Emergency radio upgrades will cost

A new federal mandate requiring emergency radios be upgraded will cost some organizations — including volunteer fire departments and rescue squads — thousands of dollars.

"We basically just got a letter from emergency services saying we have to change broadcasts to narrow bands, which apparently means we are going to have to replace some of our radios and pagers," Waddington Rescue Squad Chief Irving Tomlins said.

Waddington's squad is among the smallest in St. Lawrence County, but Mr. Tomlins estimated the mandate from the Federal Communications Commission would cost his department $4,000.

"A new pager runs about $400, so if we have to replace ten, that's $4,000," he said.

Although the regulation will not take effect until Jan. 1, 2013, an initiative is under way by St. Lawrence County Emergency Services to prepare for the transition. In addition to cost concerns, St. Lawrence County's proximity to Canada means little frequency is left; Canada switched its systems years ago.

The FCC requirement says that all existing licensees must implement equipment designed to operate on channel bandwidths of 12.5 kHz or less or that meets a specific efficiency standard. All licensees will have to convert their wideband (25 kHz) systems to narrowband (12.5 kHz) operation. Any equipment that is not capable of operating on channels of 12.5 kHz or less will have to be replaced.

The FCC did not return calls seeking comment.

The purpose of the switch is to allow more users to communicate over the same amount of bandwidth. The move will require some highway departments, law enforcement agencies, fire departments, rescue squads and businesses to purchase new radios and pagers.

St. Lawrence County Director of Emergency Services Martin J. Hassett said radios purchased after 1995 will be compatible with the switch but will have to be reprogrammed, while any older equipment will have to be replaced.

"It is going to be a large impact," he said.

Eric S. Wehr, of Wells Communications, Troy, said a similar initiative was pushed by the FCC in 1995, but was delayed until 2013 because of cost concerns.

"They were going to try to institute it back then, but obviously there was a lot of adverse reaction in trying to replace radios," he said. "Over the last 12 years, the FCC has worked with manufacturers to make sure any radios made after that date can be converted to narrow band."

Mr. Hassett said a survey was sent to each fire and rescue squad throughout the county to determine the number of devices that will have to be replaced and it will be made available when it is complete.

Although the mandate is unfunded, Mr. Hassett said, departments will be encouraged to seek grants.

"What we are going to do is direct our departments to apply for firefighter grant programs, to provide new pagers that are compatible for narrowbanding," he said.

While Mr. Wehr said the FCC rule will benefit most of the country, the north country's proximity to Canada could prove to be problematic.

"In most of the country, frequency spectrum is a huge issue," he said. "Up here, we have not had any problems. Unfortunately, because we are within 150 miles of 80 percent of Canada's population, they have eaten up most of or all of the spectrum available, so it's not really helping us out at all."

Mr. Hassett said the Department of Emergency Services will have to work with the FCC and Canada's Department of Communications to recoordinate frequencies.

"It's going to be a long process," he said.