The town’s aging emergency communication infrastructure may be getting a much-needed upgrade as available federal funds appear to be on track for approval. According to town officials, the upgrades are long overdue and have reached a critical tipping point requiring immediate action.

Assistant Chief and Deputy Fire Marshal Michael Shove said it had been more than a decade since upgrades have been made to the communications systems, and the equipment has reached the end of its serviceable use.

“Back in 2011 was the last time the town bonded for radio infrastructure for a good amount of money for communications upgrades,” said Shove. “The communications radio system for the town of Guilford covers all public safety, so police, fire, public works, park and recreation, like the park and rec buses. So, I call it the ‘mission critical’ radio systems. These are the systems that simply cannot fail. During a hurricane or snow event or another emergency, we simply cannot have these systems fail. So, that is why the upgrades are so crucial.”

Shove said the upgrades are critical as the components and the respective tech support are obsolete.

“I use the analogy of your house. Your house needs to get painted; it needs siding; it needs a new roof; it needs to be maintained. And this equipment is the same. There are critical parts on the antennas that are placed on these towers, there are about seven sites around town that we manage and take care of. On those sites, we have equipment like antennas [and] microwaves, and those are all outside and exposed to the elements. They’re exposed to sun and rain and simply exposed to all weather. And that backbone of the system is simply at the end of its service e life, and it needs to be replaced with the current technology,” said Shove. “Just like your cell phone, at some point, companies just begin to shut down the older systems. 3G is now off the air; it shut down. As technology improves, all that tech support and the parts simply are not available anymore. You can’t even get these parts anymore. The equipment is not only degraded by the weather; it is now obsolete. We are at that point with our equipment.”

First Selectman Matt Hoey said it is simply a matter of wear and tear on the equipment. A significant overhaul is needed, however, as the manufacturers of this equipment no longer offer upgrades, parts, or service on the products as they are being phased out.

“This issue centers around the equipment-transmitters, radios, and repeaters, et cetera, that run our emergency services network that our police and fire and public works and park and rec field folks rely on to communicate throughout town. This equipment is at its end of life or end of service…the technology is no longer supported by the manufacturers,” Hoey said. “We’ve known this was coming, but it is the critical piece of our public safety structure, and it needs to be replaced like all technologies that have a usable life.”

According to Hoey, the recent availability of federal funding via the Congressional Directed Spending program makes it a convenient period in which to make this overhaul.

“The funding that we have proposed that is part of the upcoming [April 18 budget] referendum is bonding, and this is a classic example. It’s roughly $3.25 million, and that fits into the profile of projects that we should bond for,” Hoey said.

There will be two bonding questions on the April 18 referendum, one concerning school projects and one regarding this allocation, and several other public safety equipment purchases that Hoey describes as “critical.”

“There are also a couple of other significant public safety purchases in the town bond. One is a pumper truck for the town Fire Department, as well as a new ambulance to replace outdated equipment,” according to Hoey.

According to Hoey, approval of this funding through the congressional program looks promising, which would render any funding via bonding moot.

“There will be two bonding questions on this referendum, so it’s critical and I urge voters to vote their conscience on these issues, but to keep in mind that we have applied for [a] Congressional Directed Spending grant, which is a program instituted several years ago by Congress,” Hoey said. “In previous iterations, they were known by earmarks. These are projects that each elected representative or senator gets to identify and fund via the annual federal budget process. We completed our application several weeks ago, and the preliminary news from Congresswoman DeLauro’s office is that will be among the projects that she puts forward for her allocation.”

Hoey added, “If we get this grant, we will not use bond proceeds. We will not have to go out and bond for it. We will be paid for by these federally directed grants.”