A new communications tower could be in place in another year or so to provide increased coverage – and reliability – for Henderson and Vance County law enforcement agencies and first responders.
It’s been communication of a slightly different sort that has gotten the project this far; city and county leaders had been looking for funding sources to offset the cost of the tower construction and Congressman Don Davis helped secure a $2.175 million grant to fund the project.
The matching grant requires a 25 percent match from the city and the county, but that’s a far cry from the total cost of the project.
This translates into good news for Henderson Fire Chief Tim Twisdale and Police Chief Marcus Barrow, both of whom are optimistic that their officers and the community will benefit from the new tower. Barrow and Twisdale were guests on Wednesday’s TownTalk and talked about the many benefits the tower will provide.
“This should help our coverage within (certain) buildings…and enhance the overall safety for all of our responders,” Twisdale said.
Police officers often respond to fires and assist with traffic control, for example, and fire trucks turn up for things like vehicle accidents, so it’s important for both agencies to have reliable, effective tools to communicate.
The current signal “simply wouldn’t transmit” in certain places, including some buildings. “That made communication a bit of a challenge from the inside to the outside,” he explained. Firefighters have had to resort to “line of sight” communication, which is not ideal.
As Barrow explained, his department joined the State Highway Patrol’s VIPER system in the mid-2000’s, largely because there was a post 9-11 push for increased inter-agency communication.
But, he said, VIPER was designed for and by the Highway Patrol, who don’t usually find themselves inside buildings like firefighters and police officers.
Add to that challenge that Henderson falls into a no-man’s land of sorts – on the outer fringes of coverage from other towers – and communication equipment just doesn’t always perform like it should.
“Putting this in Henderson, or in the outskirts of Henderson, will be great for us,” Barrow said.
Right now, the site is near the North Henderson ballfields and the tower will provide roughly a 100-mile radius. Assistant City Manager Paylor Spruill told WIZS News via email that the funding is not expected until the first quarter of 2025, at which time the design and construction would begin. “The grant is funding 75 percent of the estimated cost,” Spruill said, adding that “the city is proposing to provide the tower site, with the County providing the remaining funds.”
“We want to be able to pick up our equipment, mash a button and it work,” Barrow said, adding that no first responder, law enforcement officer or member of the community deserves any less.
“We don’t have time for it not to work,” he said.
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