Marathon County is paying an overseas company millions of dollars (some of those dollars are Federal Grant monies) to improve the effectiveness of its emergency-radio system, but some firefighters worry the new equipment is unreliable and could endanger lives.


The county hired Tait Radio Communications of New Zealand to create a network of radio antennas spanning the county and costing at least $6 million, according to documents. Another $4 million likely will be spent on radios in a communications overhaul mandated by the federal government. So far, the county has received federal grant money for the radios and bought all of them from Tait -- leading to complaints from fire departments that for decades have used radios from a rival provider, Motorola.


One of those complaints comes from Ringle Fire Chief Chris Kielman, whose department already received the Tait radios. On Labor Day, Ringle firefighters attacked a barn fire while using the new radios and quickly learned that signals wouldn't carry from the fire scene to tanker trucks that were filling with water a few miles away. Kielman said he had to switch to a different channel to reach the tankers, taking him out of communication with firefighters at the barn blaze.


"We don't want to be guinea pigs, because we're saving lives," Kielman said.


Tait and county officials say Kielman's experience is part of using new radios on an old system. The digital system will improve reception when all the antennas are in place and tested next summer, allowing handheld radios to cover 95 percent of the county, officials said. Reception now varies widely.


Firefighters also say the new radios don't page loudly enough to alert them of emergencies, that Motorola had additional safety features and that they doubt they will get adequate local repair service on their radios.
Tait and county officials say they're weighing the concerns. They've made changes in some cases, but attribute some problems to misuse or resistance to change by firefighters.


County Administrator Brad Karger over the summer formed a "digital oversight group" of representatives from the county, Sheriff's Department and police and fire departments to oversee the project, educate users and buy the rest of the radios.


After hearing complaints at meetings with departments and from County Board members, Karger said, a single body to oversee the project was necessary.


"Every day there was a new problem," Karger said.


The system


County officials remain confident in their decision in late 2008 to hire Tait to install the emergency radio system, despite charges by Motorola that the project could have been about $300,000 cheaper.


Eventually, a network of about 20 towers or antennas will span the county. Officials say this will get them as close to total coverage as possible under current technology -- meaning police, firefighters and other personnel will respond more effectively to emergencies.


The county evaluated three proposals -- from Tait, Motorola and Tyco Electronics -- on cost, equipment, company background and service, with the goal of getting a project that would require little county involvement in technical matters.


"We wanted the vendor to put it in, turn it on, and it works," said Ed Hammer, director of the county's Conservation, Planning and Zoning Department overseeing the system.


A panel of county and Sheriff's Department staff members thought Tait offered the most complete proposal and the best technology and promises of service, Hammer said. Motorola's proposal, he said, lacked some tower installation and other critical parts.


Tait originally was the high bidder by more than $1.4 million, but the county and its consultants created their own estimate based on project needs, closing that gap to about $55,000, according to documents.
Motorola maintains that it could have done the project cheaper and with current equipment. In an interview, company officials stood by their nearly $6 million price tag -- about $300,000 less than the county's estimate of Tait's cost -- saying they could have provided proper coverage without some of the towers the county wanted.


"If we could achieve somebody's goal in a more efficient manner, we'll typically lay that out in our proposal," said Jack Molloy, Motorola's vice president for the central United States. The company felt so strongly that it sent a March 2009 letter to the County Board asking for a review of the decision, pointing out the tough economy and Motorola's support of Wisconsin jobs.


Karger and County Board Chairman Keith Langenhahn responded with an April 2009 letter reiterating the county's decision.


The radios


Fire chiefs and other officials differ on their trust of Tait's radios, but some worry their new equipment won't alert them or function properly in the middle of emergencies.


Dozens of police, fire and public works departments already have received nearly 540 radios through federal grants, including portable handhelds, mobile units for vehicles and base stations to go inside their headquarters, according to records.


