Penobscot County emergency communications center reports staffing gains, advances radio upgrades and wins approval to create technical support post

Director Brad LaVoy and Deputy Director Fitzgerald told the Penobscot County Commissioners on April 15 that the county's Public Regional Communications Center (PRCC) has made progress on staffing and technology after a post-COVID recruitment shortfall.

LaVoy said the center now has seven people in training and that the total authorized staffing is 31 positions, leaving the center short by three. Training and background checks were described as lengthy: job shadowing, background investigations, polygraphs and a multi-stage training program that can take about seven to nine months from hire to full duty.

The update also covered a multiyear radio project intended to improve coverage across the northern part of the county. LaVoy said staff are working with the Maine Public Broadcasting Network on lease agreements in Springfield and on a new tower near Millinocket funded with congressional money. He said the center will re-sign a lease in Medway with Atlantic Communications and pursue a renewed lease for a Holden tower now owned by Clearview Tower Company.

Commissioners voted to approve the Holden lease and authorized the administrator and counsel to review and finalize the agreement for signature. The lease had previously let the county occupy the site at approximately $1,000 per year; the new owner proposed higher rent. LaVoy told commissioners the center will send the lease to county counsel (Redmond) for review and then return it for execution. The motion to approve the lease passed unanimously.

The commissioners also considered a new classified position. LaVoy and Deputy Director Fitzgerald proposed creating an Emergency Communication Support Specialist, a technical position to manage AWS integrations, clean up CAD (computer-aided dispatch) addressing data, assist municipal addressing officers and work with county IT and EMA GIS staff. The position is funded in the current budget and was reclassified from a previously planned QA/supervisor role. Commissioners authorized creation of the position and directed PRCC to advertise and begin recruitment; that motion passed unanimously.

LaVoy said PRCC will deploy a mobile STARLINK terminal purchased with ARPA funds at an upcoming county event to improve on-site internet reliability in areas with poor connectivity. He also reported short-term fixes made at Patten tower site where recent equipment upgrades reduced outages and dramatically improved signal for end users.

On legislative issues, LaVoy briefed commissioners on two Maine bills, LD 1608 and LD 808, that would require silent panic alarms in schools. LaVoy said several local schools already integrate such systems through third-party vendor RapidSOS and that PRCC advocated for a stakeholder work group and performance standards before any unfunded state mandate is enacted.

LaVoy asked that successful radio and tower work be highlighted in county communications; commissioners agreed and asked the PRCC team to provide photos for a county newsletter and the website.

Ending: Commissioners directed the county attorney and administration to review the lease language and the position classification paperwork and return final documents for signature and onboarding. PRCC leaders said they would return with lease documents and follow-up on deployment plans for STARLINK and the radio project.