A new system is expected to make emergency communications ring loud and clear through the Foothills.
Okotoks is the first municipality to use the Alberta First Responder Radio Communications System (AFRRCS) launched in July. Okotoks municipal enforcement was in need of new radios and took on the Province’s new system in a test phase.
Municipal enforcement manager Tim Stobbs said the radios have made a world of difference in communications for his department.
“It’s a fantastic, fantastic radio system,” said Stobbs. “I’ve been involved with law enforcement for 40 years and I’ve never spoken on a radio system this clear in all my 40 years.”
His officers are pleased with the new equipment, he said, which has far better reception and clarity than the old radios.
There were times officers would be in the river valley and couldn’t reach anyone with their radio, but nobody has found dead air with the AFRRCS system, he said. A test from downtown Calgary to dispatchers at the Foothills Regional Emergency Services Commission (FRESC) in Black Diamond had a connection as clear as making a telephone call, he said.
The clarity comes from towers installed by the provincial government after lengthy study to determine the best location to ensure smooth transmission, he said.
“We have yet to find an area where we work in, and of course we’re urban for all intents and purposes, where we can’t get good transmission,” said Stobbs.
He said there’s even a difference within the walls of the Southridge Emergency Services building in Okotoks. Built entirely with concrete, metal and brick, the old radio system required signal boosters to transmit beyond the building, he said.
The municipal enforcement equipment was aging and was budgeted to be replaced in 2106. Replacing all the radios cost about $50,000, less than expected due to grant money received, he said. Purchasing equipment and setting up the new system should have cost well over $100,000, he said.
“We saved quite a bit of money just transitioning the way we did,” said Stobbs. “The timing was absolutely perfect for us, we were very fortunate.”
The best part about the new system is that any emergency services personnel in the province that use AFFRCS will be able to communicate seamlessly during emergency situations like flood or fire, he said.
Once all the regional partners are on board with the system, they will be able to connect on a common channel and co-ordinate services, he said.
“It adds to our ability to respond to emergency situations 100-fold,” said Stobbs. “It allows us to offer such a higher level of community service and public security, because every agency in it will be able to communicate.”
The Province also maintains a certain number of channels in reserve, he said, which would be used in the case of a large-scale emergency similar to the efforts in Fort McMurray in the spring.
When units from across Alberta respond to an emergency, they will be able to use their own equipment and connect to a certain frequency to communicate with all other responders, he said.
“As I drove up there all my stuff would turn on and I could communicate with every emergency responder, with my equipment, that was at that scene and they could be from anywhere from Athabasca to Cypress County,” said Stobbs. “We could communicate seamlessly. It’s an amazing system.”
The Province has developed portable towers to further help in emergency situations, he said. If an AFRRCS tower was inoperable due to a wildfire or flood, a portable one could be delivered and brought online within 24 hours as a replacement until the original tower was repaired or replaced, he said.
In large-scale situations, portable towers can be brought to the scene to further boost the capability of the network when multiple responders are using a frequency, he said.
“It’s a very comprehensive, very well thought out and planned system to help emergency service providers like us, and the RCMP and fire and ambulance,” said Stobbs. “We don’t have to worry about communications, we can worry about the situation.”
While Okotoks municipal enforcement is currently the only emergency services provider on the network, Stobbs said other regional partners are moving forward with their AFRRCS systems as budgets allow.
Okotoks fire chief Ken Thevenot said the fire department is in the process of evaluating the system and could be included in the fire budget for late 2017, he said.
“We do have some spots right now where the reception is not very good with our current radio system, but we know that because of the rolling hills it does make it challenging at times to use our radio communications,” said Thevenot. “We’re hoping this new system will remedy a lot of those problems, but right now we’re just researching it and evaluating it.”
