Iowa
Warren County is ready to replace its aging and problem-prone 911 communications system to the tune of nearly $11 million, according to the county board of supervisors chairwoman.
The current 911 system, according to officials, is inconsistent and does not provide adequate coverage. Plus, it went down for two weeks in late 2018, coinciding with an armed robbery of a bank, reported the Des Moines Register.
On April 9, The Warren County Emergency Management Commission voted in favor of the new 911 system. They also agreed to contract with Omnicom Consulting Group to manage the installation; Motorola will provide and install the hardware, including towers and radios.
The county expects to pay $10.6 million for five new tower sites and the simulcast system. Two towers already exist in the county which will be incorporated into the new seven-tower system, reported the Register. Additionally, the county will pay $343,000 for the seven-site VHF simulcast paging sub-system.
However, there’s still disagreement over who will pay the approximately $1,453,000 for the 72 mobile radios, 213 portable radios, and 11 emergency school radios. Motorola will provide the radio systems to school districts in the county at no cost, reported the Register. Comments? Email Us.
April 17, 2019
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