It’s no longer a question of if, but of how and when, Madison first responders will replace aging radios.

With the Town of Madison getting ready to enter the final phase of its emergency communications project, town leaders are now looking to have a needs assessment study completed to determine the number of radios needed and other equipment for emergency personnel and how quickly the equipment needs to be purchased. At a Board of Selectmen (BOS) meeting on Aug. 29, the board authorized the study as well as a special appropriation to purchase the first year radios.

A phased approach to replacing the communication system in town began a few years ago and is currently included in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), a long-term financial planning tool for the town. The plan includes updates to the dispatch center and infrastructure upgrades, which include a new radio tower and associated equipment. The project is estimated to cost $1.8 million, according to Police Chief Jack Drumm.

At a Board of Finance meeting on July 26, members of the North Madison Volunteer Fire Company (NOMADs), Madison Hose Co. #1, Madison Emergency Medical Services, and the Office of Emergency Management came to speak about the need for new radios. While the need for new radios was not in question, when and how to finance the lease or purchase of the radios was discussed. Options currently on the table include buying all radios up front or spreading them out over a five-year purchase. Firefighters were less inclined to go with the five-year model, expressing concerns over variations in equipment and the age of the radios scheduled for replacement at the end of the five-year window.

At the BOF meeting on July 25, Madison Hose Co #1 Chief Bobby Kyttle described some significant radio failures, including during the recent fire at Cristy’s in Madison, where a fellow volunteer firefighter “was actually in the second floor window of Cristy’s screaming out to me because his radio wasn’t working, so that is how we were communicating—with the saws running, the trucks running, everything going,” he said. “Just to put that in perspective.”

At the BOS meeting, it was clear that a five-year phase in approach was still the plan, but that the needs assessment would determine if that process needed to be accelerated, according to Finance Director Stacy Nobitz.

“Basically it is going to look at the department as a whole and see what the actual needs are as far as making sure that communications are where they need to be, make sure we get the right quantity, and make sure we get it at the time that they need it,” she said.

While the study is ongoing, the town is moving ahead with the first year of the radio purchases, according to First Selectman Tom Banisch.

“We wanted to authorize the first year purchase,” he said. “If there are adjustments to be made they can be made on the back end but I would like to get the first year approved and taken care of.”

Nobitz said the items listed in the first-year purchase were coordinated with all of the emergency departments so that people have what they need now.

“We asked all of the departments to give us their five-year phase in so they gave us the quantity and the description of what they need in that first year,” she said. “All we did was quantify it, price it independently, and figure out how we get them what they need in the first year while we go through the needs assessment.”

The board approved the needs assessment study and a special appropriation not to exceed $35,000 to fund the first year of equipment purchasing.