Leverett Fire Department – January 22, 2019 Radio Review Leverett Fire Department – January 22, 2019

Overview Radio Terminology and Operation VHF vs. UHF and Interoperability Radio types Simplex Operation & Limitations Repeaters Current Radio System Overview Current Radio System Failings Solution(s) Next step(s)

VHF vs. UHF Low Frequency Ex: VHF Longer Range in Open Air More Penetration of Foliage & Structures Longer Antennas High Frequency Ex: UHF Shorter Range Less Penetration Shorter Antennas Radios and antennas are typically optimized for only one band Multi-band radios and antennas are much more expensive Therefore, units within an organization and between organizations which need interoperability are typically on the same band.

Interoperability VHF UHF Leverett Fire Department (proposed) Leverett Highway (critical during storms/snow) Hampshire County (Amherst, Hadley, Pelham, etc) Hampshire County Mutual Aid (1 or 2 per year) Amherst Fire Ambulances (110± per year) Leverett Fire Department (current) Franklin County (Shutesbury, Sunderland, Montague, etc.) Franklin County Mutual Aid (25± per year)

Radio Types Portable “Walkie Talkies” 5± Watts One mile or less Mobile In-vehicle radios 40± Watts A few miles Base Fixed location 100s of Watts 10s of miles

Simplex Operation Transmissions are broadcast by one radio and directly received by all others in range. Effective communications is dependent on the transmitting power, terrain, and obstacles. Typical range in Leverett is ½ mile at best. Used when only short-range, local communication is needed. For example: when talking between units at the scene of an incident. Proposed frequency upgrades would not change this aspect. “Radio Two from Radio One” “Radio Two acknowledged” Frequency A 1 Frequency A 2 500 feet

“Radio Two from Radio One” Simplex Limitations Long range cross-town communication is not possible on handhelds using simplex operation Radio transmissions from sender will not have sufficient power to reach recipient or will be blocked by terrain, foliage, and structures Difficult for portable radios to communicate with a dispatcher due to low power “Radio Two from Radio One” ? Frequency A 1 2 North Leverett South Leverett

Repeaters Utilize a networked infrastructure of base stations to allow a radio to communicate with others which would otherwise be impossible to reach via simplex communication Allows for a dispatcher to hear even low powered portable units Coverage can extend to entire town and beyond by adding more base stations Operation is computer controlled, autonomous, effectively instantaneous and transparent to users.

Repeater System ? ! Frequency B 100 watts “Radio Two from Radio One” Radio One and Radio Two are separated by sufficient distance and terrain that simplex communication is not possible 1 Solution: Add a Repeater system Original transmission is rebroadcast at a higher power to a greater area Frequency A Frequency B 100 watts Frequency A 5 watts Fiber Link One or more “polling sites” distributed around town Frequency A 5 watts ? ! Both radios set up in Repeater mode. Transmit on Frequency A and receive on Frequency B Both radios set up in Simplex mode. Transmit and receive on Frequency A 2 The strongest signal from all polling sites is selected to be rebroadcast

FRCOG Emergency Comm. System Used by Franklin County fire and police departments Base antennas located on mountain tops including Mount Toby in Sunderland Provides county-wide repeater systems – Simulcast 1 for fire and Simulcast 2 for police Provides local repeater systems for talking around a region Provides simplex channels for local communications Fire dispatch provided by Shelburne Control at Shelburne State Police barracks.

FRCOG Radio System Failings https://frcog.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/FCECS-Option-paper-October-2018-1.pdf FRCOG Radio System Failings SYSTEM AGE: Radio system experts tell us the life expectancy for the components in our system is 7 to 10 years. The average age of our system’s components is 12 years old. In some cases, the equipment initially installed was last generation equipment. Many critical components have been issued end of life and end of service notices. This means that manufactures will no longer sell the components, service them, or supply parts. We have identified that if a particular part, which is currently not supported fails, we will not be able to transmit or receive communication on that tower. Due to the vintage of our system, it lacks key components which would make for a much more reliable and cost efficient system. In addition, we are unable to upgrade parts when there are failings due to incompatibility issues. SYSTEM DESIGN: The [FRCOG Emergency Comm. System Oversight] Committee has been told by multiple engineers the design of our system is at fault for many of our current reception issues. Even if the parts and pieces were new there would still be issues. The antennas are not correct in terms of type, bearing, and power. The towers are not in the optimal locations, causing interference.

FRCOG Radio System Failings https://frcog.org/boards-committees/franklin-county-emergency-communications-system-oversight-committee/ FRCOG Radio System Failings

Local Opinions and Observations Mt Toby in Sunderland is currently the only element of the FRCOG Emergency Comm. System servicing Leverett This tower serves Route 63 and South Leverett but is less than reliable in the valley areas comprising North Leverett Road and Cave Hill/Montague Roads New Salem tower has been out of service multiple times over the past year Firefighters frequently have difficulty communicating with dispatch (Shelburne Control), incoming ambulances from Amherst, and each other Firefighters in Leverett have little confidence in their radios This lack of confidence and lack of service may place firefighters’ and public lives at risk.

Solution Transition Leverett Fire Department away from the FRCOG Emergency Comm. System to a town- owned and operated repeater system Place a polling station and base station repeater at the Leverett Safety Complex with a possible second location at the Leverett Fire North Station This transition would remove the ability to use Shelburne Control as fire dispatch. Amherst Dispatch Center utilizes VHF and already dispatches our most frequent mutual aid responder, Amherst Fire ambulances. Provide a dispatch console and base station equipment within the Amherst Dispatch Center Transition from FRCOG UHF Simplex frequencies to EITHER Hampshire County VHF Simplex frequency OR existing Leverett Highway VHF Simplex frequency.

Simulcast 1 (Current System) – Talk Out (Receive) Proposed Two Site – Talk Out (Receive)

Simulcast 1 – Talk Back (Transmit) Proposed Two Site – Talk Back (Transmit)

Proposed One Site – Talk Out (Transmit) Proposed Two Site – Talk Out (Transmit)

Proposed One Site – Talk Back (Transmit) Proposed Two Site – Talk Back (Transmit)

Next Steps Determine the extent of the repeater system. One or two base station locations Determine the timeline for construction and finalize costs Submit a warrant and allow for town voting Purchase equipment and engage contractors Build system Test system Train Leverett and Amherst personnel. Provide instruction to other Franklin and Hampshire County departments.

Questions?