North County : Fire Departments Plan to Update Dispatching

While the Orange County Fire Department plans on a new communications system to replace the current one--described as overburdened and antiquated--the fire departments in Buena Park and Fullerton are considering other major changes.

Both cities are considering joining the dispatch system Net 4, the joint communications systems shared now by the cities of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Orange and Stanton.

If Buena Park and Fullerton join Net 4, they will eliminate the need “for a large capital improvement” to upgrade existing dispatch centers, Buena Park Fire Chief Sam Winner said.

With the county moving toward acquiring a new system, all of the participating city fire departments would be upgrading their communications systems. The fire agencies have agreed to share in the expenditure of about $7 million for the system and accessories such as hand-held radios. Cities that lack fire departments and contract with the county Fire Department also have given their conceptual approval for the new county system.

“We’re looking for a better management information system,” Winner said.

More data would become available through the Net 4 dispatch, Winner said. At present, for example, if there is a fire at Knott’s Berry Farm, and the Buena Park Fire Department needs assistance from Anaheim or another of its neighbors, the Buena Park firefighters call the other fire agency. By “common dispatch,” the process is speeded and the other fire agency is contacted automatically, Winner said.

While the Buena Park City Council recently gave Winner its conceptual approval to go ahead with negotiations to join Net 4, the Fullerton Fire Department is investigating other possibilities, Fullerton Fire Chief Ron Coleman said.

Among the options is combining the police and fire dispatch systems in the city, Coleman said, adding that any change is in the preliminary stage.

Meanwhile, the county Fire Department, in conjunction with all 26 cities, plans to replace its communications system with one that will provide better clarity, freedom from interference and the ability to penetrate buildings, among other advantages.

Officials negotiating with Motorola Inc. for the new system expect it to be in operation within the next 1 1/2 to 2 years.