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that entirely replaces the existing public safety land mobile radio systems in use in the County. <br /> Funding for this back -up dispatch operation is included in the Anoka County budget. A location <br /> for the back -up dispatch operation must be selected. <br /> 4.4.2 Second 24 Hour Law Enforcement Dispatch Channel <br /> In Section II of this report the fact that there is one 24 hour law enforcement dispatch channel <br /> with a dedicated radio operator in use in Anoka County is discussed. There is a second radio <br /> channel that is in use with a dedicated dispatcher for 16 hours a day. In Section III there is <br /> empirical evidence from the questionnaires and analytical evidence from an analysis from traffic <br /> data that during 8 hours when the second law enforcement dispatch channel is not used, there is a <br /> significant congestion problem on the single channel that is in use. It is strongly recommended <br /> that the second law enforcement dispatch channel have a dedicated radio operator for support of <br /> that channel 24 hours per day and that is also discussed in Section 3.4.1 of this report. The <br /> expansion to 24 hours on the second law enforcement dispatch channel should be accomplished <br /> as soon as additional radio operator personnel can be hired and trained. <br /> 4.4.3 Fire Service Alerting Through Radio Paging <br /> Improvements in the radio paging system used for alerting firefighter personnel to respond to a <br /> fire incident must be improved whether existing land mobile radio systems are enhanced or those <br /> existing systems are replaced. Either way, alerting of volunteer firefighter personnel will occur <br /> using radio page receivers carried by the volunteer firefighters. The same radio paging system <br /> will be needed regardless of the base direction chosen by public officials in Anoka County. Cost <br /> for improvements to fire radio paging are shown in Section 3.4.1 of this report at $1.71 million. <br /> That cost is in addition to the costs for enhancing the existing radio systems as shown in Section <br /> 3.4.2 and in addition to the cost for replacing the existing systems as shown in Section 3.4.3. It <br /> is considered a critical need to upgrade this fire dispatching system, including using simulcast <br /> technology. That improvement can be performed immediately as no additional radio frequency <br /> is required. It is recommended that this improvement be funded and implemented at the earliest <br /> possible date. <br /> 4.4.4 Long - term Direction Implementation Schedule <br /> The following are the steps that need to be completed in order to select and implement a long- <br /> term direction to proceed for improving public safety land mobile radio systems in Anoka <br /> County: <br /> • It is necessary for public officials in Anoka County to consider the two base alternative <br /> directions for improving land mobile radio communications. Once the base alternative is <br /> chosen, then subaltematives within that overall base alternative will also need to be chosen. <br /> This should be done as soon as possible as implementation will take a substantial period of <br /> time and it is important to begin the process, especially if use of the Mn/DOT 800 MHz <br /> Ronald Vegemast Engineering, Inc. -39- Report: Anoka Coanry <br />