San Diego Gas & Electric will utilize 600 additional radios as part of the Regional Communications System.
A 5-0 San Diego County Board of Supervisors vote December 8 authorized the execution of an agreement to add the radios for SDG&E, which will pay the county an estimated $5,086,620 for the additional participation, and authorized the county Sheriff to execute amendments, extensions, or revisions which do not materially impact the program or funding level. The agreement between the county and SDG&E covers the period from January 1, 2021, to June 30, 2026.
The Regional Communications System allows emergency and public safety agencies to communicate with each other and was established in 1995. The RCS provides public safety and public service radio communications to San Diego County and Imperial County and includes those two county governments, 24 incorporated cities, fire protection districts, state and Federal agencies, tribal governments, and medical operations. The county of San Diego procured and constructed the RCS and has operated the system while the participating agencies share the cost of the system infrastructure. The RCS consists of 50 radio sites in the two counties which support 24 public safety dispatch centers and serve more than 20,000 user radios. The RCS is operated by the county of San Diego’s Sheriff’s Department. In December 2013 the Board of Supervisors approved an agreement for participating agencies which established a cost apportionment model for the upgraded system.
SDG&E was allocated 400 radios and has reached that limit. The utility estimates that it will need up to 1,000 radios to support current and future operations over the next five years.