2007 ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANT PROGRAM “NARRATIVE STATEMENT” 1. Project Description and Budget: This regional project proposal will be known as the “I-15/90 Corridor Interoperable Communications Project.” Four counties (AnacondaDeer Lodge, Beaverhead, Butte-Silver Bow and Granite) make up the I-15/90 Consortium, a partnership of local, state and Federal government agencies, each of which has challenging requirements for radio communications for its fire fighters. It should be noted that one of the overarching priorities of the National Preparedness Goal is to expand regional collaboration, which this grant will do. The Butte-Silver Bow Fire Department will serve as the “Host Applicant” of this grant proposal. This proposal will benefit the following 37 agencies: Anaconda-Deer Lodge County
1. Anaconda-Deer Lodge Sheriff 2. Anaconda-Deer Lodge Disaster & Emergency Services 3. Anaconda Fire Department 4. Georgetown Lake Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) 5. Lost Creek VFD 6. Opportunity VFD 7. West Valley VBFD 18. Butte-Silver Bow Sheriff 19. Butte-Silver Bow Office of Emergency Management 20. Big Butte VFD 21. Boulevard VFD 22. Centerville VFD 23. Floral Park VFD 24. Home Atherton VFD 25. Little Basin Creek VFD 26. Melrose VFD 27. Race Track VFD 28. Rocker VFD 29. Terra Verde VFD 30. Walkerville VFD
Beaverhead County
8. Beaverhead Disaster & Emergency Services 9. Beaverhead Sheriff and EOC 10. Dillon VFD 11. Grant Volunteer Fire Company 12. Grasshopper Valley VFD 13. Jackson Volunteer Fire Company 14. Lima VFD 15. Wisdom VFD 16. Wise River Volunteer Fire Company
Granite County
31. Drummond EMS 32. Drummond VFD 33. Granite County Disaster & Emergency Services 34. Maxville VFD 35. Philipsburg EMS 36. Philipsburg VFD 37. Philipsburg Sheriff
Butte-Silver Bow County
17. Butte Silver Bow Fire Department
These four counties are located in Southwest Montana with a total population of 56,028, serving an area of 8,724 square miles. The I-15/90 Corridor Consortium includes 25 fire stations and has about 465 active fire fighters and another 145 certified EMS members. The major purpose of the I-15/90 Consortium is to provide its partners with the communications tools needed to meet the SAFECOM goal of “seamless, coordinated and integrated public safety communications for the safe, effective, and efficient protection of life and property”. The system will be based on current Federal and state communications standards in which Federal, state and local fire fighters can operate autonomously and transition seamlessly to communicate effectively in an all-hazard emergency mission role. The most important reason for this application is to insure the safety of both paid and volunteer firefighters who are currently using outdated equipment, which is not P-25 compatible.
The I-15/90 Consortium is one of nine consortia that make up the Interoperability Montana (IM) Project. Department of Homeland Security funding has helped generate a complete needs assessment for the region, and recent funding has been primarily devoted to building the needed trunked radio and microwave infrastructure in the state. However, regional fire fighters have a critical need for up-to-date, P25-compatible radios that will be able to make good use of the IM system and meet the Federally-mandated narrowband requirements and P25 radio interoperable communications goals for public safety responders by the target year of 2012. This equipment request also will assist Montana in its efforts to become NIMS compliant. I-15/90 Consortium members consist of public-safety and emergency management representatives. They are well organized, meet monthly and have a “team mentality.” Everyone is working both collectively and individually to achieve a reliable, effective and fully interoperable communications system within and between the four-county region. The consortium has taken significant initiatives to address the shortage of public safety frequencies by working with a contractor to identify and license appropriate frequencies. This action puts the consortium in an enviable position since it has accepted and can now accept additional trunked radio infrastructure ahead of some of the other consortia in the state. According to our needs assessment, most of the fire fighters in this four-county region are using radio equipment that is 5 or more years old, some of which is 15 or more years old. In some cases, spare parts are no longer available for this equipment. Because the communications focus in the past has been on "local" planning and funding rather than a regional approach, some agencies in the consortium have systems that operate in different frequency bands, using incompatible technologies from competing vendors. These systems do not provide the level of interoperability that is required today, let alone do they meet the expanded requirements that Homeland Security initiatives demand. Vulnerable Populations: Major populations at risks in the area include two universities and a College of Technology: Montana Tech of The University of Montana and the College of Technology (with a total student population of 2,150, with 326 staff members) and The University of Montana - Western (student enrollment of 1,070 with 173 staff members). Colleges and universities are considered potential high-loss facilities not only because of the concentrated population density, but also because these facilities house expensive research equipment. Total elementary and high school enrollment in this four-county area is 7,940 students. Other vulnerable populations include nursing home residents, senior citizen centers, child-care and Head Start facilities and correctional and treatment facilities. This population is estimated at approximately 13,500 persons. With a greater percentage of elderly residents in the I-15/90 Consortium compared to many other communities, we have a significant elderly and special needs population by percentage than do other parts of the state. For example, the statewide median age is 37.5 years, but the median age in the I-15/90 Consortium is 40.4 years.
