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DPS radio shop trains technicians for tower work, drops outside contract to save costs
Summary
Department of Public Safety officials said their radio-technology staff completed tower-climbing training for several technicians and that the in-house capability allowed the department to end a costly outside contract for tower maintenance.
Department of Public Safety staff told lawmakers on Jan. 30 that the agency’s radio-technology shop has trained existing technicians to perform tower work, reducing reliance on an outside contractor and improving wintertime response times.
Corey Chase, who runs the radio technology shop, said the team maintains a statewide land mobile radio network and supports first responders and other agencies. Commissioner Jennifer Morrison noted the shop also manages more than 700 phone lines used by Public Safety. Chase said the shop has 11 staff members total and that six technicians are now trained for tower work, which previously required paying out-of-state contractors.
"That simple step of saying, hey, let's get these guys certified ... was a really smart efficiency," Morrison said, describing the decision to retrain existing staff rather than add positions. Chase confirmed the department did not add positions to perform the tower work but trained current technicians and thereby eliminated the contract expense; staff offered to provide a cost-savings figure on request.
Committee members asked about winter climbs, microwave alignment and limits to in-house planning. Officials said many towers are on mountaintops and difficult to access in winter, and that some complex planning or high-risk climbs will still require outside assistance. The department said the in-house training reduces response time and vendor costs for routine repairs and alignment.
Staff also noted the radio shop is involved in larger, ongoing discussions about the future of public-safety communications and a task force evaluating statewide versus regional models for dispatch and communications systems.
Officials offered to follow up with the committee on the precise savings from ending the contract and the number of technicians certified for tower work.
