John Hartsock with The Clackamas 800 Radio Group (C800). The C800 manages Clackamas County’s emergency communications system. It is a consortium of public safety agencies that use and depend on the system to protect the community from crime, fire, medical emergencies and disasters. John gave a brief history of the system which was built in 2000.
The C800 has a Bond Measure on the Ballot this May that would provide funds to build a new system. John said there were 5 reasons for the measure. 1. The current system has reached its end of life. The analogue system is not well supported anymore by vendors. Parts are bought on ebay, for example. 2. The system needs to transition to digital equipment to meet standards and be supported. Like we have transitioned to cell phones and tablets. 3. Interoperability, so that responders can communicate with each other in real time. 4. Additional radio coverage is needed to protect a growing population. 5. To improve system coverage in the Mt. Hood area, Clackamas drainage area – Estacada and south and to improve the “in building” communication in key buildings such as schools, hospitals, and malls.
A wealth of information may be found at www.C800.org
