Franklin County officials are facing an urgent call to modernize emergency communications following a survey that identified dead spots and limited channel capacity as top safety concerns.
 
Amanda Simoneau, director of the county’s Emergency Management Agency, asked county commissioners Tuesday to authorize a communications study. She estimated it will cost about $100,000 for a consultant to do it. It would be the first study in 11 years to map the infrastructure.

Commissioners did not make a decision on the request, but are expected to consider it at a future meeting.

There have been complaints and concerns raised by law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical responders for years about the situation, Simoneau said.

“When multiple incidents occur, radio traffic gets very busy and limits ability to talk to dispatch,” she said.

The agency conducted the survey of responders to try to determine what needs to be done to protect first responders working in the field.

If approved, a more in-depth study would evaluate the system, including the five communications towers, and identify the short- and long-term improvements needed to strengthen the county’s system.

Infrastructure concerns include aging portable/vehicle radios and significant coverage gaps in Phillips, Avon, Madrid Township and New Vineyard. Sometimes responders are unable to hear the dispatcher, missing vital information.

The goal of the study, Simoneau said, is to ensure that first responders and public safety personnel can communicate clearly and consistently — especially in critical situations — while giving leadership a clear road map for investing in a modern, resilient communications system.

“My concerns are about the infrastructure being outdated and that there are so many dead spots,” Rangeley police Chief Richard Caton IV said about the situation.

“Also, all the equipment running off the system is owned by many different municipalities and everything is different,” he said. “We met as a group in Franklin County years ago to work toward upgrading and making the communications better, but it is extremely expensive.”

In a related matter, Tim Hardy, Farmington Fire Rescue chief, requested fire service representation in the county’s hiring of a new director for the county’s Regional Communications Center in Farmington.

The fire service across Franklin County depends on the communications center as a critical component of its emergency response infrastructure, Hardy said.

County fire chiefs believe it is essential the next director address longstanding and newly emerging operational concerns that directly affect emergency response throughout the county, he said.

Hardy said there is a need for the development, standardization and consistent application of dispatch procedures.

The lack of uniform protocols has resulted in inconsistencies that can impact response efficiency and situational awareness for first responders, he said.

“These inconsistencies do not just affect operations, they directly affect first responder safety, especially during rapidly evolving incidents where accurate and timely information is essential,” he said.