800-MHz System Goes Live

Victims of house fires or cardiac arrest don't care whose name is on the door of a fire truck or ambulance, as long as it provides the quickest response. That's the theory behind the new 800-megahertz (MHz) emergency communication system set to "go live" this Saturday.

Wake County is launching an 800-MHz radio/computer-assisted dispatch (CAD) system this weekend to speed emergency response by connecting fire, rescue, law enforcement, emergency medical service agencies throughout the County. Various agencies will participate this Saturday morning in a simulated emergency response event in downtown Raleigh. State Secretary of Crime Control and Public Safety Brian Beatty will speak at the event.

During the exercise, between 10:45 a.m. and noon on Saturday, officials will close Davie Street between McDowell and Salisbury streets, and Gail Street between Davie and Cabarrus streets.

The 800-MHz radio system is an interoperable communications system, switching users to the strongest channel and allowing users from one agency (e.g., law enforcement, Wake County EMS) to talk with users from another agency without having to switch radios.

The improved CAD system will recommend the closest unit for response to a fire or medical emergency, regardless of political boundaries, using state-of-the-art technology to cut down on the time it takes to process a 9-1-1 call with automated dispatching for fire and EMS incidents.

"Our partnerships with municipalities and other law enforcement agencies have made this system possible," said Kenn Gardner, chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners. "There's no question that 800-Mhz and the CAD system will make us a lot more effective and efficient in responding to our citizens no matter where they are.

"The bottom line is that Wake County and our community partners are staying on top of the technology that helps us make our citizens safer."