The Public Opinion
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Franklin County will begin moving to a new 911 dispatch system later this month.
The system will allow first responders from various agencies to communicate directly with each other at the scene of an emergency.
The county tested the ultra-high-frequency system and found that a responder can communicate with hand-held radio in 99 percent of the county. The current low-band system has just 82 percent coverage. Mountains and buildings can block radio transmission and reception.
Police agencies will be the first to start the transition later this month, then municipalities, then fire and ambulance companies. The county will continue the transition over the course of a year, according to Franklin County Emergency Services Director David Donahue.
People who listen to police and fire calls at home will need to purchase scanners with digitial trunking to follow the action after the initial alarm, according to Donahue.
The county began the project to improve 911 communications in 2003.
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