By Robert Sargent
Orlando Sentinel
Copyright 2007 Sentinel Communications Co.
TAVARES, Fla. — Lake County commissioners are expected to vote today on one of the biggest and priciest projects in this area’s history — a $34 million overhaul of every emergency radio used by 15 different governments.
If approved, Lake’s Public Safety Department will spend the next 14 months working to convert county and city fire and police departments, ambulances, the Sheriff’s Office and other public-safety agencies to a unified radio system.
The new system is among the most reliable and technologically advanced radio communications available today, officials say. But just as important, they say the system for the first time will enable hundreds of county and city public-safety workers to seamlessly communicate with one another.
“This is the single most important issue that Lake County has dealt with,” Mount Dora police Chief Randy Scoggins said. “Our current radio system is deplorable.”
The County Commission meeting begins at 9 a.m. today at the round courthouse in Tavares.
Most local governments operate different types of radio networks that have difficulty connecting to other networks.
Some agencies have digital radios; others don’t. And often radios lose connection, or they are blocked by interference caused by competing radio transmissions from as far away as South Carolina.
Failures have complicated some of the county’s biggest emergencies. Hundreds of emergency officials from agencies around the state struggled to talk to one another after the Feb. 2 tornadoes, which also brought down a 1,700-foot radio and cell-phone tower in northeast Lake.
Local agencies had to use cell phones when radios failed during the hurricanes that hit Central Florida in 2004. Radio and cell-phone communications also broke down two years ago when Jason Wheeler opened fire on Lake County deputies, killing one and injuring two others.
Emergency officials say those are the worst examples, although they encounter radio failures once a week — often more.
“This is something that is so important,” said Gary Kaiser, Lake’s public-safety director.
The county aims to work with radio manufacturer Motorola to handle the massive overhaul to 700/800 MHz digital communications.
The upgrade will not use money generated by this year’s increased county fire fees. County officials also say they do not expect the cities to pay for any portion of the project.
The new system will use 18 towers to provide complete coverage of the county. Officials say in many cases, they will be able to continue communications even if one or two towers fail.
Then officials will work in areas of the county to replace older radios used by police, fire and other emergency workers. Dispatch centers also must be upgraded in the 14-month project.
County officials today also will consider a federal grant to help pay about $500,000 of the overall cost.