Council authorizes $80,141 emergency-alerting system purchase for fire department

The Smithfield Town Council on March 4 authorized the fire department to enter a sole-source contract with Chief 360 of Georgetown, Delaware for replacement of the department's emergency alerting system at a cost of $80,141, to be funded by a municipal public safety infrastructure grant.

Interim Fire Chief Matt Pearson briefed the council on the need to update the aging alerting console and station alert devices. Pearson said the current system is older, difficult to source parts for and has begun to fail intermittently; the new system will include monitored maintenance, allow use of the town's preferred local contractors for installation, and reuse some existing speaker equipment to reduce cost. He said the selected system was substantially less expensive than some alternatives the department reviewed.

Pearson said the replacement will improve reliability (including ability to remotely open station doors for mutual-aid companies) and that installers have laid out a floor plan and are ready to proceed. He estimated the system should be installed within a few months. Council members asked whether the issue posed an immediate safety problem; Pearson said there was redundant alerting but that the aging system required replacement.

The council approved the contract authorization by voice vote; the chair announced "Ayes have it." The transcript records funding as coming from the municipal public safety infrastructure grant.