In our modern society, communication has become indispensable, with cell phones putting us in constant contact with others. When those seemingly necessary devices lose signal or cut out in the middle of conversations, it can cause massive frustration. But when actual lives are on the line, communication is crucial. For a first responder, that voice on the other end of his or her radio could be a lifeline. Poor communications systems could place more than a police officer’s or firefighter’s life in jeopardy.

That is why Lewiston, Idaho, Police Department began to examine its radio equipment to determine its efficiency. In 2019, police officer Brian Birdsell took up a new position in the department as police systems coordinator. Birdsell had served as a Lewiston police officer in various capacities since 1994, but his experience with technical equipment led him to this new role. One of the first things he wanted to do was learn the systems he oversaw and how well they operated and improve them. He discovered that the radio equipment was outdated, particularly the repeater tower the department used. So in 2021, he began a campaign to replace the repeater system, a project that earned him the Association of Idaho Cities’ prestigious Garret Nancolas City Achievement Award in the Public Safety Category.

“One of the most vital systems we have is our radio communications, which is kind of the backbone of both the police and fire, as well as public works,” he explained. “You don’t realize how much work goes behind that lifeline to the officers, for them to be able to know when they push that button and they call for help, that someone’s on the other end and they’re going to hear it and send somebody.”

The concept of a radio repeater might sound complicated but consider Walkie Talkies. With two watts of signal power, their range in the city is limited to about one mile, and they are severely restricted by ground obstacles. A police radio works similarly, boasting slightly more power at five watts. For emergency agencies where communication is life, that may not be enough, hence the reason for radio repeater stations.

Radios rely on a direct line of sight to transmit ground waves across distances. When a person uses a radio in a city, for example, buildings, trees and other barriers can interfere with the waves, making signals unreliable. To counter this, police, fire departments and others rely on radio repeater stations to amplify that five-watt signal and send it back out at 100 watts of power to other radios on the same frequency, reliably reaching far greater distances. These radio repeaters are generally positioned at higher elevations to decrease interference from ground clutter.

Lewiston is located in a valley, around 750 feet above sea level. The previous repeater tower was situated on the side of a hill known to locals as Lewiston Hill, rising roughly 2,700 feet above the city. The former repeater facility had become rather dilapidated; it lost power occasionally and required air conditioning even in the winter to maintain the proper climate, along with other problems that could lead to failure. Rather than attempt to repair it, Birdsell began the search for a new site. Cost was one of the main considerations in the search — finding “the easiest way to do it and the most cost-effective to the taxpayers,” Birdsell said.

Birdsell soon learned that the Idaho Military Department had recently built a new repeater tower at the top of Lewiston Hill. As the police department is a government entity, he found that instead of spending more than half a million dollars to put up a new one, the department could lease space on the tower for a fraction of the cost.

With the money it saved, the police department could purchase new car radios, upgrading to the most up-to-date equipment. The fire, transit and public works departments are upgrading theirs as well. Radios pose several advantages, Birdsell stated, including the fact that they continue to work even in the event of power outages. “For at least the near, foreseeable future, we are always going to have radio as the backbone of our public safety system. You have to have something that’s always going to be there.”

Though the project began within the police department, it took on a larger life, as Birdsell realized other departments also relied on this crucial piece of equipment and there was a need for interoperability among all of them. In the event of a natural disaster or other catastrophe, he said, “We have all these players that are going to need to talk to each other, and so in that respect, the focus of the project changed … that’s when we brought them all in and said we need to upgrade all of these systems.”

Although situated inland, Lewiston’s location, along the Snake River and its connection to the Columbia River, makes it a seaport for some ocean-going ships. Surrounded by both the Snake and Clearwater Rivers, flooding remains the greatest natural disaster threat to the city.

Along with representatives from the fire department, public works, transit, etc., Birdsell approached the city council with the plan to lease space on the military’s repeater tower and upgrade their equipment. Not only did the council see the merit of the plan, but they also funded it, an action Birdsell called “refreshing.”

