When Chief Paul Leeman and the Bristol firefighters are sent out on an emergency call, they may or may not be able to communicate with the Lincoln County Communications System.
The same goes for some parts of Southport Island, Dresden, Bremen and Somerville.
The problem is geography. “There is a lot of granite in the way,” said Leeman.
Lincoln County Emergency Management director Tim Pellerin hopes to have the new system on line early in the summer.
Firefighters, police and ambulance crews are dispatched by radio. Radio waves travel in a straight line.
There are several steep ridgelines between Wiscasset, where the county communication center is located, and the 17 other towns in the county and Monhegan Island. Those ridges, filled with granite, can block the radio waves creating dead spots in the communications system.
This problem is the reason that, beginning in June 2009, the county has been upgrading its communication system.
Under the current system, about 85 percent of the county was covered. The new system is predicted to increase the coverage to up to 95 percent, Pellerin said.
It has been a long and expensive process.
Pellerin hired engineers to evaluate the system and set up a digital microwave system that would allow transmission of voice, data and images. The total cost is about $350,000, partly funded by a $76,000 federal grant. Construction was started in the winter.
So far, equipment has been set up on a tower at the Wiscasset and seven other locations.
The system includes new central dispatch office equipment that uses touch screen keypads where dispatchers receive calls and radio for help from police, fire and emergency workers.
Also included is a mapping feature that permits the dispatcher to pull up an aerial view of the location on their screen. This helps them direct emergency workers to a scene.
While the equipment is new, agencies were able to use existing radios, although they had to be upgraded.
“We looked at the different systems and picked this one because it is the most cost affordable system. It is better for emergency workers, it is easier to maintain and should last two to five years, and this is a lifetime in the world of communications technology,” said Pellerin.
The system is ready to be turned on, except for one catch.
Pellerin wants to put his transmission equipment on a U.S. Cellular cell tower in Boothbay that is 200 feet higher than the current tower.
The U.S. Cellular tower will elevate the county radio signal over a ridgeline, between Boothbay and Edgecomb that currently blocks the radio waves between the coast and Wiscasset.
Lincoln County Administrator John O’Connell is in negotiations with U.S. Cellular representatives to obtain permission to hook up emergency service transmitters to the tower.
Marc Hinkley, the network operations manager for US Cell in Maine said the Lincoln County application was filed April 6.
“We have to do several things before granting permission to put the Lincoln County equipment on our tower. We have to have engineers check the Boothbay tower to make sure it is strong enough to be able to handle wind and ice if the new equipment is installed.
“We have to make the (engineering) checks, but I have never rejected a emergency communication request,” Hinkley said.
