To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
From: Norris Croom, Fire Chief
Thru: David L. Corliss, Town Manager
Title
Resolution Approving the Purchase of Motorola Radios for the Castle Rock Fire and Rescue Department
Body
________________________________________________________________________________
Executive Summary
This request is to approve a contract with Motorola to replace all mobile and portable radios in the fire and rescue department due to current radios reaching their end of life time span of ten years. This replacement has been budgeted for in the General Long Term Planning (GLTP) fund, and funds are currently available to complete this purchase at a cost of $1,499,929.17.
Notification and Outreach Efforts
No specific notification or outreach was done as this is a replacement of existing equipment.
History of Past Town Council, Boards & Commissions, or Other Discussions
Town Council has previously approved a similar purchase in 2014, subsequent smaller purchases since then, and recently approved a similar request by Castle Rock Police Department.
Discussion
This request is to approve a contract with Motorola to replace all mobile and portable radios in the fire and rescue department.
Our current radios are reaching their end of life (ten years), and all of our current 800-MHz radios, APX 6000 AN portable and APX 6500 AN mobile, will soon no longer be supported by Motorola due to age and model year.
Starting in 2023, in anticipation of replacing radios in 2024, the Logistics Division began demoing and testing radios from our current manufacturer and others. We did have a requirement that the next radio would be compatible with our current Bluetooth communications on our MSA Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). During testing, we found that the second manufacturer we tested did not perform well during fireground operations. The Motorola APX 6000 BN models did perform well and were selected to be the replacement radio based on performance, familiarity, compatibility, and ease of transition. This selection was also approved by department’s Executive Staff.
Replacing the entire fleet at once will allow for a more efficient and streamlined training among our personnel. The Town would take possession of the equipment in 2024, thereby reducing any potential operational issues as a result of different radio usage or lack of software updating on our current model. This will also minimize equipment issues because the Department would not need to maintain radio equipment and accessories for two different systems.
Budget Impact
The purchase of the radios is covered in the General Long Term Planning Fund, 136-1850-418.70-30, Capital Outlay Machinery & Equipment at a total cost of $1,499,929,17.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of the resolution and purchase.
Proposed Motion
“I move to approve the resolution as introduced by title.”
Attachments
Attachment A: Resolution
Attachment B: Sole Source Document
Attachment C: Purchase Agreement
Attachment D: Presentation