Fentress County Commission gave approval Monday night to the County’s Public Safety Departments to search for a new radio system.
Fentress County EMS Director Daniel Coleman told the commission that over the last year and a half, the radio system has deteriorated. Coleman said in certain areas of the county, responders have to walk back to the ambulance just to talk with dispatch.
“If you’re in one of those down spots, you don’t get service,” Coleman said. “You’re basically out of luck. Between the Blue Bird and the four lane, our radio coverage through there is very minimal, if any. This is a safety concern for everybody involved in public safety.”
Public Safety Departments are looking at upgrading to a Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) radio system, which would cost the county an estimated $25,000. Coleman said the department did some testing with a DMR system and received good results.
“They completed these tests over a course of a couple of days,” Coleman said. “Some of the locations they went to were Compton Bottoms Boat Ramp, Delk Creek, Wilder, Highway 62, and other areas throughout the county. The results of those tests were, hey, we are talking like we are just talking in this room on the radios. There was no static.”
Commissioner and Fire Chief Larry Cooper said one of the biggest costs to the county is going to be replacing 15 radios, as they will not be able to be reprogrammed to a DMR system. Cooper said the county may receive some funding to help pay for a new radio system.
“I will say that we have gotten two grants applied for, which is gonna be about $10,000,” Cooper said. “If we get those two grants, then the $25,000-$30,000 that the county would be looking at would be only $15,000-$20,000.”
Coleman said the goal was to receive approval and support from the county commission to continue a search for a radio system. The commission approved to allow the departments to continue their search and will look to upgrade its current system or potentially buy a whole new system.
In other business, the commission approved a new K9 dog for the Fentress County Sheriff’s Department.
