FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program provides funding to government entities following a presidentially declared disaster so they can develop hazard mitigation plans and rebuild infrastructure that reduces or mitigates future disaster losses in their communities. Douglas County Commissioner Tom Kress and Douglas County IT & Radio Director Nancy Laney first submitted the application for this grant in September 2020 and have diligently worked with State and Federal agencies over the last four years to acquire the much needed and critical grant funding.
The ERCS, often referred to as our Legacy Radio System, is our vital public safety communications link between our 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Dispatch Center and the 55 local law enforcement, fire, and emergency medical service agencies who provide critical, time-sensitive, and life-saving services countywide.
“Douglas County is ecstatic that our due diligence has paid off! I am incredibly thankful for the foresight and resolve of our Douglas County IT & Radio Director Nancy Laney for working with me to get through the federal process of applying for this unique federal grant,” stated Douglas County Commissioner Tom Kress. “In Douglas County, over half of our land is owned and managed by the Federal Government, thus receiving financial support to help fund projects that supply vital services to our entire county is imperative. The process to overhaul our 30-year-old outdated Emergency Radio Communications System (ERCS) has been a multi-year, multi-faceted, and financially challenging endeavor. The initial assessment and scope of the ERCS project has been completed. We are currently in the process of conducting an engineering study. With this grant from FEMA, once the engineering study is complete Douglas County will be able to definitively establish project timelines and bring the necessary and critical upgrades of our ERCS system to fruition.”
Douglas County listed the following on our grant application to FEMA for our project description, mitigation efforts and overall objective, “This grant will fund the upgrade of the existing emergency radio system infrastructure supporting the Sheriff’s Office and 911 communications for Douglas County Public Safety, Law, Fire, and Emergency Medical Services. The proposed upgrade will allow each radio tower to continue to function independently, even if not able to communicate to other towers or the mothership, allowing emergency responders in the vicinity of a tower to continue to communicate and respond during emergencies. The hazards that will be mitigated are coastal storms, dam/levee breaks, droughts, floods, freezing, human causes, mudslides, severe ice storms, snowstorms, special events such as windstorms/seismic/wildland fires, tornados, tsunamis, and volcanos. This project increases resilience and reduces the risk of injuries, life loss, and property damage and destruction, including critical services and facilities.”
Providing support, securing funding and applying the necessary resources for our public safety programs continues to be a top priority for the Douglas County Commissioners. Given our rugged topography supplying effective communications to our large network of first responders from sea level to the 9,182-foot crest of Mt. Thielsen through swooping valleys, up steep terrain, and along our cadre of winding rivers has always provided a challenge.
Douglas County has been in the process of slowly overhauling our current VHF simulcast conventional analog ERCS system consisting of 19 relay transmitting towers strategically located across our county for the last six years. Our ERCS system was the pinnacle of technology back in the 1990’s, but just as time keeps ticking, advancements in technology continue to outpace annual budgets. The Commissioners and current Radio & IT Director inherited the outdated 30-year-old ERCS system when they came on board at the County.
The initial engineering report from 2018 estimated that it would cost approximately $15-20 million to completely replace the aging ERCS system; a price tag that was not feasible within our budget constraints unless we acquired outside financial support.
Realizing that we must prioritize building capacity for and maintaining public safety communications systems that continue to meet the ever-increasing needs of serving and protecting our citizens, the Commissioners, Sheriff Hanlin, IT Director Laney and Douglas County Management and Finance Director Dan Wilson worked together to develop a strategic plan for ongoing maintenance and repairs, while steadfastly researching and applying for as many grants and funding opportunities as possible to upgrade our Legacy Radio System. This grant is a direct result of our collaborative efforts.
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