Habersham Approves New Public Safety Radio, Waives Aquatic Center Fees
The Habersham Board of Commissioners has approved a request for proposal for a new public safety radio system. The approved system guarantees 95 percent coverage in Habersham County.
All first responders in Habersham County, including law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services rely on the radio system to communicate with each other in the field, receive real-time updates and stay connected to the dispatch center while responding to emergencies.
Other departments such as the Coroner’s Office, the Habersham Road Department and Animal Control will also be able to use the system.
The existing system has reached the end of life. In many cases, replacement parts are no longer available.
Meanwhile, public safety radio needs have advanced beyond the capability of the units currently in use.
Therefore, Habersham County commissioned the creation of a Radio System RFP to replace the existing radio infrastructure.
The RFP to outline the specifications desired and was drafted by the county’s consultant, TUSA Consulting Services.
The drafted specifications set a requirement for 95% of the county to have radio coverage. This system utilizes the Project 25 (P25) Public Safety communications standard developed by public safety professionals. P25 standards for two-way radio systems have become the industry norm because of the enhanced reliability and the ability for radios on different systems to communicate regardless of the manufacturer.
Interoperability, or the ability to effectively connect with other radio systems, is particularly important in fast-moving events that involve multiple jurisdictions.
The bulk of the funding, at $7.2 million, will be sourced from the 2020 SPLOST. The remaining funds will be sourced from the American Recovery Plan funding provided to Habersham County. The total cost for infrastructure is about $9.6 million.
“We all know we must maintain and update our communications infrastructure. It’s so important,” said 911 Director Lynn Smith.
“This is not a want. This is an absolute necessity,” Director Smith added, “This is something that’s so important to our public safety that we just cannot overlook it.”
As part of the upgrade, Habersham County plans to utilize 8 towers to improve radio coverage. These towers will be located throughout the county to provide coverage to communication to all cities within the county, along with county property.
Another note from Habersham County…Beginning Jan. 1, 2022 fees for use of gymnasiums and pools at the Ruby C. Fulbright Aquatic Center will be waived for Habersham County residents. Anyone in the county that has purchased passes that will exceed January 1st will be refunded a prorated check. The waived fee will allow free access to the gymnasiums and pools when scheduled events are not in session. This does not include group rentals.