Fort Scott Tribune: Local News: City approves communications ...

The Fort Scott City Commissioners decided Tuesday to spend some money from the 911 fund to provide better communication for emergency responders.

Unanimously voting to spend no more than $15,000 on a radio communication repeater system from the 911 budget was the only action the commissioners took during its regular meeting.

Fort Scott Fire Chief Paul Ballou told the council that two radio signal boosters, which relay Fort Scott Sheriff's Office communication from various areas of the county to the dispatchers in the Fort Scott Police Department, have not been working properly for some time.

The repeater system, which relays radio communication from various areas in the county to the dispatcher through a phone line, was installed in 2006.

There have been repeated problems with the two signal boosters, which also operate on a phone line. The phone lines and equipment have been checked several times, "with little success," Ballou said. The boosters were installed to assist the Sheriff's Office.

There have been instances when Bourbon County Sheriff's deputies have not been able to communicate with dispatchers in some of the most remote rural areas. During those instances, dispatchers have sent another deputy or a Kansas Highway Patrolman to check on the responding deputy.

"A lot of times they're fine, but sometimes they're not," Ballou said.

Ballou said several options have been explored, including installing a system that operates on a microwave. He estimated the cost switching to a microwave-based system would be from $20,000 to $30,000.

The Federal Communications Commission had mandated that all emergency services personnel upgrade their communications from a wide-band frequency to a narrow-band by Dec. 31, 2012. Since then, Ballou said there have been more problems with the existing communication system.

After talking to experts in radio communication, Ballou said the recommendation now is to install an additional repeater on the Three Mile Tower, which currently is the location for communication equipment for other emergency services departments. Doing so means the two signal boosters can be eliminated.

Ballou said installing a new repeater will cost between $12,000 and $13,000. Leasing the tower space will be $1,500 per year. Ballou suggested that the lease payment also could be paid from the 911 budget, which currently has between $175,000 and $185,000 available.

In addition to providing better coverage for county emergency personnel responding in rural areas, the new repeater can also serve as a back up for the city departments, Ballou said.

"Several times it's happened that our dispatchers send a deputy out and when they get out there so deep (out in the county) the car radio won't have good success getting back to the repeater and talking to the dispatcher...it will be a relief for dispatch also. When that happens they send out a (Kansas State) Highway Patrolman or a deputy to go check on them. A lot of times they're fine, but it's just that possibility they may not be," Ballou said.

In other commission business:

* The commissioners complimented the city employees for the job they did cleaning the streets.

* City Manager Dave Martin reported that employees were paid sick or vacations days when City Hall was closed for a day and a half during last week's winter storm.

* He also reported that Fort Scott Police Officer Joe Allen assisted an elderly woman whose vehicle was stuck during the storm. She thanked him by sending him $25, which he returned to her with a letter explaining that assisting residents is part of his job. The commissioners' packet also included several letters of commendations from citizens regarding city employees.

* During a recent Aquatic Center meeting, it was decided to not increase admission fees. It also was decided that the center will be open on on weekends the week prior to the beginning of the new school year. There was a scheduling conflict in 2012 between the pool and the school district.

"We checked our numbers and it was not worth us being open," Martin said.

Martin said another meeting will be held before the center opens for the season..

Source: http://www.fstribune.com/story/1947135.html

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