WADSWORTH, Ohio — Communication between first responders in Wadsworth is expected to improve thanks to the city’s plans to build a new Multi-Agency Radio Communication System (MARCS) tower.
“It’s going to be a tremendous impact,” said Wadsworth Police Chief Dave Dorland.
During this latest storm, Dorland said the Wadsworth Police Department received more than a dozen snow-related calls to service.
“The northern part of our city has a stretch of I-76 going through it, and there’s some curves along that area, which causes some difficulties when it does snow like this,” said Dorland.
To keep the community and officers safe while responding to any type of emergency, including snow-related calls, Dorland said communication is key.
That’s why he supports the city’s plan to build a new MARCS tower directly in Wadsworth.
“With radio signals, there (are) a number of factors that determine the quality and reliability of that signal. One of those factors is the distance,” said Dorland.
For the last several years, Safety Director Dan Chafin said communication has been an issue for Wadsworth first responders due to radio interference inside homes or buildings.
“It’s been very effective for us, but we knew when we made that transition that there had the potential for there to be some of those issues,” said Chafin.
Fire Chief Robert Lindner said those issues could lead to bigger problems for firefighters.
“The biggest things that we worry about is a Mayday, which is basically a firefighter is in trouble inside of a building, and then we have to send additional people to go in there. But if they need assistance and they can’t call out on that radio for a Mayday, we may not know that firefighter is in trouble,” said Lindner.
To address Lindner’s concern, Chafin said the city will invest $170,000 in state grant funds to hopefully build a 180-foot tower on Oak Street in Wadsworth, versus relying on the state-wide digital radio system, which is about 10 miles away.
“Knowing that once this is constructed that we are going to have the coverage that we need, I think it’s going to be great for our members, but again it’s going to be just as important to the community,” said Chafin.
The city hopes the tower will be finished by the end of this year.
“Whether it’s from the very beginning when we’re dispatched to when we’re on scene leaving, if we need assistance, we use our radios. That’s our communication. That is our lifeline,” said Lindner.
