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County communication upgrades under way
Bourbon County is now a step closer to being fully compliant with Project 25, a set of standards for digital radio communications used by first responders at the local, state and national levels.
The Bourbon County Sheriff's Office is now on board with P25 after recently receiving two digital mobile radios for departmental use. The 800-megahertz radios will allow the local sheriff's office and 12 other primary dispatch centers in sheriff's departments across 12 Southeast Kansas counties to communicate easier with state and federal agencies during a large-scale disaster or emergency incident, Bourbon County Emergency Management Coordinator Laura Hyer said.
"They (first responders) will be able to make a direct call to all mobile radio systems and talk during a large-scale disaster at the local, state and federal level," Hyer said. "The radios allow them to talk car-to-car and bypass dispatch. The 800 megahertz system is a tried and proven system for disaster response. No system is 100 percent perfect, but this is a definite move up from what we had."
The Bourbon County Sheriff's Office was able to receive the radios through a $189,000 grant from the Southeast Kansas Homeland Security board, which allocated the money toward the improvement of communication capabilities in the region. Part of those improvements included the purchase of 26 XTL 2500 Motorola mobile radios, which will be distributed to each county sheriff's office in the region, a statement from Hyer said.
P25 is currently the standard used by local, state and federal public safety agencies to facilitate "interoperability" between various agencies. Interoperability speeds up response times during emergencies.
The installation of these mobile systems will allow Bourbon County Sheriff Harold Coleman and his deputies the ability to communicate with state and federal Incident Commanders during disaster events. This is an important step in interoperability communications, which brings the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office in compliance with federal National Incident Management mandates, Coleman said in a statement.
"Receiving the radios is a step toward needed communication improvements," Coleman said. "Hopefully we never have to rely on this, but it is a relief to know a system is available and in place if need be."
Allen County Sheriff Tom Williams, who also serves as the Southeast Kansas Homeland Security Board Chairman, said in a statement that the availability of the communication system during disasters is essential. Williams said that it is very important for local, state or federal emergency responders to be able to communicate.
Williams said his office will also be able to use the system on a daily basis as well.
"We could talk with the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Kansas Department of Transportation, and other state agencies that we deal with direct on a day-to-day basis," Williams said. "This is a great addition."
This is just the first allocation of the 800-megahertz radios. Members of the Southeast Kansas Homeland Security board have also received $889,000 in federal funds to continue enhancing regional communication capabilities. Those funds will be used to purchase more mobile radios for future distribution to other state first response agencies, such as fire, health, EMS, hospital, and county emergency operations centers, Hyer said.
"A plan is in place to distribute (radios) to other first responders," she said.
The board also formed a communications sub-group to write a Comprehensive Communications plan that would allow all agencies that respond to large disaster events the ability to communicate and maintain management at a disaster scene. The digital capability of the radios allows for many user groups within the system, and also allows more people (about 65,000) to talk on one frequency, unlike analog radios, which will only allow for about 22 people to be on the same frequency.
There is also no cost for agencies to use the radios other than periodic maintenance costs, Hyer said.
KDOT sustains the system grid that allows mobile radio users to communicate across the region, state, and in some cases, from state-to-state, Hyer added.
"This is a state-of-the-art, follow-me communication system," she said. "Many states have switched to digital radio communications, allowing agencies the ability to cross jurisdictions, and in some cases states, and still speak with their own agencies or dispatch centers. The state maintains the system so there are no costs to users."
KHP Capt. Randy Moon, who sought approval from top KHP officials allowing programming of the KHP talk-group, said the upgrades are a big step for interoperable communications. Moon said that this is the first time KHP has allowed users outside of their agency to use their primary channel, the statement from Hyer said.
"The Patrol recognizes that the world situation has changed and that due to terrorism, it is imperative that agencies can communicate with each other," Moon said in the statement.
Regional Homeland Security boards were formed two years ago by order of the governor. Each of the seven boards in Kansas is currently developing interoperable communications systems. After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, many people understood just how critical it is that responders have the ability to communicate across a broad spectrum of agencies, the statement from Hyer said.
In 2004, the Kansas Legislature passed a bill that permitted KDOT to increase the number of users on the state communications system by leasing 800-megahertz radio equipment to local government and public safety users who otherwise couldn't afford it. In September of that year, the Bourbon County Emergency Management Agency was approved to spend Homeland Security funds to lease P25-complaint equipment from KDOT.
That lease did not happen due to lack of support from some key officials in the area, Hyer said in a May 3, 2007 Tribune story.
These recent improvements to regional communications are just the beginning of meeting those needs. The Southeast Kansas Homeland Security board will continue to look at ways to improve communication capabilities, Hyer said.
Hyer said she did not know what the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office will do with the outdated analog systems the county previously used. Those systems are fully capable of handling small or medium-sized disasters, but digital communication is vital when dealing with a large scale disaster, Hyer said.