Michigan Emergency Communications, Paging & ERRCS Planning | TCG

Michigan Emergency Communications: Why Building Owners Should Plan Before Final Inspection

Emergency Communications Should Be Part of the Building Plan — Not a Final-Inspection Surprise

One of the most expensive statements that can be made during a construction or renovation project is:

“We’ll deal with radio coverage at final inspection.”

By that point, the building may be substantially complete, budgets may already be committed, ceilings may be closed, network infrastructure may be installed, and occupancy deadlines may be approaching.

Discovering an emergency communications or in-building public-safety radio coverage issue at that stage can create unnecessary delays, additional construction costs, redesign work, and difficult conversations between owners, contractors, engineers, inspectors, and Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs).

At Trendset Communications Group, LLC. (TCG), we believe emergency communications infrastructure should be evaluated much earlier in the project lifecycle.

For Michigan schools, municipalities, commercial facilities, and other public buildings, three areas deserve particular attention:

Emergency notification and mass communication

Building paging and public-address systems

In-building emergency responder radio coverage

While these systems perform different technical functions, they ultimately support the same mission:

Can building occupants receive and understand an emergency message, and can first responders communicate effectively once they enter the building?

1. Michigan Schools May Have a Funding Path for Emergency Communications

Michigan’s FY2026 Section 31aa allowable-use guidance identifies “emergency response system” and “safety infrastructure” among allowable expenditure categories.

That creates an important opportunity for eligible Michigan school districts.

The first step should not necessarily be selecting equipment. Instead, districts should determine where their existing communications infrastructure has deficiencies and then determine whether those needs align with available funding requirements.

That assessment could include reviewing:

Existing building paging coverage

Emergency notification capabilities

Classroom and common-area intelligibility

Outdoor notification coverage

Integration between paging and emergency systems

Network infrastructure supporting IP-based communications

Emergency responder radio coverage

Communications coverage in stairwells, mechanical areas, basements, and other difficult RF environments

System redundancy and backup power

Existing equipment lifecycle and obsolescence

Importantly, the availability of funding should not be interpreted to mean that every paging, ERRCS, radio, or communications project automatically qualifies.

Eligibility should be verified against the applicable Michigan Department of Education requirements before expenditures are committed.

The bigger strategic opportunity is this:

Schools should map their communications and life-safety gaps first, then determine which available funding mechanisms can appropriately address them.

2. Michigan Has Not Enacted Alyssa’s Law — But Schools Don’t Have to Wait for a Mandate

As of the material reviewed for this article, Michigan is not among the states that have enacted Alyssa’s Law.

That distinction matters.

Without a statewide Alyssa’s Law mandate, Michigan schools may not face the same statutory deadline pressure found in states where specific emergency notification capabilities have been legislatively required.

But lack of a mandate should not be confused with lack of need.

Forward-thinking districts can evaluate emergency communications infrastructure based on operational requirements rather than waiting until legislation forces the issue.

School administrators and facility teams should be asking questions such as:

Can an emergency announcement actually be heard and understood throughout the building?

Can staff quickly initiate the appropriate notification?

Are cafeterias, gymnasiums, auditoriums, mechanical spaces, outdoor areas, and other difficult environments adequately covered?

Can emergency messages be distributed through multiple communications channels?

Can police, fire, EMS, and other first responders maintain radio communications after entering the facility?

These are operational questions—not simply technology questions.

3. ERRCS and Public-Safety Radio Coverage Need to Be Addressed Early

Modern commercial buildings can create extremely challenging RF environments.

Concrete, structural steel, energy-efficient glass, metal roofing, underground areas, stairwells, elevators, mechanical rooms, and other building materials can significantly affect radio propagation.

A radio signal that works perfectly outside a building may perform very differently once a responder moves deep inside the structure.

That is why Emergency Responder Radio Communication Systems (ERRCS/ERCES) and in-building public-safety radio coverage need to be considered during project planning.

In Michigan, these requirements can be influenced by the local Authority Having Jurisdiction rather than a single statewide ERRCS mandate.

Projects may also involve coordination and consent requirements associated with the Michigan Public Safety Communications System (MPSCS) licensee.

That coordination is important because ERRCS is not simply a matter of installing a signal booster and antennas.

A properly engineered solution may involve:

RF coverage assessment

Public-safety frequency analysis

Donor antenna design

Bi-Directional Amplifier (BDA) or signal-booster engineering

Distributed Antenna System (DAS) design

RF isolation calculations

Cable-loss calculations

Battery backup

Monitoring and alarming

Equipment survivability

Pathway considerations

AHJ coordination

Licensee approval

Acceptance testing and documentation

Trying to address all of these requirements shortly before a Certificate of Occupancy can create substantial project risk.

