Town of Mansfield, MA Article III In-Building Radio Communications

§ 94-19 Radio coverage support required.

Except as otherwise provided, no person shall erect, construct, change the use of or provide an addition of more than 20% to any building or structure or any part thereof, or cause the same to be done, which fails to support adequate radio coverage for the Town of Mansfield radio communications system, including but not limited to firefighters and police officers.

§ 94-20 Determination of radio coverage.

For purposes of this bylaw, adequate radio coverage shall include all of the following:

A. Minimum signal strength of -95 dbm available in 90% of the area of each floor of the building when transmitted from the Mansfield Police/Fire Communications Center.

B. A minimum signal strength of -95 dbm received at the Mansfield Police/Fire Communications Center from 90% of each floor of the building.

§ 94-21 Amplification systems.

A. Buildings and structures which cannot support the required level of radio coverage shall be equipped with any of the following in order to achieve the required radio coverage: a radiating cable system and/or an internal multiple-antenna system with FCC type accepted bi-directional UHF amplifiers.

(1) Transmit of 473.500 and receive of 470.500 - Police #1.

(2) Transmit of 475.250 and receive of 472.250 - Police #2.

(3) Transmit of 458.8375 and receive of 453.8375 - Fire #1.

(4) Transmit of 458.6125 and receive of 453.6126 - Fire #2.

B. The system shall be capable of operating on an independent battery and/or generator system for a period of at least 12 hours without external power input. The battery system shall automatically charge in the presence of external power input.

§ 94-22 Testing of new systems.

A. When an in-building radio system is required, and upon completion of the installation, it will be the building owner's responsibility to have the radio system tested to ensure that two-way coverage on each floor is a minimum of 90%. The test shall be performed using portable radios supplied by the Mansfield Police and Fire Departments, talking through the Mansfield Police/Fire Communications Center.

B. A certificate of occupancy will not be issued to any structure if the building fails to comply with this section.

§ 94-23 Annual testing.

A. After an in-building radio system is installed, the building owner shall be responsible for the annual testing of the system. The test shall include proper operation of the amplifiers and it must meet the minimum signal strength as indicated in § 94-20A. The battery shall be tested under a load for a period of one hour. All other active components shall be checked to determine that they are operating within the manufacturer's specifications for the intended purpose.

B. Upon completion of the annual test of the system, the person performing the test shall provide the Mansfield Police/Fire Communications Center with a copy of the test results.

§ 94-24 Field testing.

Police and fire personnel, after providing reasonable notice to the owner or their representative, shall have the right to enter onto the property to conduct field-testing to be certain that the required level of radio coverage is present.

§ 94-25 Building owner responsibilities.

All costs of the maintenance and upkeep of the system will be the responsibility of the building owner. Upon resale or transfer of the building, the new owner shall assume all conditions of this occupancy requirement. Upon failure of the system, the owner or their designee shall notify the Mansfield Police/Fire Communications Center and all repairs shall be completed within 24 hours of the failure.

§ 94-26 Exemptions.

This bylaw shall not apply to any building less than 5,000 square feet or any single residential occupancy.