11 Alarms Mayor Tom Barrett Ignored Signaling OpenSky was a Dangerous Boondoggle

INTRODUCTION

This is the first of an 11-part post based on over 600 pages of new open records documents received from the Milwaukee Fire Deparment regarding the dangerous and wasteful boondoggle know as the OpenSky radio system.  It is a follow-up to our 500 pages of complaints obtained via open records from the Milwaukee Police Department.

Each post will detail an "Alarm" with supporting documents that Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett ignored in the past six years that any competent leader would have heeded to take aggressive action to protect both citizens and our public safety professionals.  At the end of the series we will post links to the entire set of documents.

Fire Fighters never ignore an alarm because every alarm means someone is in danger and it is their job to help.  Alarms have been going off for more than six years alerting Mayor Tom Barrett that his police officers and fire fighters were in danger from the OpenSky radio system.

We aren’t asking the Mayor to rush into a burning building. Just show a little leadership and protect the people he sends into those burning buildings.

Open records requests from the Milwaukee Fire Department have yielded over 600 pages of documents raising the alarm over this $18 million dollar scandal.

We found evidence of:

• Complete radio blackouts impacting all police and fire communication.
• Radios declared “not intrinsically safe”
• Fire Fighters working feverishly to protect their brother and sister fire fighters from the failure of this system with no help from the Mayor.
• Training cancelled because of radio failure.
• In all, at least 11 situations that would have called a leader into action.

Here is what we didn’t find:

• A mention of Mayor Barrett following the issue, aware of the issue, engaged in the issue. In fact, we couldn’t find a reference to a conversation about OpenSky that involved Barrett in his six-years as Mayor.
• An email, letter or note to Mayor Barrett or his key staff regarding OpenSky.
• Our Google search couldn’t find Mayor Barrett being asked by a reporter or commenting on OpenSky over six years in which $18 million was paid out.

As you follow our daily Alarms, think about when you would have gotten involved, if you were Mayor of Milwaukee.  The documents make it very clear that true professionals at the fire and police departments worked extraordinarily hard to make this boondoggle work. They need a leader!

ALARM 1

New York revoked their $2 billion OpenSky contract because the company failed to provide safe communication for their fire fighters and Cops. The articles below were tracked by the Milwaukee Fire Department and discussed as part of their investigation. Another government canceling the same system because they were having the same problems. Might make a Mayor think…

New York cancels OpenSky

For those who might think the New York disaster is an isolated incident checkout Lancaster County, PA  Wow, they spent $13.5 million and estimate it will take $35 million to finish the job (about double what Milwaukee has already spent).  They are currently looking for ANOTHER sucker ... we mean "city" to buy their useless OpenSky equipment!  "Warning, warning, danger Mayor Barrett!"