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Representatives of a national public safety consulting firm recommended replacing the antennas, radios and repeaters more than 20 Del Norte County agencies rely on to communicate with each other.

Federal Engineering consultants told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the radio consoles Del Norte dispatchers use are 15 to 20 years old and are at the end of their life cycles as well.

They also touched on the number of dispatchers Del Norte County employs, stating that there are two vacant positions and the most senior person only has 18 months of experience.

“That is not a whole lot, but she is doing an excellent job,” said Chuck Berdan, Federal Engineering’s senior consultant, who spent 38 years in public dispatch in Sacramento and Alameda counties. “One of the things we will look at in Phase 2 to improve dispatch hiring, we need to review the pay and benefits for the dispatcher positions and what is comparable in other counties surrounding Del Norte.”

Berdan also recommended a dispatch supervisor who can work with the dispatchers and technicians — “one person that knows everything that’s going on.”

Berdan and his colleagues, Federal Engineering Project Manager David TerMorshuizen and Senior Consultant Luis Camarillo, joined the Board of Supervisors via Zoom on Tuesday. Supervisors had approved a contract between the county and Federal Engineering in October to assess the county’s public safety communications interoperability.

In its report, completed March 10, the consulting firm recommended upgrading the system so local agencies can better communicate with each other and with agencies outside Del Norte.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously gave Federal Engineering consultants the green light to continue with the next two phases of their project.

During the second phase, Federal Engineering will identify gaps in the system, training and exercise needs, the current redundancy communications plan and frequency availability.

The second phase will also look at recruitment and retention issues in Del Norte’s dispatch center — which handles all 911 calls for the county — and will assess the current use of manpower versus need.

The third phase will consist of the consultants’ recommended upgrades as well as developing a project budget and plan for implementing those recommendations. Federal Engineering will also include a list of available grants and develop at least one proposal for a top project, according to the county staff report.

Federal Emergency Management Preparedness grant dollars paid for all three phases of the project, County Administrative Officer Neal Lopez told supervisors.

The findings from the second phase is expected to go before the Board in August. The third phase will be completed by the end of the year.

When it comes to radio communications in Del Norte County, which consists mostly of VHF frequencies, the antenna systems at the repeater sites are aging up to 20 years in some cases, Camarillo said.

“There are over 14 of those (sites) and in some cases where that radio coverage is inadequate, agencies do have to rely on cell phones for communicating with other agencies or within their own agency,” he said. “Therefore, Federal Engineering recommends new antenna systems with all of the associated hardware, transmission lines, combiners, mounting hardware and lightning protections. Most is important is prioritizing where those coverage improvements should be.”

Camarillo noted that the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office relies several sites, including Camp 6 near Gasquet, within Crescent City, and at Red Mountain east of Klamath Glen. Camarillo also noted there are plans to relocate the Red Mountain antenna repeater site.

In response to District 5 Supervisor Dean Wilson, a former sheriff, who said Red Mountain was a critical part of the county’s communications infrastructure, Camarillo said Federal Engineering will assess the replacement sites. Those sites include Rattlesnack Ridge and Big Lagoon, Camarillo said.

“We understand the limitations (and) we understand the terrain,” Camarillo said. “We understand those challenges and look at limited power radio both on th efire and sheriff’s office side. We’ll look at increasing FCC license power and we will look at different configurations. There may be a different constellation of sites that can provide coverage.”

According to the California Office of Emergency Services, a communication facility will also be located at Alder Camp.

TerMorshuizen said a coverage analysis will be part of the second phase of the project.

With regard to the county’s dispatch center, District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey asked if Phase 2 of Federal Engineering’s project will identify whether there’s an alternative location that should be used.

Berdan said he will look into whether or not the dispatch center’s current space at the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office is adequate for its future needs.

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