The Sacramento Regional Radio Communications System (SRRCS) is a network of radio communications equipment that supports a regional public safety/public service partnership. It provides a two-way voice radio communications capability for emergency and routine business purposes throughout Sacramento County and neighboring areas. Any public safety/public service governmental agency within the coverage area of the radio system may apply to join this partnership. See the participants tab for a listing of the current member agencies.
SRRCS is maintained and operated by the County of Sacramento under the direction of the County’s Chief Information Officer (CIO). The CIO carries the title of System Manager for SRRCS and manages the system in accordance with the advice of the governing bodies for the partnership, the Systems Management Group and Technical Advisory Committee. The System is administered and maintained by County’s Department of Technology. Membership is recognized by means of a Licensing Agreement approved by the SRRCS System Manager, SRRCS governance bodies, and the agency involved.
Contact
David Dimit
Telecommunications System Manager, SRRCS
Department of Technology
County of Sacramento
916-874-9970
dimitd@saccounty.gov
Governance
The System Manager Group (SMG) has the authority to:
- Elect officers and conduct meetings. The Chair of the SMG is elected from among the membership of the SMG for a term of no more than two years. The term will begin on July 1. The Chair may serve additional terms if nominated and elected.
- Advise the CIO as to all matters relative to the construction, expansion, operation, and management of the System.
- Approve new Primary Participants and Secondary System Users of the System.
- Approve expenditure of SRRCS funds or rate increases for essential modifications and/or major upgrades by a two-thirds vote of the total voting power of the SMG.
- Establish procedures for, consider, and, to the extent possible, resolve all disputes between any of the participants.
The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) membership is comprised of one member appointed by each Primary Participant. Each Primary Participant may provide additional members to represent their interests. Representatives on the TAC shall jointly provide services in kind without compensation from SRRCS funding.
The TAC meets on a biweekly basis and for special purposes when requested by a TAC member, the SMG or the Chief Information Officer. The TAC is the primary body for the review and discussion of technical performance issues concerning the operations, reliability, and maintenance of the System. The TAC shall advise and make suggestions and recommendations concerning operations, reliability, and maintenance for the chairperson to carry forward to the SMG or Chief Information Officer for review and policy direction.
Projects
Conversion to P25
In January 2013, SRRCS began an eight year transition from their current radio system to a new Project 25 (P25 or APCO-25) compliant system. P25 is a suite of standards for digital radio communications for use by federal, state, and local public safety agencies in North America to enable them to communicate with each other during emergencies.
In March 2014, SRRCS completed the first phase of the P25 transition project. This highly successful project accomplished the most difficult part of the transition to P25. The core infrastructure was upgraded along with the installation of six new P25 compliant channels. The major work of the upgrade is done with Phase I, and now SRRCS will turn its attention to adding capacity to the P25 compliant system. Phases II, III, and IV of this transition project will add an additional 18 channels to the P25 system. At the completion of Phase IV, the P25 system will have a total of 24 channels available. The transition project will be complete by the end of 2019-2020 fiscal year.
Replacing Microwave radio system
In 2019 SRRCS undertook a project to replace its Microwave radio system linking its towers. The existing Analog equipment is no longer being produced, and repair parts are getting increasingly hard to find.
The new digital system will offer increased bandwidth and redundancy that was lacking in the Analog system. The project was completed in September 2023.
Membership Types
There are two classes of membership provided for in the SRRCS Licensing Agreement.
- Primary Participant
- Secondary System User
Primary Participants are any public agency or municipality which enters into a formal licensing agreement with the County of Sacramento and is issued a license to use the SRRCS Backbone by the County of Sacramento with concurrence of the Systems Management Group (SMG). Primary Participants provide membership of the SRRCS governing bodies, SMG and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).
Secondary System Users normally have their own radio system for their operational needs; and require the ability to communicate with one or more SRRCS Primary Participants. Secondary Users are limited to using the dispatch talk groups of the Primary Participant who sponsors them and certain other pre-approved talk groups established for mutual aid purposes. Membership as a Secondary System User requires approval from the Systems Management Group and the completion of a revocable contract sponsored by one of the Primary Participants.
Participant Fees
All entities that participate in SRRCS help fund its construction, operation and enhancement. The License Fee is made up of two components:
- Operations and Maintenance (covers annual operating costs)
- Backbone License (covers original acquisition cost and debt service)
The License Fee for Fiscal Year 23/24 is $375.00 per radio.
Entities joining SRRCS after the original inception are required to pay a one-time Buy-In Fee in addition to the annual License Fee. The Buy-In fee recognizes the contribution-of-effort by all original Primary Participants in the development of SRRCS. The fee amount is prorated based on the number of radios the new entity wishes to operate on the system and the length of time to the end of the expected system life.