Emergency radio ‘a glaring issue’

Officials outline deficiencies in East Hampton systems

EAST HAMPTON — The town’s emergency services radio system needs a root-to-branch upgrade, Police Chief Dennis Woessner told the Town Council this week.

Emergency “radio coverage in East Hampton is substandard,” Woessner said in delivering a stark report to the council.

“Our radio system is failing — and it’s only going to get worse,” Woessner said.

“This is a glaring issue. A functioning radio system is not a luxury, it’s a necessity,” Woessner said.

As much as 20 to 25 percent of the town lies in “dead zones” where police officers are left without the ability to reliably communicate with headquarters, he said.

The acceptable standard is “95 percent coverage 95 percent of the time,” Woessner said.

What’s more, there is no backup system, meaning “If our radios fail, we’re done,” the chief said.

The radio systems for fire, emergency medical service and the town’s public works department “are also plagued by some of the same problems.”

“This is probably one of the more important projects we’re going to be talking about in the next year — the safety of our police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel,” Town Manager Michael Maniscalco said.

Much of the cause of the problem is a familiar one, Woessner said: the failure of town officials over the years to invest in infrastructure upgrades.

However, the problem is exacerbated by the size of the town and its geology of hills and valleys that can interrupt or prevent reliable radio communication.

Further complicating the situation: much of the radio equipment dates from the 1960s, he said.

An analysis of the radio system, which was begun by then-Chief Sean D. Cox, concluded it is past time to upgrade the entire system.

Woessner said he has spoken with two radio system suppliers who estimated such an upgrade could cost in the range of $700,000 to $800,000.

“It’s expensive,” he acknowledged. “But, it’s a necessity.”

Woessner received support for his request from Officer Hardie Burgin, the president of the police union.

“Law enforcement is an inherently dangerous profession,” Burgin told the council. “Every day our department hits the streets it is in the face of absolute adversity.”

However, “That adversity is not caused by crime but from the very town we swore to service and protect.”

In his nearly 10-year career with the department, Burgin said he worked with Cox, acting chief Thomas Davoren and now Woessner to correct “the glaring issues with the town’s department.”

“As we have tackled problem after problem, a growing concern and an on-going issue has been the town’s radio system,” he said. “A radio system is the life line of your first responders. It is how we communicate not only between officers but to our dispatch and to other first responders.

“A functioning radio system is not a luxury, but a necessity for the safety of my brother officers and other first responders,” he said.

And yet, over the past decade, “the radio system has worsened dramatically,” Burgin said.

“I can say with certainty that at one point or another every officer at this department has been in need of back up or other first responder assistance and has clicked their radio to call for help only to hear silence or static,” he said. “The need to correct this issue is immediate. Studies have been done, and tests have been completed. It is time for action and to stop putting the lives and safety or my brother officers unnecessarily at risk.”

Burgin’s comments carry added weight because in 2016, he was severely injured when he was struck by an SUV while doing traffic control duty at a utility construction site on Route 66.

Maniscalco told the council he hopes, and expects, funding for the upgrade will be included in the capital expenditures portion of the 2019-20 budget.

“This is a major project that we need to have it done,” Maniscalco told the council.

A recent inspection of the two repeater stations found “varmints” had taken up residence in the repeater stations.

“Rodent messes” were found atop equipment, indicating some animals were nesting there to keep warm in cold weather.

The repeater stations rely on air conditioning units to control the climate inside the buildings, Woessner said.

But failures of the units have meant temperatures rise to levels that hurt communications.

Efforts have since been undertaken to seal the repeater stations and upgrade the buildings in which the equipment is located, the chief said.