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A Flexible Path to LMR for Buncombe County, N.C.

A new land mobile radio system helps the county manage nearly 70,000 annual emergency calls across its rugged terrain.

In 2013, Buncombe County, N.C. set out to implement a new Land Mobile Radio (LMR) system. Anyone who has gone down this path knows deploying a radio system takes expertise, research, planning and patience. 
 
When we started the process, we wanted the system that offered us the greatest flexibility at the best price for our citizens. After much research, we found that an open, standards-compliant LMR system gave us what we were looking for. Now, one year later, we continue to see the benefits of our decision. 
 
For those who may be in the position to replace a municipal radio network, here's a little bit about what we learned and what we gained.

Background

Buncombe County encompasses the city of Asheville and is home to 250,000 residents across 660 square miles between the Blue Ridge and Smoky mountains. This mountainous terrain of steep hills and valleys makes radio communications difficult for the 1,400 public safety workers who serve the area. Our aging LMR infrastructure didn’t meet the needs for voice quality and only provided coverage for 64 percent of the county. In addition, our population has grown significantly, and the system today fields more than 67,000 emergency calls a year — a 43 percent increase from just seven years earlier. 
 
With Buncombe County’s growth and geography in mind, we wanted a system that would position us for the future, allowing us to make necessary adaptations along the way. Multiple public safety departments within Buncombe County rely on the radio network, and we needed to plan for the possibility of others to join. 
 
In the end, Airbus DS Communications’ VESTA Radio was selected since it is an open, standards-compliant system that gave us the control and flexibility we wanted. 
 
Every stakeholder was involved from the beginning — Buncombe County staff, Airbus DS Communications, radio experts, manufacturers and engineering consultants — and countless conversations were held. Following a lot of hard work, we experienced a smooth deployment and achieved 90 percent radio coverage.

Shifting from Public Safety to IT

One of the first steps we took was transferring “ownership” of the system from public safety departments to the county’s Information Technology department. Shifting management from public safety to IT created a number of efficiencies right away.
 
Radio technology was once the venue of a single expert. Today, the growing use of servers, data networking technology and software applications necessitates expertise in a wide range of fields, including those already possessed within county IT departments. In some cases, county IT departments may also possess some of the physical systems and infrastructure required for a new LMR system, which can result in a reduced final cost. In our case, we integrated our LMR system with the county’s existing data network to save money and operational headaches.
 
Buncombe County isn’t alone in transitioning an LMR system to IT. Many local governments are taking this step as a natural expansion of the deepening role IT plays in all facets of government. An added benefit for cities and counties is the affinity IT professionals have for open, standards-compliant systems. Being open and standards-compliant greatly expands the opportunities for the use of a radio system.

The Benefits

When selecting our new LMR network, the total cost of ownership was a driving factor, as it typically is with publicly funded projects. The system we chose greatly reduced costs while also ensuring we could select the components we wanted. This freedom of choice allowed us to use competitive procurements to purchase components from different vendors, getting the best system at the best price. All told, we saved 37 percent on mobiles and 25 percent on handheld radios. 
 
Like similar systems IT professionals work with every day, a compliant LMR system makes way for the integration of additional, compatible features, functions and equipment on a timeline that we control. An open system also promotes flexibility, scalability and has a longer life. We also found that by breaking free of traditional models of system management and LMR technology, we are significantly expanding the value of the system.
 
An example of how this translates to the real world is the number of municipalities that are opening their LMR system to other city and county departments such as social services, facilities or maintenance. Buncombe County initially built the radio system for the Sheriff’s Office, not knowing if the 21 fire departments would join. However, after evaluating the system’s performance and receiving grant funds, these agencies did come on board, bringing different requirements for ruggedness and connectivity. The flexible approach we used gave our agencies access to a new world of choices, with features and price points that simply weren’t available in the traditional model.
 
Regardless of the path, selecting a radio system that is the best for your city or county is challenging. However, the task can be streamlined and effectively managed with the proper preparation, team and open approach. In doing so, you will maximize your LMR network investment, which is in the best interest of the government, its departments and the public we all serve.
Buncombe County, N.C. IT Project Manager Kim Pruett

Kim Pruett, IT Project Manager for Buncombe County, N.C., has worked in Information Technology for 25 years, focusing on public safety for more than 10 years.