Time is running out to help a Quad Cities joint digital public safety radio system advance to the Final 4 in the Iowa League of Cities 2023 People’s All Star Tournament.
That critical Quad Cities bi-state local emergency dispatching project with a rather clunky name – The Quad City (QC) Interoperable Digital P-25 Radio System – has already advanced to the Elite 8 in online polling in this year’s March Madness-style bracket poll.
Quad Cities governments’ Facebook pages are urging locals to help reward the Iowa-Illinois Quad Cities project that created a much-needed new direct communications platform for law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services agencies in Scott County and Rock Island County.
The QC survived the first cut from the original 14 entries in the league’s online poll to make the Elite 8. Supporters must vote by Monday, Sept. 2, if they want to see the QC project in the Final 4.
Competition is stiff among the remaining eight entries, warns Riverdale, Iowa, City Clerk Kelly Krell. The contest still includes the following Iowa-only projects: a new Canine Corral Park in Madison; Village Center Plaza in Hiawatha; pickleball courts in Lakeview; the new City of Marion Public Library; a water tower project in Shelby; and the American State Bank Sports Complex in Sioux City.
How to vote
Quad Cities supporters will find the link to vote for the local radio project on the City of Bettendorf’s Facebook page here. Or they can go directly to the photos of the projects on the Iowa League of Cities Facebook page here.
It isn’t enough to merely visit the Elite 8 bracket winners, however. Ms. Krell reminded voters that to make their entry count, they must first click on the top photo of a communications tower against a blue sky that bears the caption “Bettendorf/Davenport.” Then, they must “like” or “love” the project of their choice.
Once votes are tallied, organizers will post albums for the Final 4 and later the tourney’s winning round. The final round in this year’s contest will close on Thursday, Sept. 21, the Iowa League of Cities said.
And the People’s All-Star Community Award winner will be announced at the Annual Conference & Exhibit in Cedar Rapids during the award ceremony.
About the QC project
In November 2022, Quad Cities area public safety agencies implemented the final pieces of its long planned bi-state digital public safety radio system. The Quad City Interoperable Digital P-25 Radio System is fully compliant with Project 25 interoperability standards developed by the Federal Communications Commission and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, the project’s entry said.
“The new communications system ensures that local agencies can easily communicate across all disciplines in both counties,” the entry added. “The new system can easily interface with other digital systems, including the Iowa State Interoperable Communications System (ISICS) and Starcom21, the Illinois State Radio System.”
