Emergency Communications: Can You Hear?

[Commentary] When you call 911 for help, you're gaining access to a local government public safety communications system that faces greater challenges than dropped calls and video buffering.

And it's not just the patient whose life may depend on that communication system. Volunteer firefighters, emergency medical technicians and search-and-rescue personnel count on it, too.

These emergency personnel need it to dispatch them to those in need, and they use it to acknowledge a page and until they return safely to their own homes or jobs. The recent breakdown in that system in my area made a difficult situation more hazardous. And as you can imagine, that was followed by a deluge of uncomfortable but informative conversations among volunteers, local government officials and service providers.

Here are some things you should know about public safety communications systems in rural areas.

Who Owns Those Towers? In my county, Langlade County, located in northeastern WIsonsin, two of the towers are owned by the county. Others are owned by private enterprises.

It's Not Easy Being Green. You don't have to be this wooded to experience significant communications challenges in a rural area. In your area the problem may be the distance or other terrain features. Or it may just be that the equipment isn't up to the tasks we expect it to perform.

It Can Be a Tower of Babel. It's not just fire departments, emergency medical systems (EMS) and law enforcement using local government channels. The airways are crowded with other users that may include the Department of Natural Resources and public utilities.

It's Always about Money. While it's possible to get a used mobile radio for as little as $300, new units run more than $1,000 each, making the radios a significant expense for small rural fire departments and ambulance services. The systems that support them are a significant expense for units of government like our county. That makes sharing space on a cell tower look pretty good compared to the $500,000 or more it would cost to erect a county-owned tower.

Is It too Much to Ask? We should all try to defer opinions about what our communities can't afford until we've made some effort to learn about the systems and services lives depend on.