Great Falls city staff is recommending the transfer of used surplus mobile and portable radios and associated radio equipment from the city fire and police departments to Cascade County rural volunteer fire departments

The City Commission will consider the request during their April 5 meeting.

The city began upgrading to a Motorola 800 MHz public safety radio system in the spring of 2020.

Due to the upgrade, Great Falls Fire Rescue and Great Falls Police Department have VHF trunked radio system equipment, in-car mobile and portable personal radios and associated equipment that are no longer in use or needed, and are no longer supported by the manufacturer, according to the city staff report.

County receives additional funding for radios [2019]

Cascade County rural volunteer fire departments don’t have the means to upgrade their radio systems, making it a challenge for them to communicate. The rural departments also lack enough equipment to outfit their vehicles and personnel, according to the city staff report.

In March 2020, the City Commission approved a 10-year leasing option to purchase the radio equipment for $1,992,461 with an n annual lease payment of $231,570, according to city documents.

City manager recommending budget with no tax increases; limited funds [2020]

The city fire and police departments had been operating on the VHF trunked radio system that was more than 15 years old, tied to the state radio infrastructure and was degrading, according to city documents at the time the commission approved the new radio system.

The city used a private radio engineering company, Mission Critical Partners, to study the city’s radio system and capabilities. The company recommended in 2019 that the city migrate to the 800MHz public safety radio system.

From summer 2019 to spring 2020, the city fire and police departments used an 800MHz test site to determine the viability of the system and during the 2019 Legislature, lawmakers approved a funding stream for updating public safety communication systems, which the city has used to upgrade the city-county 911 dispatch center and perform maintenance at two radio tower sites, according to city documents.