Carson City Weighs a New Public Safety Communications Network

Carson City supervisors are evaluating a proposal to join a regional emergency communications network that would replace an aging radio system responders say has left dangerous dead zones in the surrounding foothills.

The current system, installed more than two decades ago, has struggled to keep pace with the city's expanding footprint and the terrain surrounding it. Fire officials say crews responding to wildland calls in the hills west of the city have lost radio contact during past incidents, a gap the new network is designed to close.

The proposed system would be shared with neighboring Douglas and Lyon counties, splitting the cost of new towers and equipment across three jurisdictions rather than one. Supporters say the shared model is the only realistic way to fund the upgrade; skeptics on the board have asked for a clearer accounting of long-term maintenance costs before committing.

A final vote is expected after a joint session with representatives from both neighboring counties later this year.