Radio gaps prompt safety concerns as RiverCom backs February funding vote

WENATCHEE — RiverCom 911 is warning that radio blind spots and aging communication systems are creating challenges for police, fire and medical responders throughout Chelan and Douglas counties, just months before voters decide whether to fund upgrades.

As the central dispatch center for the two-county region, RiverCom connects callers to emergency responders and coordinates roughly 67,500 incidents a year. The coverage area spans nearly 4,800 square miles, from remote mountain passes to densely populated neighborhoods.

According to agency representatives, parts of the current system don’t allow reliable communication. Some locations, including Blewett Pass, the Highway 2 corridor over Stevens Pass, Lake Wenatchee and portions of Douglas County, can leave responders unable to reach dispatchers or one another during emergencies.

RiverCom administrators say the risks are compounded by outdated equipment that limits what dispatchers can hear from the field on certain channels. The agency argues that modernizing components of the radio network would improve reliability, strengthen oversight during incidents and help first responders coordinate more safely.

This is a refrain that has surfaced at every public meeting for the last few months during which RiverCom has been discussed, especially among firefighters.

“Clear communication is the backbone of every emergency response,” Wenatchee Valley Fire Chief Brian Brett said. He noted that firefighters depend on dispatchers being able to monitor radio traffic in real time to direct resources and support crews on scene.

A regional ballot measure scheduled for the Feb. 10 special election would ask voters in both Chelan and Douglas counties to consider a new one-tenth of one percent sales-and-use tax increase. The proposed tax, which would represent just one cent on every $10 purchase, would be specifically dedicated to expanding the 911 network’s radio coverage and replacing outdated system elements.

For the tax to take effect, it would need voter approval in both Chelan and Douglas counties.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media