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Council flags communications shortfalls in EOP: no radio room, limited cell service, generator questions
Summary
Councilors told the plan writer the draft assumes equipment and redundancy the city does not have: no radio room/EOC equipment, no landline at city hall, limited cell service and a generator whose capacity must be tested to support minimal communications.
As part of the Emergency Operations Plan review, councilors discussed specific communications vulnerabilities at city hall: no dedicated radio room, no landline (phone service folded into internet), and limited or no cellular coverage at the municipal site. Nicole Trenton noted that the draft references telephones, fax machines and radio systems kept in an EOC radio room, but "the city does not have a radio room" in practice.
Councilors discussed options to address redundancy, including: a satellite phone, two‑way radio sets, repeaters or prioritized recommendations from emergency‑response leadership. The council asked staff to research costs and possible surplus equipment or state‑recommended devices and to test whether the city’s existing portable generator (rated about 900 running watts) could power a modem, router and minimal lights to keep communications running during outages.
The group agreed to ask the fire chief and Lane County emergency personnel about recommended equipment and possible shared resources, and to report back with cost estimates and operational recommendations ahead of the plan revision deadline.
What happens next: Staff will research recommended communications equipment, test the generator, and collect county guidance to inform a revised EOP.
