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Benton County Awards Contract to Federal Engineering for First Responder Radio Improvements
FAIRFAX, VA – On April 11, 2022, Benton County, Oregon awarded Federal Engineering Inc. (FE), a contract to provide a radio infrastructure assessment and detailed improvement plan for first responder agencies in the area.
Captain Don Rogers, Project Manager for the County, provided background, “This project is all-encompassing with the following agencies involved:
- Benton County Sheriff’s Office
- Benton County Public Works Department
- Corvallis Fire Department
- Corvallis Police Department
- Corvallis Rural Fire Protection District
- Benton County 911 Service District
- Philomath Police Department
- Philomath Fire Department
- Monroe Rural Fire Protection District
- Blodgett Rural Fire Protection District
- Kings Valley Rural Fire Protection District
- Alsea Rural Fire Protection District
- Adair Rural Fire Protection District
“The project will allow participants to plan appropriately for future resource allocations,” Rogers stated. “It will be a phased plan that includes a basic assessment, gap analysis, and specific recommendations for improvement and resource investments.”
Mr. Rajit Jhaver, FE Director, described the project: “FE’s comprehensive approach will take into account the following:
- Long-term maintenance, management, and budget issues
- Future FCC 6.25 kHz narrow-banding and spectrum issues
- Interoperability with local, state, and federal users
- Next-generation radio system options and recommendations
- Upgrades and expansion of the existing VHF system
- Upgrades and expansion of existing 700/800 band system
- Existing interconnection network for capacity and viability
- Current radio sites
- Life of the existing system
- Potential use of trunking technology
- Use of VHF, UHF, or 800 MHz frequency band
- Potential use of FirstNet or similar technology to enhance radio performance
“Because of our long history of supporting first responders in the State of Oregon, we understand the distinctive conditions of the region, political influences, and the geographical terrain,” Jhaver explains. “The end result, therefore, will be the development of a plan and scalable budget for moving forward that can be implemented at a minimum of risk.”
Federal Engineering is a leading, nationwide firm providing analysis, design, procurement, and implementation support for public safety and public service communications involving traditional VHF, UHF, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, and 4.9GHz mobile radio systems as well as LTE and CBRS. These services complement FE’s wide range of dispatch center consulting services in NG911, PSAPs, RTTCs, ECCs, and EOCs. FE’s cybersecurity practice helps our clients defend against today’s complex and ever-changing threat landscape. FE also serves as trusted advisors to assist clients in understanding emerging services such as FirstNet and the impacts on their current and future plans. Since 1983, FE has completed thousands of communications projects for 46 state governments, as well as numerous local and federal government clients.
In addition to its public sector work, Federal Engineering provides design and implementation support services for voice, data, and video networks used in the transportation, utilities, aerospace, finance, education, publishing, and computer services industries. FE’s certified independence ensures that clients receive objective, unbiased consulting services that are not influenced by any technology, product, vendor, or approach.