Subject: [NEXTEL-1] County seeks frequencies for 911 upgrade-Former FCC employee Ralph Haller to search for available frequencies

From: Marcelrf <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 04 Mar 2004 04:19:52 -0500

York Dispatch, PA - Feb 27, 2004
County seeks frequencies for 911 upgrade

Asks cooperation of local agencies already on air

By WENDI HIMMELRIGHT Dispatch/Sunday News

York County has applied for radio frequency licenses as part of a
planned upgrade of the 911 emergency response system -- but county
officials will need the cooperation of some agencies already licensed to
use some of those frequencies.
Obtaining licenses from the Federal Communications Commission is
critical to a planned $45 million system upgrade.
Regardless of what radio equipment is purchased or what building the
department is housed in, the county must obtain ample radio frequencies
for all of the emergency workers to communicate with each other.

Right now, fire companies, police departments and ambulance operators
cannot communicate at emergency scenes because they use different
frequencies.

The county several months ago hired former FCC employee Ralph Haller to
search for available frequencies, and has applied to use 42 of them, 18
of which are now used by 11 other municipalities and agencies.

"The county is going to have to get those folks to sign off on an
agreement that would allow us in there," said Rob Bissey, chairman of
the fire radio committee through the Fire Chiefs and Firefighters
Association.

In use: The letters to the municipalities and agencies, requesting their
cooperation, went out last week, but securing those approvals will
depend on how the frequencies are being used, he said.

Public works departments may use a radio frequency to transmit data
among computers that run a sewage treatment plant or read water meters,
while other agencies use their radio frequency to talk. In the case of
the York County Transportation Authority, Rabbit Transit bus drivers
communicate among themselves and with the dispatcher.

Still, bus company president Richard Farr said he is considering the
county's request.
"We're willing to do whatever it takes for the 911 system to be
successful," Farr said.
"If it's possible, we'll work with them."

Bissey said the system can be set up so that each user would not hear
others using the same frequency, and at worst there would be minor
competition for radio time.

Leverage: York City Fire Chief John Senft told the county commissioners
that they might have to use their political influence when negotiating
the frequency licenses with the organizations and the FCC.

"There will probably be a point in time where there's a certain level of
political action needed to get things done, or get things done in an
expeditious manner," Senft said during last month's 911 Communications
Committee meeting.
The committee has been meeting for about year to coordinate the 911
upgrade, which is expected to take five years. Obtaining the FCC
licenses could take up to18 months.

Bissey said the ultra high-band 450 to 460 frequency range is
well-suited for York County.
It does not depend on line-of-sight transmission, a plus in the
relatively hilly areas.  And it penetrates comparatively well inside
buildings, something critical for firefighter safety, he said.

In addition, the existing radio towers will be compatible with the
system, though several new ones might have to be added.
-- Reach Wendi Him melright at whimmelrigh [email-masked] .

Radio sharing
The following municipalities and departments have been asked to share at
least one of their FCC radio frequencies with York County, which needs
the frequencies as part of an expected $45 million upgrade to its 911
communication system:
Northern York County Police Department; Commonwealth of Pennsylvania --
Capital Police Department; Commonwealth of Pennsylvania -- Historical &
Museum Commission; York County Transportation Authority --
RabbitTransit; Fairview Township Fire Dept.; Hershey Volunteer Fire
Dept.; Adams County Prison; Fire Chiefs & Firefighters Association of
York County; Hanover; Paxtang; Dauphin County Emergency.

http://www.yorkdispatch.com/Stories/0,1413,138~10023~1983927,00.html

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