Adams County 800 Mhz Public Safety Radio Network Project Update

Adams County 800 MHz Public Safety Radio Network Project Update

May 27, 2015

Construction work for the County’s new public safety radio system is nearly complete and network equipment including antenna, microwave dishes, cabling and transmission equipment has been installed at almost all tower sites. This work is expected to be completed by the end of June.

County communications officers are presently working with Motorola technicians and project managers, as well as the County’s project consultants to develop a timeline for the final tasks and system cut-over which is expected to begin on, or about October 20, 2015.

While programming work remains to be conducted on the system, plans are unfolding to conduct radio user training for 9-1-1 dispatchers, emergency responders, law enforcement, municipal officials and a number of County agencies that will be using the system including the County Correctional Facility. Training will most likely be conducted in September and early October.

At the same time, County and Motorola personnel, joined by the consultant, will be conducting field testing of the system to make sure that the frequency coverage meets the standards established by the County and set forth in the agreement. The new radio system will provide users with “in-building portable radio coverage” over 95 % of the County with equal or greater mobile coverage (in vehicle radios). Coverage testing will include checking transmissions within substantial building across the County; primarily schools, nursing homes, the Hospital and other medical buildings, Gettysburg College buildings and facilities at the Lutheran Theological Seminary and Harrisburg Area Community College and other stone, brick and masonry structures around the County.

Three teams of communications specialists will be crisscrossing the County conducting field testing of inbound and outbound radio frequency coverage prior to system ‘go live’ now planned for late October and early November.

In the meantime, the Emergency Services Department is planning a series of workshops for all system end users to help them understand the capabilities of the system and the equipment, how we will interop with neighboring counties and who will be assigned to which talk groups and how these will work. These workshops will be offered at different times on four dates in late June and early July.

As a more definite timeline begins to unfold in the coming weeks, additional updates will be prepared and disseminated to the community.

The County Commissioners and Emergency Services representatives wish to thank the ongoing work of the Radio System Work Group which includes local municipal officials, County 9-1-1 dispatchers, fire services representatives, emergency medical services personnel, law enforcement officials and County officials. Their work and efforts since 2008 were instrumental in designing the new system which truly has been a cooperative effort.