Paging, Emergency Notification and Responder Radio Are Part of One Communications Strategy

Organizations often treat these systems as separate projects.

The paging system belongs to facilities.

The network belongs to IT.

The fire alarm belongs to another contractor.

The radio system belongs to public safety.

The emergency notification platform may belong to security.

From an organizational chart perspective, that separation may make sense.

From an emergency response perspective, however, it doesn’t.

During an actual emergency, the building needs a coordinated communications strategy.

The fundamental questions are simple:

Can people hear the warning?

Can they understand the instructions?

Can authorized personnel initiate the appropriate message quickly?

Can first responders communicate once they enter the building?

Will the communications infrastructure continue operating when normal conditions deteriorate?

That is the bigger picture.

The Permit-Stage Gap

One of the most preventable mistakes in communications infrastructure planning is waiting until late in construction to evaluate emergency communications requirements.

By that point, the project may already have:

Completed architectural design

Established construction budgets

Selected major subcontractors

Installed ceilings

Completed telecommunications pathways

Installed network infrastructure

Finished electrical work

Established occupancy dates

If a communications deficiency is discovered late, solving it becomes considerably more complicated.

A better approach is to evaluate communications requirements during the planning, design, budgeting, renovation, or permitting stages whenever possible.

That gives owners, engineers, architects, contractors, IT departments, security teams, and public-safety stakeholders an opportunity to identify requirements before they become expensive change orders.

A Better Approach: Start With an On-Site Communications Assessment

Before replacing equipment or designing an entirely new system, TCG recommends understanding the existing environment.

A professional communications assessment can evaluate several infrastructure layers simultaneously.

Building Paging & Public Address

Evaluate whether announcements are audible and intelligible throughout required areas of the facility.

Emergency Notification

Determine how emergency messages are initiated, distributed, prioritized, and integrated with existing communications infrastructure.

Network Infrastructure

Review the Ethernet, fiber-optic, structured cabling, PoE, switching, VLAN, and network infrastructure supporting IP-based communications.

Public-Safety Radio Coverage

Evaluate whether building construction or RF conditions could create communication challenges for first responders.

Backup Power & Resiliency

Determine whether critical communications equipment can continue operating during a commercial power interruption.

System Integration

Identify opportunities for paging, networking, emergency notification, fire alarm interfaces, public-safety communications, and other building technologies to operate as a more coordinated infrastructure platform.

Don’t Start With Equipment — Start With the Requirement

TCG’s approach is straightforward.

We don’t believe the first question should be:

“What equipment should we buy?”

The first question should be:

“What does this building need to accomplish?”

Once the operational requirement is understood, the appropriate technology can be engineered around it.

That approach can help organizations avoid unnecessary equipment replacement, identify existing infrastructure that can be reused, prioritize the most significant deficiencies, and develop phased capital-improvement plans.

For schools and municipalities operating under tight budgets, that distinction can be significant.

Plan Before the Problem Becomes an Emergency

Michigan schools, municipalities, commercial property owners, construction teams, and facility managers have an opportunity to become more proactive about communications infrastructure.

Don’t wait until final inspection.

Don’t wait until an inspector identifies a coverage problem.

Don’t wait until an aging paging system fails during an important announcement.

And don’t wait for legislation to force improvements that already make operational sense.

Evaluate the building. Identify the gaps. Establish the requirements. Build the roadmap.

That is a far more manageable process than discovering critical communications deficiencies at the end of a project.

Schedule a TCG Communications Infrastructure Assessment

Trendset Communications Group, LLC. works with organizations throughout Southeast Michigan to evaluate, engineer, install, integrate, test, and support critical communications infrastructure.

Our capabilities include:

Building Paging & Public Address

Mass Notification

Emergency Communications

ERRCS / ERCES & In-Building Public-Safety Communications

Professional Audio Systems

Structured Cabling Solutions

Fiber-Optic Infrastructure

Ethernet & Network Infrastructure

Wireless Communications

Backup Power & Communications Resiliency

System Testing, Documentation & Preventive Maintenance

If you’re responsible for a Michigan school, municipal facility, commercial property, manufacturing facility, transportation facility, or other critical building and you’re uncertain about the condition of your communications infrastructure, start with an assessment rather than an equipment purchase.

Make TCG Part of Your Planning Process

Trendset Communications Group can perform an on-site evaluation of your existing communications infrastructure, identify potential coverage and operational gaps, and help establish a practical roadmap for improvements.

Funding, code requirements, technology selection, or simply not knowing where to start shouldn’t prevent the conversation.

Start by understanding where your facility stands today.

Trendset Communications Group, LLC.
First in Class Infrastructure.

Serving Southeast Michigan with professional communications, networking, structured cabling, paging, public-safety communications, and technology infrastructure solutions.