Luzerne County 911’s upgraded radio communication system is now operational throughout the county, 911 Executive Director Fred Rosencrans said Wednesday.
“I am pleased to announce that all Luzerne County fire and EMS agencies have been transitioned to the P25 digital radio system,” Rosencrans said in a release. “As of 10 a.m. today, all of the 182 police, fire and EMS agencies are now on the Motorola P25 digital radio system.”
Fire departments and emergency medical units were the last group added. The initial activation was for Wilkes-Barre fire and police calls in September, followed by the county sheriff’s department and then all police departments earlier this month.
The project includes additional communication towers in new locations, improved microwaves and the replacement of a 20-year-old analog radio system with a new digital one for law enforcement and emergency responders to exchange messages.
It corrected spotty or nonexistent emergency radio coverage throughout the 906-square-mile county, ended radio interference and opened up more radio channels for responders, Rosencrans said.
The system includes new mobile and portable radio equipment for police and other emergency responders and base-station mobile radios with a panic button in all schools.
Motorola Solutions Inc., which was awarded the radio system contract, is contractually bound to ensure the county has 95% emergency radio coverage, 95% of the time.
County Council Vice Chairman John Lombardo said he was in Mountain Top Wednesday and able to hear fire and EMS activity from the Pittston area on the portable radio he carries as a member of the Pittston City Fire Department.
Lombardo said that clarity and geographic reach was not possible with the old system.
“I was very happy to see that. It is one positive thing to come out of the past few weeks,” Lombardo said, referring to negative reports related to the election paper shortage and need for the county to once again launch a search for a top county manager.
Rosencrans said he received a “lot of positive feedback” about the new system and experienced only “minor hiccups” assisting some agencies in switching over.
“It’s a monumental task, and I’m extremely proud of my team,” he said.
County council has not yet determined whether it will grant the administration’s request for $3 million of the county’s remaining $94.3 million in unallocated county American Rescue funding to further enhance the 911 communication project.
Council members are individually evaluating and scoring all remaining American Rescue requests in batches, with the last group scheduled for review by Dec. 22.
The 911 department is seeking $1.6 million to add a feature allowing 911 personnel to remotely connect to the more than 4,000 emergency radios in the field so they don’t have to physically hold them to complete software, firmware and other updates. This would ease the burden on 911 staff.
The other American Rescue request is for $1.4 million to add a feature that would transmit the GPS coordinates of responders, providing their current location when they communicate on the new system. Because it will improve responder safety, location identification was one of the most requested items when 911 held training and discussion sessions with outside agencies, officials said.