Commission approves addendum to upgrade Mount Clemens fire-department dispatch communications

The Mount Clemens City Commission voted to approve an addendum to the city's July 1, 2005 emergency dispatch services agreement with Macomb County to upgrade communications hardware and software used by the Mount Clemens Fire Department.

City staff said the addendum will use a newly installed fiber connection between City Hall and the fire department to support additional network hardware and software that will expedite service calls and provide in-vehicle tools for emergency responders. According to staff, Macomb County will provide, maintain and support the new purchases, and the city has budgeted funds for the purchases and services.

Commissioners pressed staff on the scope of maintenance costs and responsibility for large hardware replacements. A commissioner noted an annual maintenance fee of $8,950 in the agreement and asked whether the county would bill the city for repairs beyond that fee. Staff replied the $8,950 is the annual maintenance fee and that substantial hardware replacements would be billed separately to the city and could be incorporated into the contract if needed.

Commissioner Mener, speaking in favor of the upgrade's operational benefits, said the proposal "upgrades the old technology and the old hardware equipment ... it adds better software ... [and] will increase our response time and improve the communication" among local trucks and neighboring departments. Another commissioner summarized the net effect as "a win-win." Linda, a city staff member, said the county will provide training on the new software and equipment and that staff had been negotiating the details for more than a year.

The commission approved the addendum by roll-call vote.