Oxford and Butler County are now seeing the effects of a new 911 radio system implemented in August that unites all Butler County municipal services to provide a network for public safety.
The new emergency radio system is part of a countywide Butler County Regional Interoperable Communication System. The communication system consists of 14 radio towers and 2,200 radios in Butler County.
"The primary benefit of the new system is the coverage," said Matt Franke, director of the Butler County communication division. "Existing systems had dead spots where radios did not receive any coverage. Additionally, the new system allows for different municipal services to be on the same network and interact with radio-to-radio communication."
The new radio towers were designed to sustain severe weather in Oxford and run entirely on batteries, according to Oxford Fire Chief John Detherage. The batteries, normally powered by utilities, are backed by generators that provide long-term support during power failures.
"Last year, Oxford was fortunate to keep our power during the wind storm and had good generators," Detherage said. "Some areas in the county lost power and experienced technical difficulties. The new system provides the whole county with a dependable radio system."
The radio system has benefits for both day-to-day communication and also for large-scale emergencies.
"One of the benefits for Miami University is Miami University police can now instantly communicate with each of its campuses," Franke said. "If there is an emergency in Hamilton, the university police can communicate across campuses and also connect with Hazmat, Hamilton police and Hamilton Fire and EMS."
The Oxford Fire Department uses the new radio system to decrease its dependence on cell phones, Detherage said.
"We use the radio system daily to communicate with emergency rooms," Detherage said. "We are now always instantly connected with the emergency rooms and do not have to rely on cell phone coverage when we are bringing someone in."
Franke, who is also the system's project director, estimated the total project cost to be $34.5 million, which was partially funded by federal grants.
"The rest of the project was funded through a temporary Butler County sales tax increase that was in place from October 2005 to June 2007," Franke said.
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The transfer to the new system required Butler County municipalities to undergo training on an as needed basis. Franke said parts of the county were already using the same digital radio equipment, whereas other parts were using old analog radios that had been used since the 1950s.
Oxford municipalities have undergone training exercises to test the interoperability of the network.
"In Oxford, minimal training was required because the old radio system used the exact same equipment that the new system uses," Detherage said. "There wasn't a change in the equipment. The only difference is that we are now using the exact same network as the rest of the Butler County law enforcement, fire and EMS, hospitals, public works and other government agencies."
Detherage said the training exercises have helped to prove the new radio system to be a success.
"Last month we performed a training simulation," Detherage said. "The simulation was a success and we were able to communicate with 13 different agencies on the same channel. In Oxford, the transition from the old system has been a great success and it has been very smooth."
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