Federal grant to fund new Plymouth Canton schools safety device
A new emergency communications system estimated to cost approximately $1.2 million is being planned for Plymouth-Canton Educational Park (PCEP), with the goal of improving radio communications for police and other public safety personnel inside school buildings.
Township officials announced the $1 million in grant funding at the Oct. 27 meeting of the board of trustees. Officials thanked Congresswoman Debbie Dingell and Sen. Elissa Slotkin for their support in obtaining the funds.
The proposed project calls for installation of a Motorola bi-directional antenna system, also known as a distributed antenna system (DAS), designed to strengthen public safety radio signals throughout the Plymouth-Canton school facilities.
The antenna will enable public safety personnel to communicate by radio throughout P-CEP buildings. It is a network of hubs and nodes connected with hardwiring through multiple floors and buildings with hard to penetrate surfaces. There is no rooftop antenna involved in the installation. The system is designed for security and to reach areas that cannot be penetrated by external cellular services, officials noted.
The project was identified in connection with the Canton Township Board of Trustees regular meeting. According to officials, the proposed system is expected to be funded entirely through the federal grant, eliminating the need for a local financial match.
The project represents a substantial investment in emergency communications at the educational park, which encompasses Plymouth, Canton and Salem high schools.
Reliable radio communication is an essential component of emergency response, particularly in large school facilities where conventional radio signals can be weakened or blocked by walls, building materials and the layout of interior spaces, according to national safety officials.
A distributed antenna system uses strategically placed antennas to carry radio signals throughout a building, helping eliminate areas where communications may be unreliable.
For police officers, school resource officers and other emergency personnel, improved indoor radio coverage can make a critical difference when responding to an incident requiring immediate coordination, safety professionals said.
The proposed Motorola system is intended to improve communications for public safety radios throughout the Plymouth-Canton campus buildings.
Canton Public Safety officials have previously reported improvements to communications between the dispatch center and personnel working at P-CEP.
In its annual communications and dispatch program appraisal, Canton Public Safety described the installation of a UHF antenna at the Canton Police Department, along with the creation of a new radio talk group. Those improvements were intended to provide more seamless communication with school resource officers and P-CEP security personnel during emergency situations.
The newly proposed distributed antenna system would represent an additional step toward improving communications within the school facilities themselves, police said.
The estimated $1.2 million project is reported to be 100 percent grant-funded, meaning no local matching contribution is anticipated.
