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Emergency services officials outline 9‑1‑1 center refresh, radio rollouts, CAD and microwave upgrades
Summary
The department said the 9‑1‑1 communications center will undergo a six‑week refresh beginning March 3; radio firmware and programming issues are being worked with vendor engineers before a larger rollout; a Tyler CAD upgrade will roll out in March; and a county microwave replacement installation is expected to start in June.
Jennifer Utz, St. Mary's County Director of Emergency Services, updated the Emergency Services Board on a series of operations and technology projects affecting 9‑1‑1, radio fleets, computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and microwave backbone replacement.
Ut z said the full 9‑1‑1 center refresh begins Monday, March 3, and staff will operate from the backup center during an estimated six‑week rehabilitation. She said the department has a redundancy plan and will communicate failover details with partner agencies.
On portable radios, Utz said engineers from Harris Engineering are working on firmware and clarity settings after partners reported audio clarity concerns. The department has received 132 additional XL‑400 portable radios for the fire department but will hold broader rollouts until programming and settings are verified.
Utz said the Tyler CAD upgrade is due for rollout in March and that county IT and the CAD team are conducting testing; she reported no major issues so far. She added the county's microwave system replacement is progressing: site visits were completed in January/February, a detailed design review is scheduled for April and installations are expected to begin in June.
"That will take us approximately 6 weeks, to rehab that center," Utz said about the 9‑1‑1 refresh, and she thanked the Maryland 9‑1‑1 Board and county commissioners for support of the project.
Board members asked operational questions and received assurances that redundancy plans and partner notifications are in place.
