'We want to be prepared for anything that can happen to protect our people and the residents.'
Old Saybrook Chief of Police Edmund H. Mosca
Old Saybrook–– The Board of Selectmen told emergency services officials Thursday to move forward with a plan that would enable the town's emergency responders to communicate directly with each other.
The town, which has been planning to upgrade its emergency communications system for the past six years, will seek proposals from contractors to install a system that would enable the fire department to communicate with the police department without having to relay messages through the emergency dispatch center.
Assistant Fire Chief J.T. Dunn recalled an incident in June 2000 when a storm toppled trees onto cars, trapping people inside. The fire department was on one end of the street and the police were on the other.
“We couldn't talk to each other,” Dunn said, citing the incompatibility of the communication systems the agencies used.
Police Chief Edmund H. Mosca said there have been other instances in which communication systems failed or were inadequate –– such as when an officer was shot last year or when authorities had to search for a missing person in the Outer Cove. In those instances, emergency officials had to “jerry-rig” a system to ensure they could communicate effectively.
“We want to be prepared for anything that can happen to protect our people and the residents,” Mosca said.
The communications system will be a critical component of the town's emergency operations center, according to Emergency Management Director Lt. Michael Spera, who showcased the center in the basement of Town Hall during Thursday's selectmen's meeting.
Emergency Management Deputy Director Michael Gardner said emergency officials determined the town had an obsolete communications infrastructure after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, and identified the need for all emergency services to communicate with each other.
The cost of upgrading the communications system will depend on the proposals contractors submit, but First Selectman Michael A. Pace estimated it would cost more than $1 million.
“This system is going to cost seven figures. It's not going to be a cheap system,” he said, adding that the upgrade was part of a long-term plan to improve the town's emergency services.
The town has set aside $500,000 in its capital fund to help cover the cost, Pace said. Also, the town anticipates it will get $120,000 in state assistance and $246,000 from the federal government.
The project, which will involve construction of a 160-foot tower behind the police station, could take at least eight months to complete, town officials said.
g.alcedo@theday.com