The Park Hills call center in Saint Francois, MO has seen an uptick in calls since merging its emergency services with Ste. Genevieve County. As KSDK- TV reports, the center fields approximately 120,000 calls per year, prompting the communications center to consider new ways to improve their digital reach.
A $7 million dollar simulcast radio upgrade is now under serious consideration. Changes in FCC rules and some of the specific nuances of local communications have identified the need to provide emergency resources that eliminate problems and coverage gaps.
“We’re sending our responders into incidents…into schools and factories and into homes that we’re not able to communicate well on the handheld radio system,” stated County Communications Director Alan Wells. Wells noted that a mandated signal split, as well as new metal roofing in the region both contribute to stifling radio signals. Wells has said he believes the proposed upgrade will allow emergency responders a much more reliable system for staying in contact with people in need, according to KSDK- TV.
“There’s no way to do it unless we have good radios, good phones. Like that’s how we communicate,” noted Shift Supervisor Karlie Blankenship.
Dispatch worker Chuck Farr added, “We can talk out on the street all day long with our handhelds and our mobiles until we get into these critical infrastructures that are hard and concrete.”
If all goes well, it is anticipated that the new equipment will be operational by 2025.
Reader Interactions