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Critical Infrastructure: Obviously, centers and facilities that house elderly or youth populations are of particular concern and are considered part of the area’s critical infrastructure. Other critical infrastructure in the region consists of a regional airport; Montana Army National Guard facilities in Anaconda, Butte and Dillon; the Port of Montana; two Interstate highways, hospitals and medical clinics; schools and universities; electric and natural gas utilities; gas transmission pipelines; railroads; radio and television stations; communication towers; water treatment centers, sewage treatment facilities; waste water treatment plants and water reservoirs. The potential for a major flood occurring as a result of dam failure is a real possibility. Since 1908, there have been four dam failures and incidents within the I-15/90 Consortium. Beaverhead County has two high-hazard dams that, if they failed, would result in a significant loss of life and property. It also has two significant-hazard dams that would cause one or two losses of life and significant property damage. Butte-Silver Bow County has three high-hazard dams, one significant-hazard dam, and five lowhazard dams. One of these high-hazard dams, the Yankee Doodle, holds back hazardous waste materials, and is located directly above Butte. Of greatest concern for the I-15/90 Consortium is NorthWestern Energy’s System Operations Control (SOC) Center and the REC Silicone Plant, both located in Butte. The SOC Center manages NorthWestern Energy’s expansive electric transmission system that consists of more than 7,000 miles of transmission lines that extend throughout the western two-thirds of Montana from Colstrip in the east to Thompson Falls in the west. It also oversees the purchase and delivery of 2,180 megawatts of electricity to markets in the Pacific Northwest, the desert Southwest, California and Colorado. Disruption of this facility would have far-reaching consequences in terms of large-scale service disruption and regional shortages of energy resources. A failure in the distribution of electricity and/or natural gas during winter months could prove to be devastating. REC Silicon, with approximately 300 employees, represents a Priority One Private Hazardous Materials Site. It produces polysilicon and silane gas for the photovoltaic and electronics industries and the site stores Anhydrous Ammonia as well as other hazardous chemicals. Environmental Hazards: Two of the counties in the I-15/90 Consortium are part of the largest Superfund site in the United States, extending along a 120-mile long corridor. Over the past century, mining and smelting operations resulted contamination of ground water, surface water and soil with heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead and zinc. The area includes more than 500 underground mines (with roughly 3,000 miles of underground workings) and four open pit mines including the Berkeley Pit with its ancillary tailings ponds, waste dumps and acid leach pads. Numerous cleanup actions have reduced health threats; however, EPA has determined that some health risks still need to be addressed. Earthquakes: Montana is the fourth most seismically-active state in the country. Since 1925, the state has experienced five shocks that reached intensity 8.0 or greater
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magnitude. During the same interval, hundreds of less severe tremors were felt within the state. Two known faults are located within Butte-Silver Bow County. The potential for structural damage, death, injury and economic impact is high. Wildfire Hazards: Wildland and rangeland fires are hazards that impact Montana every year. In mild fire seasons, there may be relatively small timber and crop resource losses. In extreme years, there can be resource devastation, habitat destruction, structure losses and deaths. The potential for death, injury, economic impact, environmental damage and occurrence is high. Granite and Butte-Silver Bow are two counties in the state with the highest acreage of Class II and Class III Condition, meaning that fire regimes have been moderately or significantly altered from their historic range. More than 51% of the acreage in Granite County is Class II, while 23% is Class III. More than 38% of the acreage in Butte-Silver Bow County is Class II, and 12% is Class III. With much of these counties covered by National Forest lands, which has a large infestation of red pine beetles, combined with the arid climate, wildfires are a major problem. This results in greater vulnerability due to fire size, intensity and severity. Because drought conditions that have been present in the I-15/90 consortium area for several years, moisture content in the fuels has been extremely low, even early in summer months. This combined with low precipitation has created very combustible wildlands. Alarming statistics show that Beaverhead County experienced 110 fires that burned more than 73,400 acres in just three years: 2000, 2002 and 2003. Budget: This proposal has five goals: 1) Replace unreliable VHF repeaters with new P25 digital repeaters that are compatible with the Interoperability Montana Project and improve radio coverage in mountainous areas; 2) Outfit fire apparatus with reliable P25 VHF trunking-capable mobile radios and antennas to make interoperable communications more effective; 3) Provide responding fire fighters with reliable P25 VHF trunking-capable portable radios so that they will have improved daily communications and improved interoperability during mutual aid operations 4) Provide three base stations to each of the four counties to improve reliability and redundancy; 5) Provide three Mobile Data Terminals to each of the four counties to enable fire personnel access to electronic resources, to allow Incident Commanders to identify and track emergency responders on a scene, and to facilitate the evacuation of team members wirelessly in the presence of immediate danger. Repeaters 4 Mobile Radios & Antennas 89 Portable Radios 179 Base Stations 12 Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) 12 TOTAL $ 15,000 $ 3,625 $ 2,672 $ 6,575 $ 5,000 $ 60,000 $ 322,625 $ 478,288 $ 78,900 $ 60,000 $999,813
2. Financial Need Counties within the I-15/90 consortium have been unable to adequately fund public safety communications because of a lack of adequate taxable income and a poor
