9 results
Cell signal boosters were placed in mobile communication units throughout the region. The units include Field Communication Units 40 and 50; the Berkshire County Sheriff Office’s Mobile Command Unit, the Pittsfield Police Department Mobile Command Unit, and the Department of Fire Service Incident Response Unit. This project was completed in July 2014.
Reference: Cell signal boosters, Public Safety Communications
WRHSAC is assisting the thirteen municipal police departments in the Hampshire Hills region to transition from the antiquated VHF system they have been using to the Massachusetts Trunked Digital 800 MHz system. WRHSAC is providing mobile radios for patrol vehicles, portable radios for personnel, and digital vehicular repeaters which repeat the radio signal received at the car and re-transmit it out. This is particular useful to ensure coverage to the portable radios. This upgrade is enhancing communication coverage, improving system reliability and enhancing safety of both the public and police personnel. This project is ongoing going, with 9 of the 13 department outfitted to date – December 2015.
Reference: Hampshire Hills 800, Public Safety Communications
This project improved coverage of the CMED system throughout the Pioneer Valley region with a specific focus to the eastern and western edges of the system in Hampden and Hampshire County. New antennas and base stations were placed at four hospitals. A MED9 Tactical interoperable communication channel was added and can be used along the Interstate 91 corridor in Hampden & Hampshire counties. This project was completed in September 2014.
Reference: CMED, Interoperability, Public Safety Communications, western Massachusetts
The Western Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (WMLEC) UHF emergency communication system has been upgraded from a five-site system, to a ten site fully digital system. The system is used as a daily operations system for many police departments in Hampden and Hampshire County and serves a secondary, mutual-aid system for fire, EMS and police throughout the three counties. The upgrade converted current equipment to digital, installed digital equipment at 5 additional sights, expanded system coverage into Berkshire County and addressed gaps in the Hampshire Hills region. The project also linked the WMLEC system and the Massachusetts 800 digital trunked system through an IP Cloud. Several microwave links were also made redundant through fiber links. This project is complete. The system became fully dual-mode functional in the fall of 2015
Reference: Interoperability, Public Safety Communications, WMLEC
WRHSAC’s Interoperability Subcommittee utilizes the support of a communications engineering specialist as a subject matter expert for all public safety communication projects it funds. The engineer ensures the system are state of the art design, meet the needs of the region, and helps to determine best avenues for interoperable between different communication systems. This is ongoing.
Reference: Berkshire County Simulcast, Franklin County Emergency Communications System, Interoperability, Public Safety Communications, WMLEC
The Franklin County Emergency Communications System (FCECS) serves the public safety agencies in Franklin County and is owned by the Franklin Regional Council of Governments. The system is supported through user fees. Over the past several years, WRHSAC has funded the buildout of the system from its original 1950’s design of a three-tower VHF system to its current 14 tower duplex UHF simulcast system. A recent upgrade to the system was completed to address coverage gaps in Western Franklin County along the Rt. 202 corridor, particularly in the towns of Orange and Shutesbury. A new tower was built in Orange, and additional repeaters were placed there and in Shutesbury. The upgrades were complete June 2013.
Reference: FCECS, Franklin County Emergency Communications System, Interoperability, Public Safety Communications
The Western Region Homeland Security Advisory Council purchased twenty-eight Harris Unity XG-100P multi-band radios. Seven radios are located in four caches in the region, one in each county. The radios have the ability to be used on any public safety communication system in the region and are available for use by public safety agencies throughout Western Mass. To locate the radio cache closest to you and learn how to borrow the radios, please see the WRHSAC Resource Guide.
Reference: Interoperability, Multi band radios, Public Safety Communications
Berkshire County Simulcast system serves the majority of public safety agencies in Berkshire County. Berkshire County Sheriff’s Office dispatches the system. The system is supported through user fees. The WRHSAC has been assisting with the buildout of Berkshire County’s UHF/VHF Simulcast system over several years. Recent work upgraded the system from one simplex county fire channel to three channels on the system. The project also added UHF/VHF simulcast and regional repeaters to an existing tower in Northern Berkshire County. This upgrade was completed in late 2012.
Reference: Berkshire County Simulcast, Interoperability, Public Safety Communications
WRHSAC conducted regionally based After Action Reports to review the regional response to both the June 1, 2011 Tornado that touched down in Hampden County and ran into Worcester County, and Tropical Storm Irene 2011. Both AARs showed the many strengths and areas for improvement in the response from first responder agencies throughout the region. WRHSAC uses both these documents to identify areas of need in emergency preparedness. The documents are considered “sensative but unclassified.” WRHSAC has therefore decided not to post the documents to the website. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of either AAR, please contact Susan Brown, Homeland Security Program Manager.
Reference: Public Safety Communications, Shelter Planning, Tornado, Tropical Storm Irene
