Summerside fire department buys new radio communications system after Dorian outage
The Summerside fire department has purchased and installed a new radio communications system to replace the previous system that failed during post-tropical storm Dorian.
Summerside's city council approved the purchase of the new $49,000 system. The department had been using the old system for more than 40 years.
"We were having some issues with some down times and flat spots, and then when Dorian hit we lost our radio system completely," said Summerside fire chief Ron Enman.
"And we just had some issues here and there over the next couple of months."
Dorian was no longer a hurricane when it landed on P.E.I., but as a post-tropical storm it still caused more damage than Hurricane Juan in 2003.
'Loud and clear'
Currently the fire department is using analog pagers, but with the new system's dual capability it can be switched over to digital as the department invests in new technologies, said Enman.
The system was installed last week and so far, Enman said the new system has good range.
"We even had a guy down Stanley Bridge tell us that he heard us loud and clear, so it's pretty amazing you know when you look at the capabilities in the distance that it will travel," he said.
The new system includes two base stations, 24 hand-held radios, nine mobile units for the trucks, and a new antenna on top of the water tower.
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