Those are the conclusions reached by Blue Wing, a radio consultant hired by the Knox County E-911 Board of Directors to compare and contrast the regional system with a proposed $8.9 million Harris Corp. radio system.
The consultant also warned of the potential loss of control over local radios supported by the regional system based in Chattanooga.
"The perception is that this lower cost will result in greater coverage and interoperability for Knox County emergency responders," the report notes. "However, our analysis has resulted in conclusions that are different from what may appear to be true at first glance.
"Therefore, when all aspects of system costs are considered, the (regional) option will cost Knox County more over the lifespan of the system."
The E-911 board on Sept. 15 hired Blue Wing to review the two systems at a cost of $39,725. The review was requested by several board members who said they didn't think they had sufficient input into the selection of Harris Corp. over Motorola Solutions and Tait Communications.
When the board was faced Jan. 21 with deciding to contract with Harris for a new system to replace the 30-year-old Motorola system now in place, no board members seconded the motion. Since then, the board has been trying to reconcile the concerns over the Harris selection expressed by Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch and Knox County Sheriff Jimmy "J.J." Jones with the growing need to replace a system that is outdated and can't be repaired because of a lack of spare parts.
Blue Wing submitted its 78-page report on Friday. The News Sentinel obtained a copy of the report. E-911 board members will get copies this week, according to E-911 board attorney Don Howell.
The board is scheduled to hear the Blue Wing report at its Nov. 9 meeting.
Bob Coker, executive director of the E-911 Center, said Saturday he hasn't had an opportunity to consume the detailed report.
"I've skimmed it, but it looks like they did a fair and comprehensive review," Coker said.
The regional system has been operating since 2010 and serves emergency providers from Georgia to Sullivan County in Upper East Tennessee. The E-911 board would have to negotiate management control with the regional provider over such items as system security, keeping unauthorized users off the local system and silencing any stolen radios.
Under the regional system, Blue Wing noted, Knox County would have to "negotiate the system management functionality with (the regional system)" and sign a memorandum of understanding to codify the agreement. Without such a signed agreement, Blue Wing can't say E-911 management of the system would be impeded, "but the potential exists."
Blue Wing compared costs based on an 11-year system lifecycle as designated by the initial request for proposals issued Dec. 2, 2013, for a new radio system. Specifications for the proposals included a year of warranty and 10 years of maintenance support.
Using that lifecycle, the regional system would cost $934,467 more than a county-owned Harris system. In addition, the Knox County E-911 Center would lose its user fee of $28 per radio per month if the board opted for the regional system, resulting in a loss of revenue of nearly $2 million over an 11-year lifecycle.
"We conclude that the (regional) option is at least $2,931.539 more costly to Knox County than a Harris county radio system option," the report states. "The (regional) option is potentially even more costly if the encryption option is added to the consoles."
Emergency agencies using the E-911 system requested a way to encrypt radio transmissions so owners of publicly available radio scanners could not listen to law enforcement activity. The Harris proposal includes that encryption in the 17 new radio consoles included in the contract. The regional system, which uses Motorola Solutions equipment, does not offer that encryption, so the option would cost extra.
In addition, the Harris proposal includes new microwave dishes for the trunking system. Motorola proposes using existing microwave dishes that have been in use since 1999. Blue Wing advised against using the old dishes and warned this would be an expensive hidden cost under the regional system.
Blue Wing also pointed out emergency providers in Knox County would face the potential of paying more than $1 million in extra costs under the regional system.
The Knoxville Police Department and the Knox County Sheriff's Office do not pay the $28 per radio per month charge to E-911 that non-emergency providers, such as Knoxville Area Transit, the Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee and the Knox County highway division must pay. Under the regional system, the Police Department and Sheriff's Office would have to foot the bill for $42.80 per radio per year.
According to the report, that would cost the Sheriff's Office $55,040 each year for a total of $605,448 over the 11-year system lifecycle. For the Police Department, the extra cost would be $48,749 annually with a total of $536,241 over the 11 years.
Privately operated safety agencies such as Rural/Metro, however, would see a reduction in annual costs per radio from $336 to $42.80, the report notes.
Knox County's E-911 Center can obtain the same wide radio coverage offered by the regional system by installing the regional system's data into select radios among emergency radios and paying the regional system's fee for those radios, the report states.
Because of the interoperability offered by Project 25 technology, any brand of radio will work on the proposed Harris system. P25 is a national standard established that allows emergency workers to communicate with members of other agencies, even from another state.
"Motorola APX radios, as well as other vendor radios, can still be purchased off state contract and used on a Harris county radio system, so Knox County agencies will still have a choice for mobile and portable radios," the reviewers concluded. "It is our recommendation to Knox County that the Harris county-owned radio system option best meets the requirements of the (request for proposals) and is the best value."
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