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The City of Yellowknife's radio system is close to reaching its "day of reckoning," a Vancouver consultant warned city councillors and administration at a Monday committee meeting.

Yellowknife city councillors discussed a complete overhaul of its radio system during Monday afternoon's committee meeting. - Lauren McKeon/NNSL Photo

The radio system is used by public safety personnel, such as the fire department and municipal enforcement, and public works and community services. Much of it is obsolete.

"This equipment is going to fail," said Mory Kapustianyk of PlanetWorks, hired in 2007 by the city to complete a review of the current system.

"You don't want it to fail when someone needs it."

City administration has designated $1,363,000, which includes a $58,000 grant from a federal program, towards the 2009 budget to overhaul the system. If approved, the revamping will continue into 2010, which is budgeted for $632,000, and 2011, which is budgeted for $421,000.

If passed, the multi-year overhaul would include purchases of new equipment, upgrading radio channels, expanding coverage and new infrastructure to make it all possible.

This is all money Kapustianyk reckons well spent.

"You are lacking (coverage), that's a very big problem," he said, adding the current system has very poor coverage to no coverage at all in certain areas.

This means there are some big risks to personal safety, said Kapustianyk.

"I've already been told of people who don't hear dispatches," he said.

Currently, the city's radio channel resources are not compliant with key National Fire Prevention Association requirements, an international association founded in 1896. The association is the leading advocate on fire prevention, creating over 300 codes used worldwide.

Chief among these safety issues is the inability to determine whether the radio system is really working or not.

"Dispatch capabilities (are) really bare minimum," said Kapustianyk. In addition, current equipment is about 30 years-old and is not the type intended to use in extreme environments like Yellowknife.

"Ten years is probably as far as you want to go before you start thinking about replacing it," said Kapustianyk, referring to normal radio equipment renewal cycles.

While the city's current equipment isn't so bad, he added, it is more suited for communication between parks and recreation staff – not bylaw officers and firefighters.

At the end of the presentation city councillor David Wind said he got the impression the new technology would bring Yellowknife into the "major leagues."

"That implies currently we're in the bush leagues," he added.