News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
A Houston helicopter crash that killed four and brought down a radio tower will lead to changes in Putnam County.
The Putnam County Emergency Communications District Board voted Thursday to upgrade lighting on two emergency towers, both on Brotherton Mountain. 911 Assistant Director Josh Womack said Sunday’s event brought the dangers of the county’s communication towers to mind.
“That’s one of those things we take for granted and don’t think about it because it’s outside,” Womack said. “It’s out of mind. We don’t see it on a daily basis. But our two tower sites that require the lighting are WCTE and Brotherton. WCTE is a painted tower that only requires lighting at night, and Brotherton requires dual lighting.”
The lights will get upgraded LED lights as well as 24/7 monitoring. An infrared sensor at the top would make it visible with night goggles. Womack said the extra costs will be offset by a reduction in painting expense.
“It’s about $100 a foot, and that’s a 317 foot tower,” Womack said. “And it’s not been painted in ten years, and they’re supposed to be painted every five to seven. So this could definitely take care of that and save us some money on that.”
The monitoring system will ping the lights every five minutes to make sure they are working correctly. The updated lights will cost $39,000, including the cost of installation. The monitoring fee would be a new ongoing expense.
The FAA requires lighting on certain heights of towers.
The Robinson R44 helicopter struck the tower and crashed Sunday night in Houston while on a helicopter tour. The aircraft struck a “guyed tower,” a structure that has cables attached to the ground.
