The City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the University are part of an $18 millionproject that will improve communication between all of the emergency response agencies in each of the three jurisdictions, said Wayne Campagna, projects coordinator of the Emergency Communication Center.
The project is a new single system that allows all agencies to operate independently, but in case of an emergency, multiple units can contact multiple agencies, Campagna said.
Initiated in 1995, technical setbacks have previously impeded the program's progress. Yet according to Emergency Communications Director Tom Hanson, the system is scheduled to be operational in the fourth quarter of this year.
"We are just waiting on the radio vendor to be ready with the software," Hanson said.
Charlottesville Fire Chief Charles Werner said the autonomy of each organization has led to every agency using a different communication system.
"The old system has prevented vital information from being shared by all the agencies in the field at once," Werner said.
The system required all communications to be relayed to representatives of all agencies at a central command post at the event site, Werner said.
"In the past we worked around this inefficiency, but we are lucky that this hasn't led to anything tragic," Werner said.
Campagna emphasized the chaotic nature each organization's existing systems.
"The current system is a mix of radio systems that creates a degree of inoperability," Campagna said. "It's like an eight cylinder car running on seven cylinders."
Currently the University Police are unable to respond to fire calls located on Grounds until the Charlottesville Fire Department passes the information along, University Police Captain Michael Coleman said.
The project creates a system that enables every agency in the City and county, including those affiliated with the University, to contact each other without having to go through an intermediary, Campagna said.
The growth of the City and the surrounding area as well as new emergency situations have warranted increased cooperation between all of the agencies, Werner said.
Events at Scott Stadium, like the Rolling Stones concert, are too large for the University police to handle alone, Coleman said.
The presence of fire and rescue entities at these events necessitates quick communication between agencies, Coleman said.
"It will replace an aging and outdated system," he said.
The system already has proven itself useful, Werner said.
A satellite telephone that is part of the same federal grant has been used to provide communications infrastructure to the people of Mississippi affected by Hurricane Katrina, Werner added.
All the agencies are eager to put the new system in place, Werner said.
"I believe that this system will be one of the best in the country if not the world," he said.
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