Even though the Town of Canmore updated communications systems after the 2013 flood with a $360,000 capital project, it needs another $28,000 next year to buy more new radios for its bylaw services department.
General manager of municipal services Sally Caudill explained to council during its recent finance committee meetings to deliberate the 2017-18 capital and operational budgets that next year administration is requesting funds to purchase new radios for bylaw peace officers.
Caudill said the radios bylaw officers currently use, which were upgraded in 2014, don’t have the ability to communicate with local RCMP members and that has become a workplace health and safety concern.
“Bylaw has indicated they would like the capability from a health and safety perspective to be in touch with the RCMP locally if needed,” she said.
The 2014 capital project for corporate communications equipment at a budget of $360,000 was proposed after the 2013 flood, when it became apparent that communications across the different departments of the Town of Canmore was not optimal.
The Town proposed to perform a detailed radio communication assessment analysis and system purchase to replace the existing wireless two-way radio system being used at the time by the municipality. The departments assessed were Fire-Rescue, bylaw, public works, emergency management/special events and engineering.
It was taken on at the same time the province of Alberta undertook a project to connect all provincial emergency services on one radio system – the Alberta First Responders Communications System. The older radio communications system that Fire-Rescue and bylaw were using did not allow them to communicate on the AFRAC system without the upgrade undertaken in 2014.
But when it comes to new digital communications for emergency services it is the RCMP that is behind the rest. According to Caudill, the federal force, which fills the municipal policing contract, has plans to upgrade its communications equipment, however, there is no indication at this point of any timeline for that work.
Caudill said the 2014 project identified two types of radios to procure for the municipality – single wave radios (which are the majority that were ordered in 2014) and a dual band radio, which only Fire-Rescue received.
Those radios, said Caudill, have the ability to communicate with RCMP locally and thus the $28,000 in next year’s capital budget to buy them for the bylaw staff, so they are also able to communicate with law enforcement if needed.
The funds would procure four radios for bylaw – at $7,000 a piece.
