Update 12/16/14: The York County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday night to allow New Kent County to enter into the regional radio communications system partnership.
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Original Post: Pending the York County Board of Supervisors’ approval Tuesday, New Kent County will be the fourth locality to join a regional emergency communications radio system in the Historic Triangle.
York and James City counties initially established the Regional Public Safety Radio Communications System in 2003 to improve radio coverage and communication between the two jurisdictions, offer mutual aid across the two localities and allow law enforcement officers and emergency responders to tune into frequencies outside of their jurisdictions.
Gloucester County was added to the partnership in 2011. The three localities split the costs of maintaining the system, including the communication towers that run through York, James City and Gloucester counties.
The towers contain the microwave system that acts as the backbone of the regional radio network. A microwave system allows emergency operators to use an in-house system instead of relying on a phone company to provide service to their equipment.
Terry Hall, the chief of emergency communications for the York/Poquoson/Williamsburg Regional 911 center in York County and the regional radio system’s program manager, said the radio system’s policy team — consisting of members of the three counties’ administrations as well as law enforcement, officials from fire and life safety and communication representatives — has been discussing the addition of New Kent to the system for about a year.
With New Kent joining the partnership, the three localities would save about $80,000 total in maintenance costs per year.
Costs would also be cut from a necessary system upgrade, which the three localities budgeted for in their Capital Improvement Plans for fiscal year 2019.
If New Kent is added to the system now, the upgrade would need to be completed immediately. Applying New Kent’s $700,000 contribution to join the partnership plus a $400,000 grant from Virginia Department of Emergency Management to the system upgrade would result in a one-time 42 percent reduction in the costs for the three counties currently in the regional partnership.
Without New Kent, the total costs for the upgrade would be $11,880,361. With New Kent entering the partnership, costs would be cut to $10,724,858, a difference of more than $1.15 million.
“We always look at ways that we can save money and increase services,” Hall said, explaining adding New Kent to the system would result in better radio coverage in upper James City County, where there have been “problem spots” in the past.
New Kent is currently on a standalone system, meaning those using the radio cannot talk on other jurisdictions’ frequencies. New Kent County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Joe McLaughlin said the system presents problems in some areas of the county.
“There have been a number of incidents where officers, deputies, firefighters, paramedics, have been on an emergency, active in-progress scene and not been able to communicate back to our dispatch or talk to others who are responding to them,” McLaughlin said.
He said the New Kent County Board of Supervisors recognized this as a concern and “made some sacrifices to move this project forward to increase services.” The board voted in September to authorize New Kent staff to finalize negotiations with the three localities in the regional partnership.
In addition to the $700,000 New Kent will provide for the system upgrade, the county will have to purchase radio towers, tower site equipment, emergency dispatch improvements and network connections within its boundaries.
Hall said in the future, he hopes to close the communications gap between Hampton Roads and central Virginia on Interstate 64 through interphasing, which would allow law enforcement and emergency responders to speak on radio frequencies in Henrico, Hanover and Chesterfield counties and the city of Richmond.
The cities of Williamsburg and Poquoson are tenants of the system, meaning they pay monthly user fees to use the 911 center for 911 services and to use the radio network. The user fee spares those localities from having to invest in the upgrades.
The Gloucester Board of Supervisors voted to allow New Kent to enter the partnership Dec. 2, while the James City County Board of Supervisors approved the addition Dec. 9. If the York County Board of Supervisors votes similarly Tuesday, the next step is to purchase and acquire the upgraded system while amending the memorandum of understanding to include New Kent and allocate the costs four ways.
