ANNVILLE, Pa. — Lebanon County has agreed to purchase nearly 2,000 new radios for its first responders.
The announcement comes as first responders, including firefighters, EMS and police, still use radios that were purchased in 2003.
“And let’s face it: who has a 19-year-old cell phone in their pocket? We’re still using 19-year-old radios to communicate,” said Philip Snavely, fire chief of Union Hose Company of Annville.
“It’s old, with knobs and things coming loose. The radios just get beat up,” said Lebanon City Fire Commissioner Duane Trautman.
The upgrade took years of planning.
On March 17, Lebanon County commissioners approved a measure to spend $12,950,000 to buy 1,989 radios, at a cost of $4,500 per radio. Federal COVID ARPA funds are paying $5,995,479 toward that total.
“Bottom line is, there would a radio for every first responder in Lebanon County,” Lebanon County Dept. of Emergency Services Director Bob Dowd said at the commissioners’ meeting.
The new radios will have better audio quality, run on both radio frequency and Wi-Fi when available, and come with new features like the ability to connect to Bluetooth inside firefighters’ breathing mask apparatuses.
“A newer system brings newer technology, intercommunication between emergency services on the scene,” Snavely said.
Lebanon City already has some of the new radios and plans to start training with weeks. Other departments will implement the new system in the coming months.
“It is a big shift for us. I don’t think it’s a problematic shift, just a different way of doing business,” Trautman said.