When a Victoria police officer radios for backup from Esquimalt, a five second delay can feel like forever.

Long delays through the regional emergency communications system are rare, but dead air remains enough of a problem in pockets of Esquimalt to demand a new transmission site in the township.

Police and other users have immediate radio communication about 99.55 per cent of the time, according to a CREST data. A recent Planetworks consultant study indicated that overall, the system is working well, but has experienced call delays of more than five seconds due to heavy congestion.

B次元官网网址淚n Esquimalt there are areas were coverage isnB次元官网网址檛 as good as officers would like,B次元官网网址� said Gord Horth, general manger of Capital Region Emergency Service Telecommunications (CREST).

B次元官网网址淥fficers need immediate access. If they donB次元官网网址檛 get that immediate access, the average queue is 1.2 seconds during busy times, but we have instances of three or four seconds,B次元官网网址� Horth said. B次元官网网址淚n an emergency, counting one, two, three, four can be significant. A peak times you can get delays and we want to minimize those delays.B次元官网网址�

Victoria police Const. Mike Russell said the Planetworks report confirms problems officers have been struggling with for years B次元官网网址� radio interference and other technical hang-ups with the system.

B次元官网网址淭here are still issues in Esquimalt and James Bay, but we are encouraged by the (Planetworks) independent report. It validates concerns weB次元官网网址檝e been having for years now," Russell said. B次元官网网址淲e are encouraged CREST accepts the report and is moving forward.B次元官网网址�

Complaints with the CREST system have ebbed since the days when police and firefighters opted to use cellphones in the face of CREST dead zones and spotty radio coverage.

CREST board chair Gordie Logan, a Colwood councillor, said the agency is continually trying to improve service in the downtown core where tall buildings and deep parking garages can kill the signal.

B次元官网网址淲hen tall buildings go up, it distorts the signal, but you donB次元官网网址檛 know (the extent) until you do testing,B次元官网网址� he noted. B次元官网网址淭here are ongoing (CREST) infrastructure upgrades in the downtown core. It wonB次元官网网址檛 ever end.B次元官网网址�

Building a transmission site in Esquimalt, and securing more frequencies for the system, are the top priorities of the agency this year. It also plans to upgrade transmission sites to improve reliability in James Bay, Saanich, Oak Bay and the West Shore.

B次元官网网址淐omplaints have dropped off compared to what they used to be. We are still working with the Victoria police to identify and address specific areas,B次元官网网址� Logan said.

B次元官网网址淐REST had issues in the early days, but the concept is sound,B次元官网网址� Horth noted. B次元官网网址漈here is always room to improve and that is the path we are on.B次元官网网址�

Anther key task this year is convincing Industry Canada to release more radio frequencies for the system. Now serving 40 emergency agencies in the Capital Region, CREST is reaching its capacity for radio traffic, B次元官网网址渉as a limited ability to growB次元官网网址� and is justified in requesting five more transmission channels, PlanetworksB次元官网网址� report said.

Horth noted that the system is working with the same frequencies as 10 years ago and transmits 8.4 million calls per year.

At the same time, the CREST board is starting to look at next generation technology to replace the existing $10.6 million system. Planetworks suggested a new system could be phased in as debt on the current system is paid out over the next three to five years.

B次元官网网址淭he system is 10 years old. We expect to replace the system in three or four years,B次元官网网址� Logan said. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檒l be looking at different technologies and planning how to finance that. WeB次元官网网址檒l have borrowing room when we retire the debt.B次元官网网址�

editor@saanichnews.com