Several months ago, Northampton County Council voted last week to spend $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to enhance county's 911 system. When Bethlehem City and the county consolidated 911, Bethlehem was already using an advanced system known as P25. Exec Lamont McClure advised County Council last week that this infusion of public funds will expand this enhanced public safety radio system to 95% of the county. He warned that pockets in Lehigh, Upper Mount Bethel and Williams Tp are still unreachable with P25 because of the mountains. That will cost the county another $5 million, and McClure reported that the county has already applied for a grant. Thiose pockets can still be reached, but only in analog mode.
P25 was developed in recognition of the struggles in communication by first responders during natural disasters. The radios can operate in both digital and analog modes. They are also capable of sending and receiving text messages.
"Quite frankly, it's going to make our citizens that much safer," concluded McClure.
7 comments:
With all their vacancies.
AGAIN YOU HAVEN'T A CLUE WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!!!!!
Thanks Lamont doing good work , the people living in those small pockets will be happy to know they will be covered. 911 is so important
How about the time NORCO 911 dispatched the Bethlehem FD to a dwelling fire on Elizabeth Ave in Bethlehem when the fire was actually on Elizabeth Ave in Forks Township down near Easton.
Geez, you really don't do a bit of background research on what you post, do you? P25 has been around forever. It is not advanced. It's just digital and can be encrypted. So people can't follow along with what fire police and ems are doing. Cops don't like the public listening in.
Nothing to do with 911. That's a phone system. This is radio for police, fire, ems.
E 911, which you pay for on every phone line, hard at work.
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