Marin County, Calif., Plans New Emergency Radio System

Twenty-five law enforcement, fire and public works agencies across Marin, County, Calif., have been using a radio system designed in 1998 to communicate with dispatch centers. Unfortunately, sometimes the system breaks down and when it does, it’s nearly impossible to get replacement parts for it.

That’s all expected to change this October when final touches are expected to be put into a $74 million upgrade. The Marin Emergency Radio Authority (MERA) project should improve radio coverage and shorten response times. It is expected to expand radio capacity from 3,000 to 5,000 radios.

The old system reportedly handled 2.3 million radio calls from January through November of last year. “It works great when it works, but when it breaks, a lot of that stuff is hard to get,” Deputy Chief Chris Martinelli of the Marin County Fire Department told the Marin Independent Journal.

There have been issues with dead zones using the older equipment as well and sometimes the connections are bad.

“County radio and MERA do the best they can to keep everything up and running, but the new tech is welcome,” Sausalito police Lt. Brian Mather told the Independent Journal.

The new system comes at a time when the county is really trying to upgrade its ability to respond to the effects of climate change, including more intense wildfires and more flooding issues. The Marin County Municipal Water District, for instance, is working on a five-year strategic plan to ensure emergency response readiness.

The county also reconfigured its Office of Emergency Services (OES) last year to enhance preparedness. Previously, they hired a consulting group during the pandemic to provide an organizational assessment of OES. That was completed in 2022.

“With the greater occurrence of emergencies due to climate change, we want to make sure we are staffed and organized to best serve our community in the future,” Marin County Administrator Matthew Hymel told the Independent Journal last year.

The digital radio system will be moved into the 700- to 800-megahertz frequency range and radio equipment will be installed at eight sites. Construction was initially slated for 2018 but delays from labor and supply issues and then the COVID-19 pandemic held back the project.

The funding for the project comes from a 20-year property tax levied 10 years ago, which was a $29 tax on single-family residential parcels and $174 a year on commercial or industrial parcels larger than half an acre. The project was initially estimated to cost $40 million in 2014, then climbed to $68 million in 2019 and $74 million in 2021. The project includes a $43 million contract with Motorola for new equipment at MERA sites.

“We’re anxious to get it online, and we’re grateful for the patience of everyone involved and the efforts in putting it forward,” Heather Tannehill-Plamondon, executive officer of MERA, told the Independent Journal.