Albuquerque Journal (New Mexico)

Sorry folks, the location for a new radio communications tower to improve 911 service isn’t an appropriate one for a case of NIMBY [not in my backyard]. It’s a matter of public safety. A new Federal Communications Commission regulation that went into effect in January is requiring public safety agencies to operate radio communications on a narrower bandwidth so more users can access airspace. And radio communications are what enable 911 dispatchers to contact first responders to answer calls from citizens in need of help fast.

The 911 system that serves Rio Rancho and southern Sandoval County already is stretched trying to cover the far flung development that came with obsolete planning practices when Rio Rancho was developed, as well as residents who live in rural areas.

Dead spots in coverage are an ongoing problem for the Sandoval County Regional Emergency Communications Center that dispatches police, fire and rescue personnel. Based in Rio Rancho, it gets about 400,000 emergency 911 calls a year.

To comply with the new regulation, the center modified its radio equipment, but that meant some lost coverage in areas that already were unreliable.

To remedy that, the center will be moving its radio tower from Santa Fe Boulevard in Enchanted Hills and setting it up along Angel Road just into Corrales on the ridge between Rio Rancho and the village. The center also will place some of its radio equipment on a new cellphone tower that a private service provider has put up on Santa Fe Boulevard.

In other words, radio service will be expanded – in two locations.

Rio Rancho, Corrales and the county, which has obtained a $116,000 Homeland Security grant, will cover the estimated $250,000 to $300,000 cost. The radio tower on Angel Road should be operational by fall and is expected to improve dispatch service for southern Sandoval County.

It’s not surprising that some Rio Rancho residents who live near the Angel Road location have objected, but the Corrales Planning and Zoning Commission, which has jurisdiction, gave it the go-ahead for public safety reasons. And so it should have. Fast and clear communications are critical to good response times and getting people the help they need in emergencies.

And while neighbors may not want a cell tower in their backyard, they might think twice about what they would prefer – no tower but, heaven forbid, paramedics not getting to Aunt Sallie’s house in a timely fashion when she’s taken a fall. 

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