A new radio system that emergency departments throughout the province have been switching to is designed to substantially improve inter-agency communication and by extension, enhance coordination as well as decrease response times.
The Sundre Fire Department went live with the Alberta First Responders Radio Communications System (AFRRCS) earlier this month, said Chief Marty Butts.
The older system it replaced had been deteriorating and crashing, he said, and all of the fire departments in Mountain View County have now upgraded to the new radio network.
AFRRCS is a two-way radio system for first responders in municipal, provincial as well as First Nations agencies throughout Alberta. The province funded construction of the network’s towers, which became operational on July 1, 2016, along with its operation and maintenance, the government’s website states.
However, individual departments seeking to upgrade their equipment to join the new radio system had to find the dollars in their budgets, so some agencies were able to get on board quicker than others.
“It’s something everyone’s merging to as costs allow,” said Butts.
“EMS is already on it and police will be eventually going to it.”
The investment is a worthwhile one, he said, adding the new network will provide better coverage in the West Country and surrounding area.
“We can talk across Alberta on this system if need be in a major disaster,” he said, adding that improved compatibility for communications will make handling major emergencies that much easier courtesy of better coordination.
“The outcome of calls will hopefully improve,” he said.
“It’s exciting to have a new system that will provide better coverage for us as we go into the West Country where we were very poor for communication.”
According to a report presented to council during the Jan. 21 meeting, the Sundre Fire Department went live with the new radio system on Jan. 11.
“The learning curve is high for the members but everybody’s adjusting well,” said Butts, adding, “there’s a bit of new training involved with the new system.”
Although all of the fire departments in Mountain View County are now using the new radio network, the Clearwater County Regional Fire Department has not yet been able to upgrade to the new system, he said.
Clearwater County fire Chief Steve Debienne said his department is exploring its options but that the expense to upgrade is currently prohibitive.
“It’s very costly for us to migrate to AFRRCS,” said Debienne.
“That’s the holdup.”
Previously working out of Saskatchewan -- which also established a network similar to AFRRCS called the Provincial Public Safety Telecommunications Network nearly 10 years ago -- Debienne said that process involved some growing pains. But once up and running, there was a strong provincewide system in place that “made operability between agencies seamless.”
However, reaching that point required a substantial investment of funding and time. Additionally, the challenging terrain and topography in a sizeable area such as Clearwater County creates technical problems, he said.
“The digital network won’t cover everywhere because of the mountains.”
The concept of AFRRCS is wonderful, said Debienne, adding the system's wrinkles will eventually be ironed out.
In the meantime, his department, which has an elaborate radio system owned by Clearwater County, is working on migrating its command units over to a tri-band radio system that will allow them to operate their existing radio network while also having the ability to tie in with partners who have already transitioned to AFRRCS, he said.
“Early in 2019 we’ll have half of our command units set up with that system.”
Meanwhile, Sundre RCMP expect to be up and running on the new AFRRCS radio system in the coming months.
“It’s going to happen,” said Sundre RCMP Cpl. Joe Mandel, adding during a Friday interview that his understanding is the local, as all as other surrounding area RCMP detachments, will be migrating to AFRRCS in March.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
“The system has been due for an upgrade for a long time.”
He said being able to communicate easier between different emergency agencies around the province will undoubtedly facilitate coordinated responses to what seems to be a growing frequency of major disasters such as the devastating wildfires in Fort Mac and Slave Lake as well as reoccurring floods, he said.
“That’s a plus.”
