New radio system given a ‘thumbs up’ by first responders
By: CAREY JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
The county’s newly overhauled emergency communications system is still more than a month away from being green lighted, but first responders and commissioners gave it a thumbs up this week.
Emergency Communications Director Christy Shearin presented commissioners with test results for the new system and they were impressive, according to those in the emergency response community.
“We’re just ecstatic,” said Justice Volunteer Fire Department Chief Kelly Harris. “When we experienced the testing, we just couldn’t believe it.
“This is something we’ve needed for a long time.”
It’s been on the minds of emergency responders since at least the 1960s, according to the county’s Fireman’s Association.
On at least two occasions in the 2000s, Franklin County either took steps or proposed efforts to improve the system, providing pager response and communications abilities in and around the county’s dense terrain.
Those efforts, though, did not address the problem and provide the kinds of coverage that emergency responders needed.
Two years ago, though, the county contracted with Virginia-based Harris Corporation to bolster the system and they struck a $10.7 million deal.
Harris has provided the infrastructure, equipment and other materials required to improve the system and began testing it in July.
On-the-road voice and signal testing took place in August.
Basically, company staff, with primary assistance from sheriff’s deputies and firefighters, went out to specific areas throughout the county — 1,293 grids — to test signal strength and the voice quality of the system.
“It was a lot of time, work and effort involved,” Shearin said, noting they were out working eight-hour days in the dense, vegetated pockets of the county to test the system.
“There was a lot of sweat and a lot of ticks,” she said. “We went out to get to as many grids as we possibly could.”
Essentially, the industry standard is 95 percent coverage, 95 percent of the time, and that is what the contract specifies.
The results for signal testing showed the following:
• Mobile coverage countywide was recorded at 100 percent;
• Portable outdoor coverage countywide was recorded at 99.93 percent;
• Pager indoor coverage countywide was recorded at 99.85 percent;
• Portable indoor coverage countywide was recorded at 99.71 percent.
The results for voice quality testing (essentially simulating coverage within a building) were as follows:
• Each region within the county scored 100 percent, save for Pilot, which registered 99 percent and Youngsville, which registered 99.6 percent.
“That’s a lot better than 95/95,” said Commissioner Don Lancaster.
Based on the numbers presented, and approval from emergency response leaders, all of whom signed the grid map presented to commissioners as a show of support, commissioners accepted the coverage test results.
Still, the county is at least a month away from completely turning on the system.
First responders have to be trained on the equipment before the system is a full go.
“This is not final acceptance,” Shearin said of her presentation. “It’ll be some time before we get into cutover of the system.”
or maybe even 800 
