Tower to improve communications for first-responders

Cape Girardeau County has received a federal grant to put up a new tower that will help improve emergency communications in the area.

The $395,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency -- through the U.S. Coast Guard -- will be matched by $100,000 from the county and will go toward putting up a new tower on the Missouri Statewide Interoperability Network in the northeast corner of the county. The tower site is the American Wireless tower near Trail of Tears State Park.

The federal grant is paying for the cost of materials, while the county funds will be used for labor costs.

Mark Winkler, emergency management director for the county, said the tower will fill a deficiency for communications in the region. Communications are generally more difficult in the area because of the terrain, Winkler said.

The grant is part of $10 million given out to ports across for homeland security purposes. The county's Semo Port -- a partnership with Scott County -- insured its eligibility.

"We've counted ourselves fortunate," Winkler said of the money received. Cape Girardeau County competed with ports in San Diego, Houston and New York City, among others, for grant money.

Charlie Herbst, associate county commissioner, spoke briefly about the tower before Gov. Mike Parson's remarks at Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday.

"We're going to give it to you," Herbst said, gesturing toward Sandy Karsten, director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety. "Thank you," Karsten said with a laugh.

Once completed, the new tower will be turned over to the state, which will be responsible for ongoing maintenance.

Perhaps the most important function of the new tower will be its aid in communications during emergencies.

"We know that in an emergency communication is the key. You hear that time and time again that communication is the issue," Winkler said.

The tower will allow for increased communication coverage for local, state and federal emergency services through MOSWIN, allowing for easier coordination during emergency situations, Winkler said.

Making sure first responders can communicate with each other is vital, Herbst said. The associate commissioner said MOSWIN can prevent catastrophic communication problems like those that happened during the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"You had fire crews within the city of New York that couldn't even talk to each other because they were on dissimilar systems," Herbst said.

While the initial purpose of the new tower is to aid in first responders, the tower can be used by weather officials, Mississippi River traffic and even agencies in Kentucky and Illinois, Winkler said.

The new tower will also decrease the burden on the current MOSWIN tower in Cape Girardeau, the only one in the county.

Supply chain issues have caused some issues with getting parts for the tower, which is being constructed in Jefferson City, Missouri. Winkler said the county expects the tower to be completed and operational by April or May 2023.