First responders in Black Diamond and Turner Valley will soon tune into the latest radio communication technology, but it could take years for them to be fully equipped.
Both Towns are applying for Municipal Affairs’ Alberta Community Partnership grant to help purchase approximately 65 portable and mobile radios for fire departments, disaster services and municipal enforcement officers as they join the Alberta First Responder Radio Communication System (AFRRCS).
“This is a great system for us to migrate to,” said Black Diamond Fire Chief Jamie Campbell. “There was a number of things that we recognized in the impact of the flood regarding the lack of interoperability. Because the province had grant funding available for preparedness it was a great opportunity to look to the future and start to get prepared.”
The first responder communication system, spearheaded by the Alberta Solicitor General’s office, is a new two-way radio network for first responders that is interoperable throughout the province.
The Province is funding the network’s construction, operation and maintenance, and is expected to go live on July 1 with municipalities migrating into the system over time.
“There is a definite advantage for us all having the same radio,” said Campbell, a member of the AFRRCS service council. “It will be the same radios with the same company. Right now across the MD we have Motorolas, some digital, some VHF (very high frequency). Then digital comes in many shapes and forms. It’s quite a complex system when you get into radios.”
The Black Diamond Fire Department already received 10 of the 700 MHz dual band portable radios through a flood-related grant two years ago, and gave two of them to Black Diamond peace officers, said Campbell.
“We are using the radios, we just haven’t turned on the digital part,” he said.
Campbell said another 25 radios are needed to fully equip the department.
If approved, the ACP grant would supply each Black Diamond and Turner Valley with $150,000 towards the purchase of radios. Each radio costs about $8,000.
Through the AFRRCS, each municipality would have its own channel that others on the system could access in the event a large disaster calls for assistance from emergency responders in other areas, said Campbell.
The Town of Turner Valley budgeted $80,000 this year to purchase its first radios and will likely allocate money towards the program each year until it reaches its goal, said Heather Thomson, legislative services manager.
“It would be budgeted over several years if the grant is not received,” she said. “Council can fund the remaining through grants, reserves, etc. or deny the request to purchase the additional radios. All emergency agencies are moving towards this system. It will take a while for everyone to be operating on a full system.”
Turner Valley Fire Chief Glenn Baxter said 30 portable radios and 10 mobile radios would be needed to replace the fire department’s, municipal enforcement officers’ and disaster services’ current radios.
Barry Williamson, Turner Valley chief administrative officer, said the provincial grant, combined with the $80,000 the Town budgeted this year to purchase radios, will allow Turner Valley to join the program.
“Otherwise, it is going to be a long process to get all the radios and get into the program in full involvement,” he said. “These radios are something that’s going to allow much more efficient and effective communication and response times. It does allow all of the emergency operations to communicate quite effectively when they’re dealing with an incident.”
