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Committee approves 9‑1‑1 radio-system changes to improve interoperability and upgrades county storm sirens
Summary
The committee approved a change in scope to the 9‑1‑1 center radio system replacement project to improve interoperability with Lake Geneva dispatch and to add cellular-enabled upgrades to county storm sirens so sirens can be targeted by National Weather Service polygons.
County public-safety staff asked the executive committee to approve an expanded scope for the 9‑1‑1 center radio replacement (project C2101) to improve interoperability with Lake Geneva and to upgrade county storm sirens; the committee approved the request.
A county project manager described two additions to the originally scoped radio project. First, he said Lake Geneva uses the same CAD system but currently cannot see county first-responder activity on the county CAD; the change would allow shared visibility so responding units and dispatchers in both jurisdictions can see calls and unit status in real time. The manager said Whitewater has been on the county CAD for many years and the Lake Geneva addition would mirror existing interoperability with Whitewater.
Second, staff proposed adding cellular-enabled controllers to municipal-owned sirens so each siren’s status (battery health, power) can be monitored and so skin-by-skin siren activation can be driven by National Weather Service polygons. The presenter said that under the current setup either all county sirens activate or none do; polygon-driven activation would allow sirens only in affected areas to sound, reducing false alarms in unaffected municipalities.
Staff reported the project is running under budget and cited an available contingency of approximately $4.6 million; the presenter said additional costs would be limited mainly to dismantling the old system and some crane rentals to remove equipment. Committee members asked questions about dispatch-console capacity at partner centers and staffing plans; staff said partner dispatch centers have consoles and laptop-based consoles can be used when mutual aid is needed.
A motion to approve the scope change and the siren upgrade was seconded and carried on a voice vote.
Staff will proceed with implementation and coordinate with municipal siren owners on equipment installation and monitoring.
