2000-11-08 Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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• A back -up dispatch center should be implemented at an estimated cost of $150,000. That amount is currently available for a back -up dispatch center in the Anoka County budget. • A substantially upgraded fire radio paging system should be implemented at an estimated cost of $1,710,000. • An upgrade in test equipment and spare parts will be needed regardless of the alternative system direction chosen by the County. A reasonable budget for an upgrade of test equipment and spare parts will be $100,000. • A second law enforcement dispatch channel must be placed into operation 24 hours per day compared to the current 16 hours per day. This will require the almost immediate addition of three or four more dispatch center radio operators. Of the two base alternative directions that public officials in Anoka County may select, one is enhancement of the existing radio systems. Enhancements that would provide acceptable performance in the operating areas for public safety communications are recommended in this report. Those enhancements require expanding the number of radio channels available although the addition of radio channels is not possible with existing technology. Enhancement should also include the addition of fixed location radio sites and simulcast control of those sites. The estimated cost for those recommended improvements is $4,750,000. Those enhancements to the existing systems will likely be adequate for a period of time, probably less than a normal ten year useful life, before a different kind of radio system will be needed. Continued use of existing systems, even with the enhancements described in this report, will likely result in reoccurring congestion in less than ten years and the only viable alternative at that time is most likely to be migration to an entirely new replacement system, probably the Mn/DOT 800 MHz trunked radio system. The second base alternative system direction that might be selected is total replacement of the existing public safety land mobile radio systems. The replacement that is recommended in the report is to subscribe for service from the new Mn/DOT digital modulation, trunked radio system currently being implemented. If that recommendation is selected, the performance of the radio systems is judged to be excellent in all parameter areas. The system is also likely to be acceptable as a system, without requiring replacement, well into the 21 century. The estimated cost for implementing a total replacement of the existing land mobile radio systems is $10,640,000. If the total replacement alternative is selected and if the system were funded by the sale of bonds to be retired over a ten year period, then the average cost per year will be less than 2% of the cost to provide fire and law enforcement protection to the citizens of Anoka County. It is believed that the improvement in safety for firefighter and law enforcement personnel alone can justify a cost figure that is less than 2% of the cost of providing public safety service. In addition, improvement in the overall effectiveness and efficiency of personnel in the field leading to a higher grade of public service also justifies the cost. Ronald Vegemast Engineering. Inc. -2- Report Anoka County