Huron County safety services will upgrade radio equipment

NORWALK — Thanks to Motorola Solutions and the 2018 Assistance to Firefighters Grant, safety forces in Huron County are upgrading their radio equipment later this year. Motorola purchased the grant for $825,320, but Norwalk Fire Chief Rick Perry said the upgraded radio equipment Huron County's fire departments and ambulance services will receive is worth more than $3 million. "Motorola is the No. 1 radio in the world," Perry said. "They're there for a reason." Perry said Motorola separated itself from Kenwood and Harris, the other top radio companies who bid for the grant, by offering Huron County more interoperability, which means Norwalk Fire will improve its communication with other public service departments. For starters, Motorola offered more bands than Harris or Kenwood. A band is essentially a medium or channel departments use to communicate. Norwalk Fire's radios typically operate on VHF (very high frequency) bands, but thanks to the grant, Perry's team will have access to UFH (ultra high frequency) bands, 700/800 megahertz bands and Ohio's MARC (Multi-Agency Radio Communication) system. The Attica Fire Department, which serves Willard, communicates using UFH bands. Perry thinks the the 9-1-1 levy passed in November may switch law enforcement onto 700/800 MHz bands. Ohio's state patrolmen use MARC, as do 74 of Ohio's 88 sheriff departments and 804 of its fire departments. Without Motorola, Perry was forced through a maze of dispatchers to communicate with some of these departments. Now he'll talk directly to them, an improvement that will save county firefighters and ambulance services $250,000. "We can go directly to the (department)," Perry said. "We don't have to go through our dispatch, through their dispatch and back to us. Motorola also gives departments more flexibility in choosing their communication providers." Perry said there are five companies close that serve Motorola in the area. "That's the nice thing about Motorola," he said. "If we don't like our service, we have four other companies to choose from." Other radio upgrades include the use of the APX8000, a model that Perry called "the best firefighting radio in the world." Perry said the APX8000 is more durable than most other models and lasts longer underwater. Portable radios will feature wifi, GPS and bluetooth capabilities, which will make it easier to update their software. Ambulance services in Huron County also will upgrade their radio gear thanks to Motorola. Perry said dual-head radios will be installed in ambulances, which will allow allow communication between the front and back portions. Perry expects installation and delivery to be complete by the end of this year.