FARMINGTON — Franklin County Commissioners voted Monday to hire a company to upgrade their emergency dispatch communications systems in select Franklin County towns that have reported problems.

The company, Hussey Communications, of Winslow, will provide and install equipment that will strengthen the emergency communications system in Phillips, Strong, Weld and Wilton, said Vickie Braley, of the commissioners’ office. The bid that Hussey gave for the upgrade was $20,239.

Hussey will supply and install equipment that will implement an Internet-over-radio technology, which uses the Internet to repeat radio calls.

The communications system in Franklin County has been an area of concern in recent years. Consideration of how to address these problems began last spring when the director of the Franklin County Regional Communications Center, Stan Wheeler, presented the commissioners with possible short-term and long-term fixes that could be made.

At the March meeting, the county commissioners received a report from communications consultant Rick Davol stating that Franklin County’s emergency dispatch system often suffered from equipment failure, inadequate radio coverage, frequencies bleeding over and blocking transmissions, a lack of spare radios, as well as vehicle antennas and portable radio batteries in poor condition.

Cost projections for repairs were in the $50,000 range, though not all of the aforementioned communication issues will be addressed. Wheeler’s recommendation to improve radio problems in Wilton by applying this new Internet over radio technology is the focus of the upgrade.

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Lauren Abbate — 861-9252

labbate@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @Lauren_M_Abbate

 


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