The Camden County Emergency Communications Center dispatchers began broadcasting on a new 700 MHz radio system recently.
This $35 million investment by the Freeholder Board enables first responders to provide critical emergency services in a more effective and efficient manner than ever before.
The first call on the new system was a medical emergency in Camden City, which was handled flawlessly.
“The Freeholder Board’s number one priority is to make sure the residents, families and children of Camden County are safe,” said Freeholder Scot McCray. “When you call 911 it is imperative for the system to work and for first responders to have the ability to communicate with one another.”
The new Public Radio Communications System provides true interoperability for police, fire and EMS communications within Camden County and our surrounding region. The system will also have the ability to communicate with surrounding counties and the state using a regional repeater.
The new system has numerous advantages over the one it replaces.
It utilizes microwave technology, which is recognized as the most reliable form of radio communication and allows for up to eight-incident specific channels for first responders on the scene to communicate without interruption from other calls.
It also incorporates GIS mapping software to pinpoint more accurate dispatch locations, and offers military grade encryption capabilities to prevent criminals from being alerted to police activity. Most importantly, it eliminates the problem of interference from digital television stations from as far away as North Carolina and New England.
“The signal strength and clarity of the new system is unsurpassed. We tested the new radios in areas that had previously posed problems to our public safety community, and they more than impressed us,” McCray said. “From the top of a Cherry Hill high-rise, inside a bank vault in Haddon Township and the middle of an orchard in Winslow, we experienced crystal clear communications.”
The project included the construction of new radio towers.
Residents may have noticed the new towers that have gone up in Camden City, Cherry Hill, Gloucester Township, Lindenwold, Pennsauken, Runnemede, Voorhees, Waterford Township and Winslow Township. They have been strategically placed to provide the most coverage during emergency situations.
“As I have said previously, I personally understand the importance of providing our first responders with the tools they need to perform their jobs,” McCray said. “Last year, during a fire at my home I saw firsthand the roles these radios play in making sure my children and wife got out of a burning building alive.”
All of the county’s fire and emergency medical services from each of the 37 municipalities are now being dispatched on the new 700 MHz system.
The Voorhees Police Department has been using the new system since April 8 with excellent results. Over the course of the next year, 33 additional municipal police departments will also migrate to the new system.