2/18/1992 - Laserfiche WebLink

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noK �"5 F„rE 5 5 a, With only eleven channels, the county area is in a position wherein additional allocations will be needed since there is in excess of eighteen hundred (1,800) units (VHF, UHF, and 800MHz conventional trunking - not public safety trunking) existing in the area now. If the agencies in the county area utilize the 800MHz Public Safety Trunking radio system, relinquishment of the lower frequencies within a certain time frame after issuance of the 800MHz license is required. It should be noted that Indian River County currently has five (5) public safety trunking radio frequencies which are being used in a conventional mode with conventional 800MHz communications equipment. The urgency of the matter is that Indian River County received Amendment #4 to the Florida Region 9 Plan dated December 11, 1991, which compressed the deadline for filing an FCC application to May 7, 1992. This put the county on notice that if the application for the allotment is not filed by that date, the channels will be subject to reallotment to other,agencies. Failure to file the application submits the county to the possibility that no channels will be available for allocation since other counties already have applications filed seeking additional channels after the May 7, 1992, window or deadline passes. Staff has been meeting with municipality and agency representatives since December 13, 1991s, to address this issue and determine the feasibility for submitting an application. The committee has taken the approach that it would be more beneficial for all to pool the available charnels wherein each could maintain their own autonomy, but still be able to talk to any or all entities included in the system. Several agencies, including county entities, indicated severe problems with interference, dead spots, limited portable radio capability, and skips in the current VHF and UHF spectrum being utilized. The committee members are all in need of additional information beforea recommendation can be made to their respective governing body. Based on the above information, the County Administrator authorized the Director of Emergency Services to issue a Request For Proposals to seek a consultant to do a preliminary study of the existing communications system and the potential benefit of an 800MHz Public Safety Trunked'radio system. The study is needed to provide staff and the Board with sufficient information to determine if an application should be filed and if funding should be committed over the next five years for the county's pro rata share of the system. There is obviously a short time frame in which the study would have to be completed. The RFP's were issued on February 3, 1992, and returned on February 14, 1992, with five consultants or firms submitting a response as follows: CONSULTANT/FIRk STUDY COST Frederick G. Griffin, PC Lynchburg, Va. Henkels & McCoy, Inc. Orlando, F1 Omnicom, Inc. Tallahassee, F1 Lockard & White, Inc. Houston, Tx Ram Communications Consultants, Inc. Phoenix, Arizona 32 $13,070.00 $7,672.00 $16,113.14 Project cost not stated $56,708.00 � r �