WATCH ABOVE: Police and fire departments are being forced to revert to their old communications after their new high-tech system crashed. Tim Sargeant has more.
MONTREAL – A new Montreal communications network that links coordination efforts for the city’s police and fire departments for joint operations has crashed.
The system was installed with the city’s island wide first responders last September and was expanded to the fire department last week.
But two glitches occurred and the system was indefinitely shelved until it can be repaired.
“It’s new technology. Sometimes there are issues. The important thing is we have measures in place in case something does happen to ensure that public safety is always maintained. As well as the safety of our responders,” Richard Liebmann, the Assistant Fire Chief said.
Montreal payed more than $42 million for the system, called SERAM, to better coordinate communications between Montreal’s police and fire departments and first responders. The emergency agencies have now reverted back to their current radio networks that date back to the 1980s.
Montreal’s point man for I.T. says he’s been working around the clock with the supplier, California based Airbus DS Communications, to resolve the problems and get the network back on line.
“I spoke even to the CEO of Airbus over the weekend on two occasions late Saturday night. He committed to come to Montreal to oversee the resolution operations himself,” Harout Chatilian, the city’s executive committee member for I.T. said.
The network, known as VESTA Radio in the U.S., has been used for years in other North American cities. Richardson, TX has been using it since 1992.
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