New radios will improve emergency communication 10/8/2013
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, October 8, 2013
By Rupert Howell
Tait North America is apparent low bidder at $597,120.90 in a long process of supplying Panola County’s first responders, including sheriff’s deputies, rural fire departments, road and solid waste departments and Emergency Management personnel with 700 MHz frequency radios that allow communications across the county as well as the statewide MSWIN system.
Original figures using state contract numbers were estimated to cost over twice the amount of Monday’s low bid according to Emergency Management Director Daniel Cole who worked with the E-911 board in securing bids and compiling input for bid specifications.
Radio woes have been prevalent for years due to spotty coverage but recent state mandated frequency changes added to the problem. Municipal 911 systems will also have the new radios.
Currently emergency responders and departments are not tied together and some areas in the county do not have communications coverage.
Road manager Lygunnah Bean had previously noted that his department’s radios work well on a daily basis but emphasized that when a severe storm comes through such as Katrina in 2005, “I can’t communicate with anyone.”
Cole explained earlier that the county had never had a county-wide system, but a “hodge-podge” of frequencies used by different agencies and departments.
The county accepted bids earlier this year, but controversy beween bidders Tait, Motorola and the county forced supervisors to decide to rebid with specifications that both bidders clearly understood.
The result was three bidders and savings of about $100,000 from the first round of bids with the same company the apparent low bidder.
Panola County Administrator Kelley Magee also earlier told supervisors that E-911 funds were available to cover approximately $60,000 in yearly payments.
Cole had earlier explained that an estimated $322,000 was needed just to replace three dispatcher consoles at the county’s E-911 dispatch center in addition to the new system with Magee stating the available funds would about cover the consoles.
