New radios may finally put EMS providers on the same frequency

After years of discussions about new radios for emergency service providers in the county, police, firefighters and emergency medical service providers may finally be weeks away from receiving new devices. 

Members of police and fire departments throughout the county crowded together in the county Justice Center in Port Washington on June 17 for a Radio System User Group to find out one thing — when their crews will be getting new radios. 

For years, emergency service workers throughout the county have experienced issues in connecting across departments while responding to scenes. 

Grafton Assistant Fire Chief Matt Karpinski said that the county’s issue with portable radios needs to be addressed quickly. 

“We have literally fires we’re going into and we can’t talk to people,” he said. 

The county operates on an Edex system and is working with L3Harris Technologies to upgrade to a P25 system. 

Progress on the project has been delayed in recent years because of the coronavirus pandemic and the need for a new radio tower in Mequon. 

During the meeting Dennis Buchholtz, the President of Communication Site Management and Contract Manager for Ozaukee County radio upgrades, said L3Harris has been preparing the new radio system for months and that it is nearly complete. 

Once the system is operational, Buchholtz said, departments will be equipped with new radios in about two months. 

“It’ll be six to eight weeks roughly after the signoff of system acceptance,” he said. 

In that time L3Harris representatives will be going to departments to train radio users on the new devices and make adjustments. 

Grafton Fire Chief Bill Rice said discussions about improving the radio system to allow for different departments to communicate have been ongoing for at least eight years. 

He stressed the need for portable radios by relaying the events of a house fire from about six months ago. 

After responding to the fire, crews were told a woman may be trapped inside the burning structure so they entered the building to rescue her, Rice said. 

“One mutual aid company went into the house and we had no communications with them,” he said. “The portable radio they had with them did not talk to the rest of the portable radios on the fire ground.”  

He added that while nobody was injured, it was an incredibly serious situation to not have communications with the team inside the fire. 

Rice pleaded with L3Harris to get portable radios in the hands of first responders throughout the county as soon as possible. 

“I stand in that front yard and I give directives to people. I send human beings into burning buildings hoping they’ll be alright, and I can’t do that if the radios don’t work,” he said. 

Administration Sergeant Mark Kastens, for Mequon Police Department, also gave an example where departments could not communicate with each other during an emergency. 

On the same day as the radio group meeting, authorities issued a manhunt for two men who were considered armed and dangerous in the Bayside area. 

Kastens said his department assisted in the search and experienced multiple radio problems while trying to coordinate efforts with other departments. 

“Two armed suspects and we’ve got 30 to 40 cops out there from Milwaukee and everywhere and we can’t communicate with them,” he said. 

Jack Scully, an account manger with L3 Harris, said with the radio system nearly complete, the company will begin training departments as quickly as possible. 

The new radios will be covered under a two-year warranty.