Building Radio Amplification System Bylaw

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Consultation has concluded

Uninterrupted radio communications are vital in the delivery of the emergency services provided by police, fire and ambulance.

Over the last several years, The City of Abbotsford has grown from a community of primarily wood frame residential homes and low rise apartment buildings into a modern, vibrant, diverse community with a well-balanced mix of residential high -rise, industrial and commercial buildings.

New buildings are designed to conform to the BC Building Code, however, the design and materials used in newly constructed buildings have the potential to impede or block emergency radio signals. This can negatively impact the safety of the public as well as emergency response personnel. The proposed City of Abbotsford Radio Amplification System Bylaw will work to prevent these occurrences of radio signal interruption in certain types of new or renovated buildings constructed within our City.

Review the Draft Radio Amplification System Bylaw and let us know if you have any questions!

Uninterrupted radio communications are vital in the delivery of the emergency services provided by police, fire and ambulance.

Over the last several years, The City of Abbotsford has grown from a community of primarily wood frame residential homes and low rise apartment buildings into a modern, vibrant, diverse community with a well-balanced mix of residential high -rise, industrial and commercial buildings.

New buildings are designed to conform to the BC Building Code, however, the design and materials used in newly constructed buildings have the potential to impede or block emergency radio signals. This can negatively impact the safety of the public as well as emergency response personnel. The proposed City of Abbotsford Radio Amplification System Bylaw will work to prevent these occurrences of radio signal interruption in certain types of new or renovated buildings constructed within our City.

Review the Draft Radio Amplification System Bylaw and let us know if you have any questions!

Consultation has concluded

If you have any questions about the Draft Radio Amplification System Bylaw, submit them here and we will respond to them!

  • Share Won't this increase the cost of housing vis-a-vis adding red tape, costly amplifiers, and/or buildling design workarounds? Most cities in the world are build from brick & concrete and don't have such bylaws. on Facebook Share Won't this increase the cost of housing vis-a-vis adding red tape, costly amplifiers, and/or buildling design workarounds? Most cities in the world are build from brick & concrete and don't have such bylaws. on Twitter Share Won't this increase the cost of housing vis-a-vis adding red tape, costly amplifiers, and/or buildling design workarounds? Most cities in the world are build from brick & concrete and don't have such bylaws. on Linkedin Email Won't this increase the cost of housing vis-a-vis adding red tape, costly amplifiers, and/or buildling design workarounds? Most cities in the world are build from brick & concrete and don't have such bylaws. link

    Won't this increase the cost of housing vis-a-vis adding red tape, costly amplifiers, and/or buildling design workarounds? Most cities in the world are build from brick & concrete and don't have such bylaws.

    alantrick asked 9 months ago

    Thank-you very much for taking the time to provide us with your comments regarding the City of Abbotsford’s proposed Radio Amplification System Bylaw.  

     Radio Amplification systems are primarily required to be installed in larger buildings where the building’s features (typically thick reinforced concrete walls) block or impede emergency  in-building portable radio communications. The cost to install these systems is relatively minor with respect to the entire scope of the construction projects that would be impacted by this Bylaw. Most major cities around the world with high-rise buildings in their jurisdiction have a Radio Amplification System Bylaw (or a similar Bylaw) to ensure a that minimum standard of emergency communications within their buildings is maintained (including most Lower mainland and Greater Vancouver Cites and municipalities).

    This bylaw is not intended or expected to impact the majority of new building construction projects in the City, however it will serve to ensure that our emergency services will be able to safely respond and protect the citizens of our City.

    Please see the list of buildings that will be exempt from the conditions of this Bylaw, if it is eventually approved by Council, below.

    This Bylaw will not apply to the following buildings:

    • any single-family detached or semi-detached residence;
    • any building or structure constructed entirely of wood frame with no metal cladding and with no low-e reflective glass;
    • any building or structure with a gross floor area less than 5,000 square metres
    • any building or structure less than 12 metres in height; or
    • any building or structure used for a farm operation that qualifies for protection under section 2 of the Farm Practices Protection (Right to Farm) Act.
  • Share What frequency are Emergency Services operating on VHF or 800 MHz, and if VHF is it/they a repeater system and where is the repeater?? It would seem an upgrade to the radio system would be a better answer than to stem development.. on Facebook Share What frequency are Emergency Services operating on VHF or 800 MHz, and if VHF is it/they a repeater system and where is the repeater?? It would seem an upgrade to the radio system would be a better answer than to stem development.. on Twitter Share What frequency are Emergency Services operating on VHF or 800 MHz, and if VHF is it/they a repeater system and where is the repeater?? It would seem an upgrade to the radio system would be a better answer than to stem development.. on Linkedin Email What frequency are Emergency Services operating on VHF or 800 MHz, and if VHF is it/they a repeater system and where is the repeater?? It would seem an upgrade to the radio system would be a better answer than to stem development.. link

    What frequency are Emergency Services operating on VHF or 800 MHz, and if VHF is it/they a repeater system and where is the repeater?? It would seem an upgrade to the radio system would be a better answer than to stem development..

    kgsmith asked 9 months ago

    Thank-you very much for contacting us with your question regarding our proposed Public Safety Building Radio Amplification System Bylaw.  The City of Abbotsford’s Police, Fire and Ambulance Services utilizes  E-Comm’s emergency radio communication network that supports digital radio communications in the 700 and 800 MHz radio frequency range.  E-Comm’s emergency radio communication network provides excellent radio communication coverage throughout the entire City of Abbotsford. 

    However, the issue that this bylaw is intended to address is not radio coverage through the City, but specifically, in-building portable radio communications. Emergency Radio signals can be blocked or be impeded by the design and/or materials used to construct some buildings. The conditions outlined in this bylaw only apply to newly constructed buildings where the quality of the in-building radio communications are impacted by building’s design features. The proposed Public Safety Building Radio Amplification System Bylaw aligns with similar Bylaws currently in place in the rest of the Greater Vancouver’s and the Lower mainland’s municipalities and is not intended or expected to stem development. This Bylaw will apply primarily to larger building with more than two levels of parking and represent a very small percentage of the building’s overall cost.