New 911 radio system 'going to save lives'

One fire chief says communications with crews inside a burning house were improved.

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By Josh Sweigart, Staff Writer Updated 9:49 AM Friday, November 27, 2009

HAMILTON — Two days after the Butler County seat switched over to the new, countywide emergency radio system, it was put to the test.

It was a house on Williams Avenue in Hamilton, where smoke was pouring out of the second floor Saturday evening, Nov. 21. Firefighters rushed in.

“The crews inside, and they’re the ones of course under the strains and stress of the fire, could hear command orders clearly, much better than they could hear (with the old system),” said Hamilton fire Chief Joe Schutte.

Emergency officials say that type of communication is sometimes the difference between life and death.

“It prevents tragedies and it’s going to save lives,” said Hamilton police Chief Neil Ferdelman of the new system. “We’re pleased beyond words.”

The Middletown Police Department should be on the system “within the next week or so,” said Butler County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Norman Lewis. They’re still wrangling with some problems securing a frequency for West Chester Twp., and many of the smaller police and fire departments are soon to follow.

Despite some early delays and cost overruns, officials say the $35 million project is on track to meet its revised budget.

Middletown fire Chief Steve Botts said his firefighters are being trained on the system now and they look forward to getting new radios any day.

“We’re very excited about the system, it has much more depth in terms of parts of the system can go down and the system will stay up,” Botts said. “The ability to communicate goes hand-in-hand with safety.”

Some say the system could have prevented the critical injury of a Lockland police officer in May — who was hit by a West Chester Twp. officer in pursuit of a suspected armed robber — by improving communication among different departments.

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