After a tower outage that cut eastern coverage, Goochland staff propose new radio site and pre‑order of fire engines to manage rising costs
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Summary
Sheriff’s staff described a recent outage at an eastern tower that left responders unable to reach dispatch; staff proposed adding a new tower and moving toward trunking to improve regional interoperability. Fire leadership reported a totaled engine and long lead times for replacements; staff proposed ordering stock engines and a tanker now to achieve discounts and avoid future price and emissions‑driven cost hikes.
Sheriff’s staff told the Board that a Creekmore tower outage this past summer caused a near‑complete loss of handheld communications in the eastern county when generator and battery systems failed. The presenter said handheld radios reliably reach approximately 6–10 air miles under normal conditions and that, with the Creekmore outage, eastern responders were unable to speak to dispatch until redundant paths were restored. Staff said this event exposed a vulnerability in the current conventional radio system and recommended adding a transmitter site in the northeast sector to improve coverage and building penetration.
The presenter also explained operational advantages of migrating toward a trunking radio architecture that would improve channel availability and interoperability with neighboring jurisdictions; that migration would require additional infrastructure and potential membership or joining of a regional radio network.
Fire/rescue staff reported that an engine was declared a total loss after a crash earlier this year and that insurance proceeds (~$194,750) fall well short of current replacement pricing for a modern engine (roughly $1.2 million per unit). Chief staff described long delivery lead times (24–48 months) in the current vendor environment and inflationary pressure on apparatus. To mitigate cost escalation and delivery delays, staff proposed ordering three stock engines and one tanker now (a stock tanker and stock engines have shorter delivery and lower price points than fully custom units). Staff estimated that ordering now could save roughly $800,000 across the package versus waiting and potentially facing new EPA diesel emission standards and further inflation.
Funding options discussed included using: existing CIP appropriations, insurance proceeds, the county’s future capital projects fund balance (staff cited ~$17 million available), proffers, and limited debt financing. Board members noted the operational consequences of adding apparatus (staffing and ongoing operating costs) but expressed support for pursuing near‑term procurement steps to preserve pricing and delivery positions.
What’s next: staff will return with formal purchase requests and proposed funding sources and said the tanker in particular needs swift action to hold a preferred procurement slot.