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Warwick to use federal grant to relocate, upgrade fire dispatch equipment; council approves extra spending
Summary
The finance committee approved two contract increases — one for Motorola radio equipment and one for specialized dispatcher consoles and furniture — to complete relocation and upgrades to the city’s fire emergency communications center, funded largely by a Department of Homeland Security grant.
The Warwick City Council finance committee approved changes to two public-safety contracts to relocate and upgrade the fire department’s emergency communications equipment using a federal grant.
The changes increase Motorola Solutions’ spend authority by $604,392 to cover replacement and installation of communications hardware and software, and add $104,905.20 to purchase three specialized dispatcher consoles and related furniture. Assistant Chief Umben Howard told the committee the work is funded by a Department of Homeland Security grant that will reimburse 75% of eligible costs.
The memorandum of request presented to the committee said the federal portion of the $604,392 increase would reimburse $453,294 and the city would provide a 25% local match from the fire department budget. “The funding from this grama is 75% funded by the federal government,” Assistant Chief Umben Howard said during the committee presentation.
Why it matters: city officials said the existing dispatch center’s building is not suited to modern communications equipment and must be replaced. The upgrade will move communications to the Potawatomi Fire Station (station 10) and keep the same dispatch staff. “It’ll be the same personnel, same dispatchers. You’ll just move to a different location when it’s ready to go,” a fire department representative said.
Details and timeline: officials said the new center will be built, tested and fully operational at Potawatomi before the old Sandy Lane dispatch center is shut down to avoid any interruption in service. The project includes hardware, software, security updates and later purchases for consoles and furniture that form the dispatcher workstations. The committee was told Motorola’s pricing structure is set for public safety agencies and that local service and installation will be provided by Cybercom/Cyber Communications.
Discussion and safeguards: council members asked about grant reimbursement risks after recent national slowdowns in federal processing. The fire department said initial reimbursement requests had been paid; two recent requests were pending and believed delayed by federal staffing constraints. Committee members also pressed for clarity on warranties and the breakdown between equipment and services for grant accounting; the department provided a line-item breakdown to satisfy grant reporting.
Action taken: the finance committee moved the contract increases forward as part of its bid package; the city council later considered related budgetary approvals. The committee recorded the contract alterations as part of the bid package vote.
Next steps: staff will complete the implementation, move dispatch operations after the new facility is tested, and return to the council for any remaining procurement or capital items tied to the project.
