P25  |  2018-02-22

Santa Barbara Awards Public Safety Radio Replacement project to Federal Engineering

Source: The Critical Communications Review | Gert Jan Wolf editor

The County of Santa Barbara, California has awarded Federal Engineering, Inc. (FE) a contract to provide consulting services in support of the County’s Public Safety Radio System replacement project.

Santa Barbara has a diverse radio communications environment, with several different land mobile radio systems deployed to meet specific operational needs of County departments. These systems are in different stages of their lifecycle and have varying technologies and capabilities. Santa Barbara had to replace its Public Safety Radio System as it is nearing end-of-life and this new replacement system must meet public safety standards for performance and reliability and provide robust radio communications for the next 10-20 years.

Besides offeirng a replacement for public safety end users, the County would also like to determine options for the County’s non-public safety users (i.e. Public Works, Public Health, Parks, General Services, City of Goleta) as the system that they use needs to be replaced within the next 5-10 years.

Mr. Carl Thornton, Communications Manager for the County said: “The goal is to have Federal Engineering assess all of the existing land mobile radio systems owned and operated by the County, provide detailed recommendations on a next generation system, and develop a project plan to implement the new system. The County also desires FE to provide technical and project management support during the system procurement phase and optionally during the implementation phase of the Public Safety Radio Replacement Project.”

Mr. Rajit Jhaver, Director at FE, stated: “Federal Engineering is proud to be part of this prestigious project. We understand the diverse missions of first responder and the importance of a reliable radio network which provides good coverage. FE will apply the knowledge gained in over 1,000 projects and our experiences supporting the unique needs of first responders in California to bring Santa Barbara a practical, affordable system that can be implement at minimal risk.”