This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

NORTH HURON – Fire Chief Marty Bedard received authorization from North Huron council to enter into a joint project agreement with the Morris-Turnberry public works department, choosing safety over politics after a lengthy discussion that included previous disappointments with the neighbouring community.

This project will update the current fire department radio system to a safer and more modern communication tool for first responders, eliminating existing “dead spots” and weak transmission areas highlighted in Bedard’s report.

The current fire department radio communication system is dated, Bedard said in his report.

“It features two separate antenna sites with each site having its own VHF repeater. Two antenna sites are necessary because there are no suitable locations with the right ground elevation and/or tower height to provide acceptable radio coverage using just one antenna site,” wrote Bedard.

The two separate sites operate independently and are on two different radio channels.

The report said that firefighters must manually change the channels if they need to communicate with first responders from the other area.

“A firefighter on the Blyth channel cannot communicate with a firefighter on the Wingham channel,” wrote Bedard. “It is imperative that all users communicate on the same channel. Unfortunately, channel selection errors do occur, resulting in lost communications which jeopardize firefighter safety.”

Bedard outlined some other drawbacks to the current system, including dispatchers having to put out two separate calls when emergencies happen, one to home base and the other to the other station. Additionally, “the township currently has no ability to do proactive monitoring, remote diagnostics, or remote repairs. If there is a repeater failure, it goes unnoticed until someone tries to use the radio system,” he said. “Public safety systems need to be operational at all times to ensure the alerting and rapid deployment of first responders occurs with no response delays.”

Funding for this project is necessary. North Huron did apply for Modernization Funding – Intake 3, in partnership with the public works department, but the application was denied.

Morris-Turnberry made the same application in 2020 and was approved for some funding, according to Bedard.

“Morris-Turnberry has expressed an interest to join North Huron’s Fire Department on this new system,” Bedard’s report said. “North Huron Public Works has decided not to upgrade to the new system at this time due to lack of funding.”

Coun. Kevin Falconer made several comments about his lack of trust in Morris-Turnberry council to fulfill their commitment to the project, referring to past behaviour where they backed out of agreements with North Huron and lack of communication between the two councils.

Reeve Bernie Bailey responded by saying although he concurs that Falconer’s trust issues are not unfounded, “at the end of the day, this is about our firefighter’s safety and the safety of the community.”

Falconer made a motion to move ahead with the project without partnering with Morris-Turnberry, but nobody moved to second that motion.

The project is more feasible with the partnership between the two communities, which would undoubtedly still require the communication services, Coun. Chris Palmer pointed out, “if a fire or an accident were to happen near the border.”

“The new radio system infrastructure uses simulcast technology to solve the above noted problems,” the report said. “This technology has been deployed throughout the world and since 2012 many public safety agencies in Ontario have implemented it because of its robust and reliable design.

“Even though the system will still have two antenna sites, the radios will operate on a single channel and firefighters will no longer have to choose between sites. The two tower sites operate together simultaneously (simulcast) and the system itself decides which tower a specific radio will communicate through.”

Additionally, firefighters receiving the dispatch broadcasts will all get the call at the same time, every time.

All existing portable radios and mobile radios will function on the new system; there is no need to upgrade or purchase new radios to move to this platform.

Bedard’s report said that “price quotes received last October showed the new system costing $166,959.25 for a single user or $103,194.76 each for two users. These prices include taxes and annual maintenance fees and tower rental fees for the first year. Please note these prices may change slightly since they are five months old.”

The fire department will utilize its reserve funds for this project. However, it will have to defer the extrication equipment budgeted to be replaced this year to next year.

Bedard added that other agencies such as public works could take advantage of the extensive coverage area and other key system features simply by adding repeaters.

In addition, all other infrastructure components can be shared with no impairment to existing users.

Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com