Rep. Smith to work on interagency planning
 

Rep. Patti Smith, R-Corbett, has joined a bipartisan team that plans to upgrade the communications network between fire and police agencies during a catastrophe.

The challenge, said Smith, is that the cost to replace outdated radio systems throughout Oregon is expected to reach $600 million.

“The price tag is very important but so is addressing the needs of our emergency responders,” she said.

Smith said the state must also contend with a federal mandate that responders have narrow band radio capabilities by 2013. The changeover from older technologies will open up more frequencies and eliminate disruptive cross-talk. Failure to comply would mean heavy federal fines and possible loss of several hundred FCC licenses within the state.

The narrow band radios will make it easier for responders to coordinate relief efforts in the rugged Gorge terrain. Smith and other members of the Oregon Wireless Interoperability Network work group are scouting for an affordable way to increase communication in the event of a flood, earthquake, wildfire or other threat to public safety.

When Smith was seated on the Joint Emergency Preparedness Committee in 2005-06 she heard about local response needs from Hood River and other fire/medic/law officials. The work group she is now assigned to has been tasked with developing an action plan to meet one of the key needs that was expressed.

Smith said all but one member of OWIN — Rep. Chuck Riley, D-Hillsboro — has also been appointed to the Ways and Means Committee, which determines the state budget. She believes that having full knowledge of the available finances will help the group make sound decisions on improvements to the communications network.

Serving with Smith and Riley on OWIN are: Chairman Sen. Kurt Shrader, D-Eugene; Sen. David Nelson, R-Pendleton; Sen. Joanne Verger, D-Coos Bay; and Rep. Nancy Nathanson, D-Eugene.

“We are basically supposed to figure out a way to go forward on this project and keep costs to a minimum,” said Smith.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski believes the issue is so crucial that he has re-assigned Lindsay Ball, director of the Department of Administrative Services, to oversee how the work group’s action plan is put in place.

“I’ve asked Lindsay to guide this critical effort, because he has proved himself to be an able, honest and creative government leader,” said Kulongoski when announcing Ball’s new role in late November.

“We need a manager with his stature, skills and credibility to help bring Oregon’s emergency communications system into the 21st century. Our success or failure is literally a life-or-death issue for those who may someday become the victims of crime or major public emergencies.”

The 2005 Legislature enacted House Bill 2101, which directed state government to design a replacement for the outdated emergency radio communications system now in place throughout Oregon. The bill addressed the need to provide reliable, instantaneous communication among separate agencies from multiple jurisdictions.

Smith envisions that, because of the high cost, OWIN will probably, be phased in with the first priority being the areas where the need is greatest. She believes that rural areas should be given top priority because it is more likely that a natural disaster will occur than an act of terrorism.