Shade Gap, a rural area west of Harrisburg, PA’s state capitol, is about to gain a FirstNet cell tower, reports WTAJ-TV. The 225-foot tower is expected to benefit fire and rescue personnel, who have noted the spotty coverage for years.
“This cell tower will actually connect [callers] now quicker to the 911 dispatch center if there is an emergency,” said Shade Gap Volunteer Fire Company firefighter Tanner Locke. “That person can now get 911 personnel there quicker. The response times decrease, and the safety aspect will now increase. So we’re going in the right direction for sure. This gives the fire hall an opportunity to put computers and tablets in our fire trucks. That will help us get to you quicker and more accurately in the event of an emergency,” he added.
“It’s critically important for first responders to have connectivity,” said AT&T Pennsylvania President David Kerr. “They’re on the front lines, 24/7, 365, so this connectivity will benefit all our customers, but the public safety is going to benefit from this. We think that’s critically important.” FirstNet service is operated by AT&T, and the new tower will be the second FirstNet cell tower in service in Huntingdon County.
30th District Representative Judy Ward praised the various parties who worked together to get the FirstNet cell tower installed. “We use technology for everything that we do now. So this has been a long project but very fruitful project,” she said. “A good example of teamwork. You know the public and private partnership – everybody working together, so it’s been great.”
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