First responders' new radio system 'a big advantage'

P.E.I. first responders say new communications equipment will help save lives.

On Tuesday, the province announced that a new system of 1,200 portable and dashboard-mounted radios will be deployed to all police forces, fire departments and paramedics in an effort to improve safety and security.

The upgrade offers more complete coverage of the Island and extends to the mainland.

For the first time, all first responders can talk directly to each other, instead of relaying messages through a dispatcher.

"Certainly when you put a system like this together, that all forms of safety people can communicate on the same channel, it is certainly a big advantage," says Jason Peters, New Glasgow fire chief and president of the P.E.I. Firefighters Association.

Paramedic Darcy Clinton also sees benefits to the new system.

"If we get to a call and we need help and we're not actually able to get to the radio quickly, we'll be able to press [a] button and it will dispatch to our emergency centre and send 911 police, if we need them right away," says Clinton.

The province says it will spend $3 million to start and an additional $1 million a year, every year, to operate the system.

Attorney General Janice Sherry says the update was long overdue and it will address communication deficiencies identified by investigators following the Moncton shootings.

"One of the things that they pointed to was the fact that they needed to have a more efficient radio system, so every province across the country is trying to make sure that they have a system that is going to suit the needs and bring public safety to the level it needs to be right across the country," said Sherry.

The system is slated to be up and running by late fall.