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STAFF REPORT <br />DATE: January 17, 2023 <br /> CONSENT <br /> <br /> <br />TO: City Council <br />FROM: Dustin Kalis, Fire Chief <br />AGENDA ITEM: Purchase 2023 CIP Project F-021 – 800 MHz Radio Replacement <br />REVIEWED BY: Kristina Handt, City Administrator <br /> <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: <br />The Fire Department is requesting to purchase 800 MHz radios as part of the department’s <br />equipment replacement program. The radio replacement project includes mobile radios located <br />in our apparatus, portable radios carried by our firefighting staff, base radios for the station and <br />necessary accessories. The 2023-2027 Capital Improvement Plan included the 800 MHz radio <br />replacement project. <br /> <br />Our current inventory of radios were acquired in 2007. Equipment age and extended use <br />continue to lead to numerous repairs and radios taken out of service. Our current radio models <br />were canceled by the manufacturer in 2014 and manufacturer service and support <br />discontinued in 2019. The radios used by the fire department experience heavy use and are <br />prone to failure from aging and wear-and-tear. The funds requested will allow the fire <br />department to replace our older, obsolete, and broken radios. <br /> <br />ISSUE BEFORE COUNCIL: <br />Should the City Council approve the purchase of the 800 MHz radio replacement as <br />recommended by staff, as outlined in the 2023 Capital Improvement Plan? <br /> <br />PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS: <br />Proceeding with this purchase will benefit the city and its citizens with updated and fully <br />functional 800 MHz radios that directly impact the fire department’s ability to safely and <br />effectively perform fire ground operations by enhancing communications, tracking, and <br />accountability. We will no longer need to spend time diagnosing radio issues and <br />troubleshooting communication failures in the field. <br /> <br />Through this replacement project, the Fire Department will purchase 26 portable radios, <br />4 mobile radios, 2 base station radios and necessary accessories like chargers, speaker <br />microphones, and spare batteries. The purchase of Motorola APX 6000XE portable and <br />Motorola APX 6500 mobile and base radios will satisfy the operating requirements of the <br />Washington County 800 MHz P25 system and the Minnesota Allied Radio Matrix for Emergency