We�re hoping to
stick with a
like technology and work with it.�

Whiteis adds, �If the gentleman who put this (radio system) together had
chosen a
different system, we would probably be lobbying to get that. What we�ve
got works
and we would like to make sure we don�t lose functionality. We don�t
want to step
backwards.�

Whiteis said the EDACS system operated by Nextel is about 6 years old
and has
operated reliably. �We�ve had good service and repair, from the original
owner and
from the company under contract to do maintenance now.� He said there
have been
outages, but most problems have been storm related, something no system
can
escape.

Hudson said the committee members are people �knowledgeable of radio
systems
and not connected with any vendors.� They are Kelsey Mikel, an Alltel
engineer;
Tom Ranson, operations manager for Cingular Network; Wayne Johnson,
retired
new models technician from Whirlpool and a ham radio veteran; and Randy
Nelson
with the city of Fort Smith Department of Information and Technology.

The committee should begin its work this month, Hudson said.

�The time frame is an issue somewhat, but I don�t think anybody feels
like we are in
a crisis,� he added.

The county has secured from Nextel a promise of a six-month notice
before it shuts
down the existing EDACS system. �In county government, that is a short
time,� said
Whiteis.

Another deadline of sorts exists in the licenses the county has secured
for its public
safety frequencies. The FCC gives license holders one year from issuance
to put a
frequency in use.

At the Quorum Court�s March 19 meeting, Phil Mayberry, general manager
of PEI
Communications, cautioned justices of the peace against acting without
exploring
options to the EDACS system.

He cited the cost of equipment compared to that of other systems.
Mayberry said
the county could acquire and install systems with identical capabilities
at a lower
cost. He also noted the cost of mobile radios for the EDACS system is
far greater
than that of conventional radios.

Mayberry also cited and the lack of local technical support for the
system and the
lack of local vendors offering EDACS equipment.

Saying he also represented the taxpayers of the county, Mayberry said,
�I just don�t
want the county to buy into a single provider system. I want them to
have an
option.�

Hudson said he has taken note of Mayberry�s concerns, and termed the
exploration
of options �an open book.�

Regardless of what type of radio technology the committee is evaluating,
he said,
�We need to know the pros and cons, the basic features of a system, make
sure
those features are justified and determine whether we are willing to pay
for those.�
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