Beyond the Ringle Fire Department's mixed experiences with reception, other departments worry about radio features. Firefighters with volunteer departments, for example, carry pagers or handheld radios to alert them of emergencies, whether they're sleeping in the middle of the night or working on a noisy shop floor. Edgar Fire Chief Dan Dvorak said Tait's new paging system -- it didn't provide one at first -- is too quiet and its alerts are too brief, creating the risk that firefighters won't hear them and putting lives at risk.


Weston Fire Chief Steve Meilahn says Motorola's new radios would have improved safety beyond where it is now. Motorola said it has pioneered a voice-prompt system that notifies users what channel they're on -- meaning a firefighter striding through a smoke-filled building can listen to make sure he or she is on the right channel, instead of reading a radio display or memorizing channels.


"If you're a firefighter trapped, in pain, on fire, you're fighting through that, you're fighting to stay alive, and now you have to remember what channel four is?" Meilahn said.


Sheriff's Chief Deputy Scott Parks said people in his department regard both Tait and Motorola as high-quality systems and selected Tait because the radios were far more affordable. In some cases, the county saved $1,000 per radio, though prices vary by type.


Steve Cragg, president of Tait's operations in the Americas, agreed with county officials that many problems are due to firefighters' resistance to change or the need for training. The company offered to take back faulty batteries following complaints about battery life, for example, and received only one return.


Cragg also said Tait is taking legitimate equipment issues seriously and addressing most by re-programming the radios, and county officials agree. Tait provided a paging system when the county asked for one, Cragg said, and is reviewing whether it needs improvement. The company also was preparing to release new software last week.
"We're just committed to working through with each and every one of those," Cragg said.


Some departments are satisfied, saying it's just a matter of getting used to a new brand.


"It's something new I guess, whatever," said Stratford Fire Chief Bill Griesbach. "I think they're a good radio."


Local preference


Several departments also prefer Motorola because it had a local service provider, Northway Communications of Wausau, to do repairs, explain proper use and replace faulty equipment.


Tait does not have a provider in the county, but has contracted with Two-Way Communications of Eau Claire and can do many repairs remotely, Cragg said. Tait officials said Two-Way might be developing plans for a local site, but a Two-Way representative did not return calls for comment.
Some firefighters doubt the service they'll get.


"It's crazy," Dvorak said of not having a local service provider. "I mean, it isn't very good service that way."


Karger, the county administrator, said the new oversight committee will help iron out the issues. It's possible, he said, departments could get the radios they prefer in the future, depending on the reason and the price difference.


Fire chiefs believe the county should have asked them for their opinions sooner.


"My biggest concern was I think the end user should have been involved at the very beginning," Meilahn of Weston said.
Additional Facts


Timeline of Marathon County radio upgrade


2004: County undergoes an assessment of public safety radio system.


2006: County holds meetings throughout area to present assessment of radio system needs and receive feedback, weighing options and setting various technical guidelines for the overall system.


2007: Work halts on project to await further work on tower project on Rib Mountain, a related piece of infrastructure.


April 2008: County issues a final request for proposals to upgrade its emergency radio system, with one goal being 95 percent coverage of the county through handheld radios.


July 2008: Tait Radio Communications, Motorola and Tyco Electronics all submit proposals.


Fall 2008: A panel of county and Sheriff’s Department staff select Tait to provide the system. (Subsequent purchases of radios using federal grant money also have gone to Tait.)


July 2009: A “digital oversight group” begins meeting to oversee implementation of the system, training of departments and future radio purchases. County Administrator Brad Karger formed the group of county and Sheriff’s Department staff and area police and fire departments after hearing repeated complaints through County Board members and meetings with departments.


Now: The county continues to develop its system with Tait and is looking to buy another round of radios with federal grant money.


Future: County officials hope to have final towers constructed, equipment hung and radios distributed in time for a summer 2010 test of the system.
Sources: Elert & Associates; Marathon County documents; Ed Hammer, county director of Conservation, Planning and Zoning; County Administrator Brad Karger

Initial Piece by By Brian Reisinger
Wausau Daily Herald - With Additions By FFCC