After four years, rebuild of Branch County emergency radio systems nears completion

Don Reid, The Daily Reporter
·3 min read

Countdown to completion is underway for the new Branch County emergency dispatch radio system.

Ali Shahnami, from consultant ACD Telecom, told Branch County Commission and 911 advisory board that, if there are no issues, "we will wrap this up in July."

Shalnami became involved in 2018, when he conducted a needs assessment for 911. Recommended was a conversion to a digital radio system on the higher 700 MHz bands compatible with Michigan State Police's 800-MHz system.

Installed and working are:

  • Five new radio towers.

  • 282 hand-held portable radios.

  • 108 mobile units.

  • 148 pagers for firefighters.

Final payments soon will be due at around $8.6 million, about $600,000 less than the total authorized amount. Voters in November 2020 approved an increase from 42 cents to $2.96 a month for six years for a surcharge on all phone lines billed in Branch County to pay for the upgrade of the antiquated system set up in 1992.

Shahnami said the system, which is the new P25 mobile service, is suitable for 15 to 20 years of service with only software upgrades.

The consultant first determined what each user needed and designed a system to meet those needs. J&K Communications from Indiana was the low bidder.

The consultant said the contractor provides a two-year warranty when the final system acceptance takes place. They are responsible for all service. The county also purchased a six-year extended warranty contract on the Kenwood radio system.

Police and fire personnel tested radios within half-mile quadrants in rural areas and quarter-mile quadrants in urban areas, to ensure communication.

"It is not 100 percent coverage. It is 95 to 97 percent coverage," Shahnami said. A few instances of spotty coverage are in remote areas, on portable units.

There is no major problem with mobile unit service.

Sheriff John Pollack said 97 percent is "pretty good."

Barry Schrader at Michigan State Police said troopers are logging issues between the state police radio system and Branch County. There was a contact issue near the state line on I-69 earlier this week.

Shahnami said J&K adjusted the Branch system to ensure "interoperability" between the county and state police.

At the Matteson Township meeting this week, Bronson Fire Chief Scott Wilber said, "I'll back up the sheriff on the fact that the radio systems are absolutely amazing."

Bronson's fire department covers the six townships.

"We have not found a single dead spot in our fire district yet, which is 192 square miles," Wilber said. "We've gone in people's basements and tested out crystal clear everywhere we go."

Wilber praised Shahnami.

"I think hiring that consultant is about the smartest thing that I've ever been involved with," Wilber said. "But he's a bulldog. He made sure the system was fantastic before one penny was spent on it."

As the project developed, there was some disagreement between the 911 board and county commissioners regarding control. Now that the process is nearing completion, Wilber said it has been "a great project" involving the public safety agencies in the county, county commissioners and 911 center.

"Everybody came together and really knocked it out of the park," he said.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Reporter: Rebuild of Branch County emergency radio systems nears completion