DEPARTMENT: Information Technology Services
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Hugh Miller
SUBJECT: Public Safety Radio System and Equipment
SUMMARY: This item is a briefing on the upgrade and enhancement capabilities of the Public Safety Regional Radio System and need to replace radio handsets for Police and Fire.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The City of San Antonio currently uses a Harris Corporation Enhanced Digital Access Communication System (EDACS) proprietary radio system, which was accepted in 2004. The Radio system is eleven years old and the normal, expected life of these radio systems, which are designed with high reliability, and sustainability is fifteen to twenty years. Radio handsets used to communicate on the radio system are also proprietary but have a shorter, useful life of five to seven years dependent on user and usage.
The City's radio system is supported and supplied by Dailey & Wells Communications, Inc., a Local and Minority-owned business. Dailey-Wells provides maintenance and support to the system and is the authorized regional reseller of equipment for the Harris Corporation System. The System provides public safety grade, two-way radio communications for the City of San Antonio and surrounding Bexar County. The System currently manages an average of over 300,000 individual radio calls a day from approximately 11,000 public safety and governmental agency users, which includes fifty-six (56) external, multijurisdictional agencies. The City of San Antonio represents approximately 82% of the usage on the System and it is a critical source of communications to the San Antonio Police and Fire Departments.
Assessment of the Current System
A core project team comprised of members from the City Manager's Office, Information Technology Services Department (ITSD), Police Department (SAPD), and Fire Department (SAFD) along with advisory assistance from an outside consultant, Televate LLC, performed a comprehensive assessment of the EDACs radio sys...
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