With all those departments utilizing the same repeater system, interference could be a problem, so the city of Lewiston needed a combiner. This piece of equipment attaches to the repeater and “takes frequencies and allows them to work in the same location without interfering with each other,” according to Birdsell. A combiner uses crystals that allow only a certain frequency to pass through, and these had to be grown, taking six months before the combiner was ready to be installed. Funding from the Idaho Office of Emergency Management helped cover this cost.

For the scope of this project and the hard work he put into it, Birdell’s supervisor, Captain Jeff Klone, nominated him for the Garret Nancolas City Achievement Award. Birdsell is incredibly humble about his part in this immense project, claiming that all he did was to bring the right people to the table and “keep stirring the fire … but I was just a cog in the machine.”

He credits the people from other departments that he “leaned on” throughout the process; those who brought their own experience and expertise to the table. In this case, it truly took a village to bring this project to completion.

The greatest piece of advice he would offer to others is simply communicating with those around them. “Sometimes another division has already done something; that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. But if you don’t talk to each other, you have no idea what they’ve done.”

About the time the project finally saw completion, both the previous fire and police chiefs who had been instrumental in its development had retired. Travis Myklebust retired from his position as fire chief on June 1, 2023, “five days before (the radio repeater) went live,” he stated. He didn’t get to see the repeater in field operation, although he uses it in the fire training college courses he now teaches. Collaborating with Birdsell, Myklebust said, “It was our job to get the political parties together and the funding.”

The Lewiston fire department covers 1,700 square miles in two states and three counties, with one ambulance stationed in nearby Washington state. With the change of location to the top of Lewiston Hill, Myklebust reported that other fire departments in the area, such as the nearby town of Asotin, also benefitted from the increased signal. These smaller towns didn’t have money to put toward the repeater yet could utilize it for their radios. The Lewiston Fire Department also covers EMS services for the entire county as well.

When he found out about the problems with the previous repeater’s location and accessibility, Myklebust came on board with the project almost from its inception. “From start to end, it looked different,” he remarked, noting how many other departments became involved. Additionally, the city’s form of government changed from a council-manager style to a strong mayor. Six new council members were also elected to the city council during that time. Through it all, though, Birdsell’s project retained support at the municipal level.

“It was such a strong project that they all came onboard,” Myklebust said. Cooperation across the board allowed the process to go off “without a hiccup.”

Current police Chief Jason Kuzik came to Lewiston from out of state. By the time he was sworn in, the project was already up and running. All Birdsell asked of him was continued support for it, which he readily gave after seeing the condition of the old repeater.

Winning this award, Kuzik stated, demonstrated the quality of those in the force and the fact that “the police department is constantly trying to improve.” A forward-looking project like this, he said, “enables us to serve the public all the much better.”

He added, “Communications are key for the police force. We have to be able to talk to each other. We have to be able to talk to dispatch. If we don’t have communications, we’re just alone.”

The project had such an impact in the city that Kuzik said they are considering another phase by installing another, smaller tower to the south of the city, to “maximize coverage” in that direction.

When asked if he was surprised when Birdsell won this award, he vehemently objected. “I understood the depth that went into this project. This was not quick, and it was not easy.”

He called Birdsell “very deserving” of this recognition and that he emulates the quality of employees in the police department. “I’m appreciative that he works at LPD.”

Birdsell’s supervisor, Captain Jeff Klone, certainly agreed, as he nominated Birdsell for the Garret Nancolas City Achievement Award because “he went above and beyond in getting the repeaters.” He noted, “The amount of coordination he had to do between so many entities both within the city of Lewiston and outside was amazing. Due to his extraordinary efforts and can-do attitude, this repeater project not only benefited the Lewiston Police Department but also the entire city of Lewiston and other entities in the entire Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, who also was able to become part of the repeater project which made everyone more efficient and safer.”

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