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MARCS radio system under review
Published Thursday, April 16, 2009
A crippled radio tower could offer the signal for a change in the county’s communications system.
At Wednesday’s Lawrence County Commission meeting, a request to repair a tower in South Point used by the sheriff’s office was tabled so the commissioners could study possibly switching to the MARCS System for dispatching.
Repairing the tower that provides communication between Ironton and the Chesapeake-Burlington area would cost just under $9,000.
That’s when Commissioner Jason Stephens requested the study.
MARCS is the Multi-Agency Radio Communications System that is a state initiative created after the Shadyside-Ohio River flood disaster in June 1990. There 26 were killed and tens of thousands of homes in this southeastern Ohio city were destroyed, according to the Weather Channel Web site.
At that time first responders couldn’t contact each other even with portable and mobile radios, according to a MARCS Web site. With MARCS the entire state could have the capacity to have first response contact with other agencies.
Stephens acknowledged initial costs could be high with a single radio costing between $3,000 to $4,000. But there would be a decrease in monthly maintenance costs such as from repairing the South Point tower.
Putnam County in northwest Ohio was the first in the state to put in a MARCS system with grants, including a Public Safety Interoperable Communications grant, according to a story in the Crescent News.
Currently, there are more than 600 state agencies connected through MARCS, the story states, with a goal of reaching out to six other states.
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Comments
Posted by swimmingupstream (anonymous) on April 16, 2009 at 11:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why don't the sheriff just use cell phones, like the Ironton police now do? IPD rarely uses their radio system for anything other than "Give me a call on your cell."
Posted by myview (anonymous) on April 16, 2009 at 11:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The cell service in Lawrence County is great IF you are within 2 miles of the river. But in the rural areas it is non-existant. Plus if a deputy is in a fight on the side of the road, I doubt that they really want to have to make a cell call to get assistance. Sometimes I wonder if people really think their comments out, our just type the first thought that hits them.
Posted by muskratt (anonymous) on April 16, 2009 at 1:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Mr. Stephens must also acknowledge the cost not only to the SO but the village and municipal agencies that pay for the SO to dispatch for them. I seriously doubt that Coal Grove or South Point can simply drop that kind of cash for a mobile for each vehicle, much less portables for each officer to carry on himself.
MARCS is a very nice system but its costly to implement. Mr. Stephens cites lower maintenance cost but at what time frame do you begin to save money when you have several hundred thousands invested in a radios alone.
Posted by Vil (anonymous) on April 16, 2009 at 1:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It makes more sense to fix the tower at a cost of $9,000 right now than to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into a new system. Tell me where the money to pay for the new system is going to come from when the government can barely make payroll every two weeks.
Posted by MasterChef (anonymous) on April 16, 2009 at 2:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well, since there are multiple agencies using the tower, has anybody ever heard of cost-sharing?
Posted by billiej (anonymous) on April 16, 2009 at 2:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
hey Jason when you were running for commisioner..i believe you promised dsl internet out here in the kitts hill area...i live on co rd 52...10 miles from the ashland bridge and still have dial up internet..and still no cell phone service out here either!!!!
Posted by Vil (anonymous) on April 16, 2009 at 4:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
You can actually pick up cell service around Mamre Church and the Kitts Hill Post Office.
Not saying that is impressive by any means, I just thought you folks would like to know that.
Posted by CommissionerStephens (Jason Stephens) on April 16, 2009 at 4:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Usually, I do not comment on the Tribune site; however, after reading a few of the above comments, I would like to clarify a couple of things from this article regarding our discussion of the tower repairs at yesterday's meeting.
We actually have been in some informal discussions with the MARCS officials regarding the cost and feasibility of using the system since the beginning of the year. The MARCS system is very good and much much more reliable than the current system in use by the Sheriff's Office. The problem is that the radios are expensive.
The commissioners were first notified of the needed tower repairs at yesterday's meeting. My suggestion was simply that before we begin a lot of major repairs to a system that isnt as good as MARCS, that we discuss the actual costs of a conversion.
Nothing has been decided. We simply want to evaluate the options in order to choose what will be the most effective and effecient means of communications for law enforcement in the county.
If you have any questions on this or other issues, you can send me an email at stephens.jcs@gmail.com.
Thanks,
Jason
Posted by PBOHIO (anonymous) on April 16, 2009 at 11:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm a former Lawrence county resident with ties to Chesapeake, and Proctorville. I now live in NW Ohio (one county east of Putnam County). My Sister-in-law who works as a victims advocate for victims of rape, and domestic violence in Putnam County. She works closely with the sheriffs deputies who have just recently switched to the MARCS radio system.
The biggest problem they've been facing is that MARCS is VERY unreliable from within buildings. If you ultimately choose to begin using MARCS make sure you leave some room for some VHF or UHF channels. Otherwise you'll also have to tack on the cost of installing mobile repeaters into some of your vehicles. I think you would be very wise to determine the feasibility of using this system with in the county.
With the hilly terrain I know the Volunteer Fire Departments have had trouble for years. Even with at least 2, but if I'm not mistaken, 3 repeaters spread throughout the county for dispatch and comms.
Posted by oldandnewbeliefs (anonymous) on April 16, 2009 at 11:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree with myview. Plus...could you imagine trying to dial for backup when you are pursuing someone at nearly 100+? And of course the person you called would have to play phone tag with everyone on your shift to let them know what you had going on. Me thinks swimmingupstream forgot their paddle.
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