Holes in the New Berlin’s radio coverage likely to remain until county project is completed
NEW BERLIN – As the county creeps closer to completing its communication tower project, emergency services and local municipalities are raising concerns with the current inadequacies in coordinating radio response efforts.
The Chenango County Safety and Rules Committee adopted a plan June 8 to purchase a telecommunications service line to its Millbrook tower in the Town of New Berlin.
The approval of the plan is another step forward in Chenango County’s $6 million dollar public safety communications tower project, aimed at replacing the original 1970s era towers in the area and improving emergency service communications.
The move comes while the Sheriff’s Office is hearing concerns from agencies in the northeastern corner of the county that complain current emergency radio broadcasting coverage is unreliable.
Both the New Berlin Fire and Police Departments, along with the Village and Town of New Berlin, had expressed concern over the lack of signal.
The radio transmissions are pivotal in coordinating emergency response in the area, which is also challenged by a lack of cell phone reception in many parts.
In charge of the office’s communications, Chenango County Fire Coordinator Matthew L. Beckwith said the issue with the disrupted frequency began in the spring.
“We’re not sure where, but we have some RF (radio-frequency) interference, possibly from NYSEG, in the area that has been complicating things. NYSEG is currently investigating the issue. We can hear them fine, but they can’t seem to hear us very well,” said Beckwith.
He explained that the T1 service line at the Millbrook tower is expected to come online in August or in early fall, but for the time being emergency crews would have to make due until NYSEG discovers a solution or the new tower system is activated.
Beckwith also explained that New Berlin had long faced challenges with communication because of the area’s geography and that the location of the Millbrook tower was specifically selected to address the issue.
“Once the new system is online, there will be not an issue,” said Beckwith.
At a June 9 board meeting, New Berlin Mayor Wade Schrag said he had met with representatives from the town and fire department over the problem.
“According their reports, county communications in the area are just terrible,” said Schrag at the meeting.
Schrag said both the town and fire department had prepared letters they were sending to the Sheriff’s Office over their concerns, which he said “border on a public safety issue.”
Beckwith said that the New Berlin Fire Department had been specially outfitted with a ‘Store and Forward’ device that recorded all transmissions from the county dispatch and then replayed them a few seconds later in a second broadcast to the local New Berlin area.
New Berlin Fire Chief Shawn Patrick said he didn’t want to make the lack of service a political issue, he only wanted a solution to the problem.
“There is an issue with the coverage and we’ve made our concerns clear to the Sheriff’s Office. We are currently working with them,” he said.
Patrick declined to comment if the lack of service was affecting the department’s ability to respond an emergency.
“From what I understand, the county had difficulties raising the local New Berlin Police Department over the radio during the Edmeston bank robbery a little while ago. Obviously given our close proximity to the robbery, it’s not too far-fetched to think the suspect might have headed this way,” said Schrag.
Beckwith said was not aware of any such issue in contacting the New Berlin PD on the day in question.
Schrag urged the village board to consider joining the other New Berlin agencies in writing a letter of its own if the situation didn’t improve.
Town of New Berlin Supervisor Ross Iannello could not be reached for comment.
The tower project will cost county taxpayers around $6 million in total, double its original estimates of about $3 million. The money will come from the 1 percent sale tax collection that was mandated back in 2002 for the $26 million Public Safety Facility. County officials refer to the tower project as Phase II of the new Public Safety Facility, commonly known as the new jail. The building is the base of operations for the Sheriff’s law enforcement, corrections and communication divisions.
The project was approved in 2005, but work on the estimated two-year plan didn’t begin until September of 2007. Officials say they will be approaching the final stages of the project this fall.
The Chenango County Safety and Rules Committee adopted a plan June 8 to purchase a telecommunications service line to its Millbrook tower in the Town of New Berlin.
The approval of the plan is another step forward in Chenango County’s $6 million dollar public safety communications tower project, aimed at replacing the original 1970s era towers in the area and improving emergency service communications.
The move comes while the Sheriff’s Office is hearing concerns from agencies in the northeastern corner of the county that complain current emergency radio broadcasting coverage is unreliable.
Both the New Berlin Fire and Police Departments, along with the Village and Town of New Berlin, had expressed concern over the lack of signal.
The radio transmissions are pivotal in coordinating emergency response in the area, which is also challenged by a lack of cell phone reception in many parts.
In charge of the office’s communications, Chenango County Fire Coordinator Matthew L. Beckwith said the issue with the disrupted frequency began in the spring.
“We’re not sure where, but we have some RF (radio-frequency) interference, possibly from NYSEG, in the area that has been complicating things. NYSEG is currently investigating the issue. We can hear them fine, but they can’t seem to hear us very well,” said Beckwith.
He explained that the T1 service line at the Millbrook tower is expected to come online in August or in early fall, but for the time being emergency crews would have to make due until NYSEG discovers a solution or the new tower system is activated.
Beckwith also explained that New Berlin had long faced challenges with communication because of the area’s geography and that the location of the Millbrook tower was specifically selected to address the issue.
“Once the new system is online, there will be not an issue,” said Beckwith.
At a June 9 board meeting, New Berlin Mayor Wade Schrag said he had met with representatives from the town and fire department over the problem.
“According their reports, county communications in the area are just terrible,” said Schrag at the meeting.
Schrag said both the town and fire department had prepared letters they were sending to the Sheriff’s Office over their concerns, which he said “border on a public safety issue.”
Beckwith said that the New Berlin Fire Department had been specially outfitted with a ‘Store and Forward’ device that recorded all transmissions from the county dispatch and then replayed them a few seconds later in a second broadcast to the local New Berlin area.
New Berlin Fire Chief Shawn Patrick said he didn’t want to make the lack of service a political issue, he only wanted a solution to the problem.
“There is an issue with the coverage and we’ve made our concerns clear to the Sheriff’s Office. We are currently working with them,” he said.
Patrick declined to comment if the lack of service was affecting the department’s ability to respond an emergency.
“From what I understand, the county had difficulties raising the local New Berlin Police Department over the radio during the Edmeston bank robbery a little while ago. Obviously given our close proximity to the robbery, it’s not too far-fetched to think the suspect might have headed this way,” said Schrag.
Beckwith said was not aware of any such issue in contacting the New Berlin PD on the day in question.
Schrag urged the village board to consider joining the other New Berlin agencies in writing a letter of its own if the situation didn’t improve.
Town of New Berlin Supervisor Ross Iannello could not be reached for comment.
The tower project will cost county taxpayers around $6 million in total, double its original estimates of about $3 million. The money will come from the 1 percent sale tax collection that was mandated back in 2002 for the $26 million Public Safety Facility. County officials refer to the tower project as Phase II of the new Public Safety Facility, commonly known as the new jail. The building is the base of operations for the Sheriff’s law enforcement, corrections and communication divisions.
The project was approved in 2005, but work on the estimated two-year plan didn’t begin until September of 2007. Officials say they will be approaching the final stages of the project this fall.
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