Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Emergency Communications topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Winnebago County officials weigh fixes for unreliable EMS paging system
Summary
County EMS told supervisors that pagers and handheld radios fail in parts of northwest Winnebago County, prompting discussion of building boosters (~$2,200 each), software upgrades for dispatching (BRICS) and the high cost of a new tower (estimates in the low millions). Supervisors asked staff for cost estimates and options.
Paul Armstrong, identified in the meeting as the county EMS presenter, told the Winnebago County Board of Supervisors that pagers and portable radios fail intermittently across parts of the northwest county, leaving some crews unaware of calls.
The issue, Armstrong said, shows up unevenly: vehicle radios generally have statewide coverage, but handhelds and pagers are “hit and miss” in concrete and metal buildings, at certain homes and in pockets such as Thompson and Buffalo Center. He said the county has tried help measures already, including grant-funded pagers and a booster for the Thompson fire hall.
Armstrong gave a range of possible approaches and their trade-offs. Short-term fixes include in-building boosters (an example figure discussed was about $2,200 for a single-room booster), charging-base amplifiers and pager chargers that improve indoors reception. He said an AI/dispatcher upgrade to the BRICS dispatch app could automate paging and reduce missed pages; the installation quote discussed with staff was approximately $100,000 plus a potential annual service fee that a presenter estimated in the tens of thousands. A longer-term solution—building a dedicated county tower or a shared inter-county tower—would cost far more: participants gave low- and high-end estimates ranging from roughly $1.8–$2 million up to several million, depending on equipment and engineering.
Officials emphasized trade-offs. Smaller, building-specific boosters can fix station or nursing-home dead zones but do not provide blanket coverage; a county-owned tower could serve many agencies but requires large capital outlay and ongoing engineering. Participants also discussed sharing infrastructure with neighboring counties or seeking federal/state grants and wind-farm or developer mitigation funds as potential revenue sources.
Board members asked staff to return with clearer cost estimates and phased options. The supervisors did not take action at the meeting beyond asking for more information and setting follow-up timing.
