AMHERST — Firefighter-paramedics aboard Amherst Fire Department ambulances traveling on Route 116 over the Notch can often encounter challenges in communicating via their radios with emergency dispatchers in downtown Amherst.
Soon, though, the frequent trips the ambulances make south to the region’s trauma center, Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, as well as rescues conducted by public safety personnel in the vicinity of the Mount Holyoke Range, will be improved through a project to upgrade the public safety radio system at Bare Mountain using a long-abandoned antenna and shed owned by Amherst College.
The project represents a partnership among the town, the college and the University of Massachusetts, with the information technology departments of each institution working closely together on the ongoing improvements.
Samantha Giffen, communications manager for the town, said Amherst signed an agreement with the college allowing for long-term use of the radio antenna and tower, as well as the equipment shack, with no ongoing cost to Amherst.
For Amherst College, the project made sense because the antenna and shed, located near the former U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command military bunker, had not been used for a decade or more after radio station WRNX, once based in Amherst, stopped using the site.
The college acquired the property in 1992, and soon afterward the antenna was extended from 30 to 60 feet and the shed was installed, with WRNX officials and its owner, Saga Communications, getting permission from the town to use the tower for radio transmission.
The improvements create a pathway, or communications link, running from Bare Mountain back to the Amherst Communications Center and server room, located inside the police station at 111 Main St. Eventually, new fire and police radios will be installed on site.
The point-to-point wireless link also connects to the W.E.B. DuBois Library at UMass, which, at 28 stories and nearly 300 feet tall, is another elevated spot critical for radio communications.
Giffen said this should give all entities a high-quality network connection without needing to physically pull fiber up the mountain through what is considered aging infrastructure. This creative solution also saved money, she said.
Sarah Barr, director of community engagement for the college, said work began on the project after former Amherst Fire Chief Tim Nelson saw the opportunity in the elevated site. Since then, Barr and current Fire Chief Lindsay Stromgren hiked to the site to examine it. That led IT staff and first responders to begin the work.
“Working closely and steadily to make it a reality,” Barr said.
During the project, staff had to hike to the site, remove vegetation, install the antenna on the tower and verify the connection. The work may be visible to those on nearby hiking trails used by the public.
Christopher Misra, chief information officer at UMass, said the university is always looking for “mutually beneficial opportunities” with both Amherst and Amherst College.
“This has been a really positive engagement with the town,” Misra said.
Because there is no fiber going up Bare Mountain, Misra’s team determined it could use microwave technology that can repeat signals, establishing a point-to-point connection without needing wires.
There had also been a long-standing desire to establish a relay via the library, which can be used to bounce radio signals.
Next, the town will work with its radio vendor to deploy the public safety radio equipment. Giffen said there is no estimated cost or timeline for that phase of the work.
The two-year project not only enhances network coverage but also creates backup connections in case one of the primary connections fails. It could also provide UMass and Amherst College with the resources to run their own operations.
In the future, the town may explore using this same process on Mount Lincoln in Pelham, to set up a connection between that site, Bare Mountain, the town’s server room and the UMass library. This additional connection would provide a backup if the equipment on one of the mountains fails at any point.
Separate from the Bare Mountain project, Amherst Fire and Police have been moving forward with a $1.1 million capital project to replace the public safety radio system after 20 years. This includes enhancing the radio infrastructure, both base stations and antennas, as well as the mobile radios in vehicles and portable radios carried by police officers and firefighters.
