Jones Co. emergency services eye system upgrade

     Statewide in Iowa, emergency services (fire, law enforcement, and EMS) are gearing up to switch to a new radio communications system: P25.

     P25 stands for “Project 25.” The system will allow all of these services to effectively interoperate with one another.

     According to the Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS), “radio communication systems are incompatible and inoperable not just within a jurisdiction, but within departments or agencies in the same community. Non-operability occurs due to use of outdated equipment, limited availability and radio frequencies, isolated or independent planning, lack of coordination, and cooperation between agencies, community priorities competing for resources, funding, and ownership, and control of communications systems.”

     P25 “ensures that two-way radios are interoperable” and “enables public safety responders to communicate with each other and, thus, achieve enhanced coordination, timely response, and efficient and effective use of communications equipment.”

     Britt Smith, Monticello police chief and Monticello Ambulance administrator, said while the Monticello Police Department is ready to make the switch to P25, both the ambulance and fire departments are working toward the expensive upgrade.

     Unfortunately, the state does not have the funding for emergency services to assist with the upgrade. Smith explained P25 is just one of the many options out there.

     “P25 is digital and the most cost-effective,” he said, “and the easiest to implement. P25 makes us the most interoperable with surrounding areas, too.”

     Upgrading to P25 doesn’t just mean each service has to purchase new portable radios, but other equipment was needed as well.

     “I did an inventory of all of the departments,” Smith said of the necessary equipment.

     He estimates one radio could cost about $1,000. The MPD has already purchased the seven required radios for the entire department, thanks to grants, private donations, and Smith’s department operating budget.

     “We can already operate on P25,” Smith said. “We can’t talk to EMS or fire, though, on the same radios until the switch.”

     The ambulance department needs to purchase 16 radios, at a cost of about $20,000. The MFD requires 35 radios for the entire department.

     Smith shared that the MFD did apply for funding for their radios through the AFG (Assistance to Firefighters Grant) program, to the tune of $50,000, but were unsuccessful. He suggested perhaps the MFD might consider going before the Monticello City Council for some funding.

     “If there’s no further assistance, this could be a fallback,” he said.

     The ambulance department is working toward the radio upgrade as well, and has seen received some grants and donations, but not enough to cover the full costs. Smith anticipates also working some of the cost into that department’s FY 2023 operating budget as well.

     P25 isn’t just something emergency services in Monticello are working toward, but all of Jones County.

     “It’s an FCC mandate due to aging equipment,” noted Smith. “The switch over is not something that can happen overnight.”

     Countywide, the tentative date to make the switch is Jan. 1, 2023, per the Jones County 911 Service Board. But with many small-town ambulance and fire services having such limited budgets, Smith said that may not happen on time.

     “It’s also about grant availability,” he said of everyone competing for grant opportunities for the same purpose.

     “So, how can we fund this?” proposed Smith. “We can’t all add $50,000 to our operating budgets.”

     The Service Board, of which Smith is a member, is not in a position to fund a countywide project like this. The Service Board gets its funding through surtaxes placed on landlines and cellular services. This money is used to maintain and update emergency response equipment.

     “They didn’t account for funding to help these services,” Smith said.

     As for those smaller services, Smith said perhaps a request from the Jones County Supervisors might be in order.

     “Are they prepared to kick in anything?” he proposed.

     Smith did praise Jess Wiedenhoff with Jones County Public Health. She was able to apply for a grant to assist rural EMS and fire departments with some funding for the radio upgrade. The grant was through the Iowa Department of Public Health, geared toward emergency services that might be inoperable during a natural disaster.

     “We are thankful for her time and energy,” Smith said.

     Jones County is also working toward declaring EMS as an essential service, which could open up additional funding for these services that are struggling. While this law could help some emergency services in funding an upgrade like this, the funding formula for EMS has yet to be established.

     “We’re at least a year out yet,” Smith said of the formula. “And this (P25) has to be done by 2023, if we don’t extend it out.”

     It also has to go before the public by a vote on the ballot.

     In addition, the Service Board purchased equipment to coincide with the switch-over. The longer that equipment sits unused, the faster is also becomes outdated.

     “We want to get the most use out of that before it becomes obsolete,” Smith said.