County emergency-management leaders flag telecommunications gaps, ask for coordinated funding approach

Glenn, the county’s emergency-management lead, told commissioners the county faces aging public-communications infrastructure and limited grant options for VHF repeater upgrades.

Glenn said repeaters on Lock Hill, Blowout and Hayden are aging and need work; the Hayden repeater in particular supports backcountry search-and-rescue and mountain rescue operations. He said, “there is nothing really out there for VHF increases” and that most modern grant programs focus on 800-megahertz systems. Glenn described a possible funding source administered by Colorado Parks and Wildlife — the Backcountry Search and Rescue (BSR) fund — and asked staff to explore whether that statute could support upgrades for repeaters used by mountain rescue operations. County attorney Leo referenced the statutory citation used for the BSR funding during the meeting (transcript: “33 1 1 12.5”) and said he would help the sheriff’s office and mountain rescue evaluate eligibility and use of the fund.

Commissioners and department heads discussed whether repeaters are owned and maintained by single entities or shared among agencies. Glenn said the “Log Hill Repeater … services the entire county” and that license ownership is under the sheriff’s office, even where local fire agencies operate other repeaters. Commissioners asked staff to review intergovernmental agreements (IGAs), cost-sharing arrangements, and options to centralize maintenance responsibilities or create a multi-jurisdictional funding approach.

No action was taken; staff will investigate BSR fund eligibility, review existing IGAs and return with recommendations to the board.