Around the Sacramento area, emergency services will be communicating faster and more efficiently, thanks to the Sacramento Regional Radio Communication System’s (SRRCS) new radio upgrade. The Department of Technology (DTech) supports and maintains this best-in-class, regional radio system for more than 100 regional partners in SRRCS.
“SRRCS has been top notch for years, but we’re upgrading to better serve the public’s needs” said Rami Zakaria, Sacramento County Chief Information Officer and System Manager for SRRCS. “Our system covers more than 1,000 square miles and serves over twelve thousand public safety and local government employees in the region, giving them a mission-critical tool to use to protect and serve the public.”
SRRCS is a region-wide public safety communications system resulting from a twenty-year partnership of many governmental jurisdictions that have collaborated to develop and operate a public safety communication network. Primary users are law enforcement and fire departments, transportation services, park rangers, and the coroner for mutual aid of surrounding counties. Secondary users include hospitals, the FBI, CHP, Regional Transit, and Sacramento colleges.
The radio system is transitioning its existing operation to one based on the standards known as Project 25. Project 25 (P25) is a set of national standards made to improve the quality and efficiency of a public safety communications system. An upgrade to P25 improves interoperability, or the capability of multiple public safety and local government jurisdictions to communicate seamlessly without the need for multiple radios.
In 2012, DTech embarked on the multi-year project to replace the current SRRCS system and in March 2013, the first phase was completed. The project is estimated to finish in 2019. When complete, all SRRCS radios will be P25 compliant. At this point, any radio system that is P25 compliant will be able to communicate with SRRCS members.
