Murphy – Cherokee County will spend $201,731 to complete a VIPER communications system for emergency responders.
Cherokee County E-911 Director Theresa Creasman told the Board of Commissioners on Nov. 28 that although the final phase of the project is costly, it is necessary to finish a needed communications system that adds up to a $1 million investment. VIPER makes use of a series of four towers in Cherokee County and adjoining Graham County and Union County, Ga.
Creasman said the bids for the final leg of the project were more expensive than might be expected because only a small handful of companies are eligible to work on the project. Commissioners unanimously approved the project and voted to take the money out of the county’s contingency reserves.
“They (the bids) are all a little bit expensive, but this project completely stops if this is not approved,” Creasman said. “Right now, the county has approved over phase 1 and phase 2, we’ve already spent $807,660.
“The lowest bid that came in to do the modification to continue this project and basically bring the whole simulcast system to fruition, the lowest bid came in at $201,731. ... It’s going to improve communications greatly for all public safety.”
VIPER stands for Voice Interoperability Plan for Emergency Responders. Creasman acknowledged that communications in the area can be problematic at
times due to the geographical terrain and the increased pressure on networks due to more people working from home. The VIPER system is designed to allow emergency responders to pick up a signal from a different tower depending on their location in various parts of the county.
“This is talking about the safety for all of us as taxpayers, and the safety of our first responders as well, so they can have better signals,” Commissioner Jan Griggs said.
“I did a ride-along with the sheriff’s department a few months back, and they lost signal with a deputy who was on a call because they couldn’t communicate with him. This will hopefully eliminate that.”
Creasman said commissioners approved the first phase of the project in 2020-21 budget, but the county is now up against the clock.
“We’ve already bought the equipment that’s going on all four sites,” Creasman said. “VIPER is ready to come online in February. We’re not even ready to install our first site.”
Creasman said some of the cost will go toward needed reinforcements on an older tower in Graham County. Cherokee County Manager Randy Wiggins said the system should support local agencies for the foreseeable future.
“The only other upgrade beyond this is going full digital, and that’s on down the road,” Wiggins said.