Coming online during Phase II are more than 100 public safety agencies. Fire department personnel began using Phase I of the system in 2002. By the end of 2004, the county will be interoperable with the city of Cincinnati, now in the process of developing a $22.7 million, 10-site, 20-channel infrastructure for its public safety communications.
"Interoperability between multiple jurisdictions is critical to Homeland Security," said Greg Wenz, operations director, Hamilton County Department of Communications. "All of our emergency responders will now be able to talk with each other at the scene of an incident or large-scale event and confer with others located in another part of the county. The interoperability can make a difference that saves a life."
Hamilton County is located in the extreme southwest corner of Ohio, covering an area of 414 square miles and a population of 845,268 people.
"We have a hilly terrain and three major rivers, which have resulted in many 'dead spots' in coverage," said Wenz. "The coverage capabilities of our new system are significantly enhanced and were a key factor in our purchase decision."
The technology replaces an aging system that had served Hamilton County since the 1940s.
More than 2,000 subscribers and 15 sites are on the Hamilton County system, which includes most of the cities, villages and townships within Hamilton county, as well as the Metropolitan Sewer District. Hamilton county users will also be able to communicate with Clermont county, Warren county, Westchester township, and the state's Multi-Agency Radio Communications System (MARCS). The system uses the functional and technical standard for public-safety digital systems that ensures users are able to communicate with each other.
"This system will greatly enhance day-to-day emergency communications, and have tremendous value when multiple agencies respond to major events or disasters," said Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune.
Individual system sites are connected by a digital microwave system. Dispatchers will manage communications traffic from nine consoles at the county's existing dispatch center.
The county purchased approximately 1,800 portable radios and 350 mobile radios for use by public-safety agencies. In addition, a $1.6 million computer-aided dispatch system will be integrated into the system by early 2004. The technology helps call-takers and dispatchers quickly and efficiently handle incident information, and will help the county prepare for Phase II Wireless E9-1-1.
"The CAD system will provide us with much-needed functions such as mapping capabilities and dispatching and tracking of individual fire units," said Wenz.