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economic base. Socioeconomic trends in these counties have declined while the demand and expectation to have current, up-to-date public safety radio technologies has increased. For example, in Butte-Silver Bow County, the massive decline in the mining industry over the past two decades has directly resulted in dramatic population declines along with high housing vacancy rates. According to the 2000 Census data, 41% of Butte Silver Bow housing units were constructed prior to 1939, many of which could be considered sub-standard housing. Vacant and sub-standard housing increases the community’s fire hazard. The average median per capita income in 2004 for all four counties was $32,173, which was 73% of the national per capita income. The average poverty status for all four counties is 14.35% compared to 12.7% nationally. Lower incomes, higher poverty rates and lower housing values all translate to a minimal tax base, which is why the I-15/90 Consortium has not been able to fund the radio communications equipment needed to protect the safety and welfare of our fire fighters. Counties have an increased homeland security mandate, yet do not have consistent or adequate funding resources to meet the mandate. Most of the recent Homeland Security Funding received by the State of Montana has been devoted to building the needed trunked radio and microwave infrastructure in the state. Last year, three of the volunteer fire departments within the consortium were successful in obtaining some grant money to purchase handheld and mobile radios, but the need is substantial. The State of Montana has budgeted funds to assist the IM Project in this year’s legislative session, but the status of this funding is yet unknown. The average three-year cumulative budget for the four counties is $4,534,714, of which 43% is allocated to personnel costs. More than 70% of this budget comes from the Butte-Silver Bow fire department’s budget. It also should be noted that three volunteer fire departments in the consortium are not funded by any tax dollars whatsoever. All jurisdictions receiving this equipment will be responsible for inventory, training and maintenance. With the vast amount of highly volatile timber and the low density of our population, appropriate tax revenues to support fire department communications equipment is practically nonexistent, putting responder safety and effectiveness at risk. 3. Cost-Benefit Analysis This grant is critical in allowing the I-15/90 Consortium’s 465 firefighters, 145 volunteer EMS personnel and 25 fire departments to effectively and safely serve our residents. This regional request balances our known on-the-ground needs with the capabilities available in current radio offerings to immediately improve the quality and quantity of communications resources for fire agencies in the consortium. This includes adding channel capacity, reducing poor coverage areas, increasing reliability, standardizing communications across the region, and ensuring that equipment is P25 compliant and meets the requirement for narrow banding of VHF radios by the year 2012. Please note that our budget includes costs for portable radios that are not the “top of the line.” In other words, consortium members felt that not all fire fighters should be equipped with radios that have all the “bells and whistles.” Instead, we took a more conservative approach and budgeted for a mid-level radio so that more radios can be purchased and distributed to a broader audience.
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This equipment will function efficiently with the Interoperable Montana system and also with the bordering state of Idaho. Fire departments included in this proposal often respond on mutual aid calls to other states and outside their regional area. This enhanced radio equipment will provide interoperability for regional fire fighters and volunteer EMS personnel to the Master Control Site in Helena, which will then connect the system to central Montana and the Northern Tier, which consists of 565 miles of international border with Canada. Placing reliable radios in fire fighting vehicles and in the hands of firefighters as well as command staff will enhance their safety, decrease response time, and improve regional cooperation. Lives should not be in jeopardy because first responders cannot communicate when jointly responding to common disasters. 4. Effect on Daily Operations Daily operations will see a dramatic change should this grant be funded. Rural fire departments in particular will have the appropriate tools to communicate seamlessly, in remote, mountainous terrain, over long distances. As more people, houses and businesses are located in areas at risk from wildfire, the probability is increasing that many Montana communities will pay a tremendous economic, social, and ecological price when—not “if”—wildfires occur. If this proposal is not funded, we will remain in a situation that invites disaster. Our level of interoperability will decline, and the number of volunteers is likely to decline due to the increased personal risk that our fire fighting personnel face when they cannot communicate effectively. If this regional plan is funded, fire fighters will be able to easily communicate with each other and receive instructions and other information during emergency missions. Digital communications will allow for great access to data, help to improve fire fighter safety during incidents, and increase privacy of personal medical information. In terms of Mutual Aid, improved and standardized equipment will allow departments to more effectively communicate across jurisdictions and agencies, including state and Federal fire responders, multiple fire agencies, and the Montana Highway Patrol and other personnel at fire checkpoints. Fire fighters will have confidence in their equipment and experience improved morale. The addition of this equipment to the I-15/90 Consortium also will improve homeland security by providing an effective means by which military and civil authorities can communicate for regional or incidents of national significance. Interoperability and seamless communications between and among users is critical in providing the highest quality emergency response service to the citizens of Montana.
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