WINDHAM – The Windham Town Council Tuesday night discussed the possibility of improving radio communication for public safety personnel in areas of town that routinely have poor reception.

Prompted by concerns brought forth this spring by Windham Officer Jeff Smith, who works as the high school’s resource officer and manages the department’s radio needs, the council requested information as to the cost and coverage benefits of an enhanced system. On Tuesday, the council heard from Scott Rivard, a representative of Portland-based Radio Communication Management Inc. (RCM), which already supplies the town’s radio needs.

Depending on how much the town wants to spend, radio coverage could be greatly enhanced by installing a new simulcast system that would allow personnel to hear and talk out on handheld radios within buildings in North Windham, which was Smith’s original concern. Both fire/rescue and police department personnel have trouble receiving reception within large buildings in North Windham, such as big-box stores.

The system now has four transmitter sites but only one receiver site, which is located on the antenna at the police station. All traffic therefore has to be routed to the police station antenna before being sent out again. Due to two ridges between the police station and North Windham, coverage in North Windham is lacking for personnel trying to communicate via handheld radios, which have a lower signal strength than vehicle-based radios. The town would add either two or three additional receiver sites in different parts of town to provide for existing gaps in coverage. Those new receiver sites could be located on existing transmitter antennas on Jones Hill (at the intersection of Johnson Road and Route 302), Freeman Hill (behind Seacoast Fun Park), and Cumberland County Regional Communications Center in South Windham.

Wanting to spend as little as possible but still provide adequate coverage, councilors, as requested by Chairman Scott Hayman, suggested Rivard work on specific cost estimates based on different levels of coverage. The council seemed to lean toward at least installing a new receiver site on Freeman Hill to provide coverage for North Windham, which Police Chief Rick Lewsen said, “happens to be the place where we get the most calls for service.”

After learning about the capabilities of the system, councilors were looking for some sort of guarantee from Rivard that the new system would actually work, especially inside the big-box stores in North Windham.

“Has anyone run any tests to make sure this will work, so we will have coverage inside these buildings?” Hayman asked. “For me, personally, that would be my biggest selling point that if we do this, that coverage is as close to guaranteed as it can be.”

Rivard replied saying, “that can easily be done,” by temporarily attaching a receiver at Freeman Hill for a test.

When Councilor Matt Noel asked Rivard if there were performance guarantees for whatever system the town may choose, Rivard replied that the company couldn’t guarantee anything without testing reception building by building.

“We could test them ahead of time and if it does work ahead of time, I guess we would guarantee that it would work, inside that location,” Rivard said.

Hayman then added, “I wouldn’t raise my hand in favor of this system if it didn’t work inside the buildings inside North Windham.”