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Resident urges action on countywide radio simulcast, officials say fixes are underway
Summary
A Cedar Lake Township resident told the county board the county's radio system sometimes prevents cross-county communication and asked what the board would do. Officials responded that the county is working with Motorola and other vendors on a simulcast upgrade expected to improve coverage and handoffs between towers by year's end.
During public comment at the Sept. 16 meeting, Kathleen Minteri, a Cedar Lake Township resident, urged the Barron County Board to address ongoing problems with countywide radio communications that she said are affecting fire and EMS response.
"It states that Barron County is in the process of upgrading its countywide radio network infrastructure by incorporating a simulcast system," Minteri read from a report she referenced, and she described instances where dispatchers and responders were unable to coordinate because the county frequency was in use or transmissions overlapped. "Users often talk on top of one another," she said, describing interruptions and difficulty paging responders.
County officials responded during the meeting. The chair noted Emergency Management Director Mike Judy is working on two systems and acknowledged prior problems. "Motorola has had some issues, and they're in the process of getting that all situated," the chair said, adding that the county expects improved interoperability "by the end of the year." The chair also said the simulcast upgrade should eliminate manual tower handoffs and allow automatic transitions between towers.
Why it matters: reliable radio communications are critical for timely dispatch and coordination of fire and EMS responders across a largely rural county. The county told the board it is actively pursuing a simulcast solution and vendor fixes to reduce overlapping transmissions and improve paging reliability.
Next steps: County Emergency Management will continue implementing the simulcast upgrade and report progress to the board; the board noted the resident's concerns and the administration said staff and vendors are working to resolve outstanding issues.
