October 12, 2018 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 3A CROSSED WIRES COLIN MURPHEY/THE DAILY ASTORIAN Jennifer Peden monitors multiple computer screens at Astoria 911 Dispatch. South County emergency responders look to fix spotty radio communications By Brenna Visser Seaside Signal F or emergency responders in Cannon Beach, being able to communicate with dispatch over the radio while on a call in certain parts of South County is al- ways a gamble. For years, some areas south of Tillamook Head have earned reputations as perpetual dead zones: Haystack Heights. Sections of Tolovana. Large chunks of the beach. Even parts of downtown. So far, these gaps have not led to serious incidents, though some situations teeter too close for comfort. Police Chief Ja- son Schermerhorn remembers one officer’s struggle to call for backup in a dead spot near Tolo- vana during a drunken-driving test on the side of the road. “That’s their lifeline,” Schermerhorn said. Radio communication can be so spotty near Hug Point that Fire Chief Matt Bene- dict recalls a rescue operation where he was close enough to see his crew and still not able to reach them on the radio. “It’s a big safety issue,” Ben- edict said. “If I’m going to send some individuals into a burning house on a repeated channel I may not be able to hear them even if I’m able to see them.” It’s an issue that has plagued the region for years, and unfor- giving topography is mostly to blame. From Cannon Beach to Falcon Cove, mountainous terrain between radio repeat- ers and the one radio tower on Tillamook Head interferes with the signals that bounce between Seaside Dispatch and first responders. Though there is nothing they can do about the moun- tain range, the chiefs have been looking at ways to make communications more reliable. Schermerhorn is applying for a $130,000 grant to install a new tower near Old Cannon Beach Road on the north end of town that would fill the gap between an area known as “the S curves” and Tillamook Head. One of the difficulties Can- non Beach faces, Schermerhorn said, is that the main tower on Tillamook Head is not owned by the city, which means the repeaters can be moved around by the private owner. “One was lowered last year, and it made communicating more difficult for Hamlet Fire,” Schermerhorn said. The fire district, however, sees switching from Seaside Dispatch to Astoria 911 Dis- patch as a possible solution. Gentlemen’s agreement For as long as anyone can remember, Cannon Beach and Seaside have had a gentle- men’s agreement to use Sea- side Dispatch. When Benedict took over as fire chief in 2016, he noticed the communication issues and asked Seaside about what could be done. But beyond the upkeep of existing repeaters, he said there isn’t much more the dis- patch center could provide. So Benedict began conver- sations with Astoria 911 Dis- patch, which has spent about $3 million on improvements to its system since 2007, said Jeff Rusiecki, the emergency communications manager at Astoria 911 Dispatch. “The 2007 storm really caught the county by surprise Public invited to cut firewood in the forest Seaside Signal Permits to cut firewood in the Clatsop State Forest are available to the public. Permits cost $20 and allow the purchaser to cut up to two cords. Each household can purchase up to five permits per calendar year. Permits are valid for three weeks after purchase or until two cords are cut. with how vulnerable our com- munications were,” Rusiecki said. After having major sites fail, Astoria began submitting grants, securing additional re- peater sites and syncing them up to make a more cohesive countywide system. By moving to Astoria, Can- non Beach could work off 10 towers across the county rather than relying solely on the one on Tillamook Head, Benedict said, improving communica- tion quality. The fire district could also save some money in the long run, Benedict said. Every call that is dispatched through Seaside costs Cannon Beach fire and police roughly $35 in comparison to Astoria, which would charge about $22 a call. “This isn’t so much cost-driven as safety-driven. I’m not saying we’re right and Seaside’s wrong or Sea- side’s right and we’re wrong,” Rusiecki said. “Because we have the county, we have an in- terest in improving communi- cations throughout the county, and Cannon Beach is just one of those challenging areas.” An extra step Mitch Brown, the commu- nications manager at the Sea- side Police Department, said topographical barriers remain a challenge. Conversations about installing a tower at the new Seaside School District campus have begun, but for now remain just discussions. “It can be difficult, but we’ve never had any serious accidents,” Brown said. Schermerhorn and Brown share reservations about the fire district contracting with Astoria, however, raising concerns that the change could mean more call transfers, which lead to slower dispatch times for fire calls. “If a change happens, there will be delays,” Brown said. “There will be the extra step to transfer fire calls to Astoria … then they will have to request our units for mutual aid.” Rusiecki and Benedict be- lieve the extra time the trans- fers will take will be small, but they recognize more un- knowns can happen when more transfers are introduced. Ideally, Rusiecki and Ben- edict would like to see a sim- plified, centralized dispatch center — a goal the county has discussed in the past and the state has recommended. Besides being a costly en- deavor, Rusiecki said, con- solidating 911 operations is controversial because it would likely lead to shuttering the holding cells in Seaside’s dis- patch center. Unlike Astoria, Seaside’s dispatchers have multiple jobs at the police de- partment, such as record- and evidence-keeping, and moni- toring the holding cells. “If our dispatch went away, you’d have to look at filling those positions, and you’d be losing the state 911 funds that pay for these posi- tions,” Brown said. “The city wouldn’t be gaining anything from losing a dispatch center.” For now, Astoria 911 Dis- patch will continue working on system improvements and the fire district will monitor how it works, Benedict said, before making any decisions. But one reality is agreed upon. “We’re not going to get anywhere without 911 in the middle,” Rusiecki said. Savings Rates are Looking Up! You asked, and we listened: We now Firewood permits are sold by management basin, and purchasers can cut anywhere not shown as a restricted area. A map can be found by visiting https://www.oregon.gov/ODF/ Working/Pages/Firewood. aspx. To purchase a permit, vis- it the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Astoria Office at 92219 Highway 202, Astoria. have some of the best dividend rates you’ll find anywhere! It’s time to invest in regular and IRA Annual home tour coming to Gearhart Seaside Signal Assistance League of the Columbia Pacific presents their 11th annual Home & Chef Tour, “The Beaches,” Saturday, Oct. 13, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Six wonderful homes will be opened in Pine- hurst, Surf Pines, The Highlands, The Reserve and Gearhart locations. Each home will offer delicious bites prepared by a local chef includ- ing Nisa’s Thai Kitchen, Fulios, El Cartin Mexi- can Cuisine, The Wayfar- er and The Sweet Shop, and feature floral ar- rangements from Natural Nook, Blooming Crazy, Erickson’s and Elizabeth Bunce. Tickets are $30, avail- able now through event day at Holly McHone, 1150 Commercial St, Astoria, Columbia Bank locations in Seaside, As- toria, and Warrenton and online at assistancelea- guecp.org. Home & Chef Tour “The Beaches” direct- ly benefits Assistance League of the Colum- bia Pacific’s Operation School Bell Program which in 2018-19 will provide new clothing to over 700 Clatsop Coun- ty school children. The home tour is the non- profit volunteer organi- zation’s major fundraiser. Other Assistance League programs include providing fees for chil- dren’s after school ac- tivities, prom gowns for high school students and Duffel Bags of Comfort for children entering fos- ter care. 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