There is no greater need for reliable communications than first responders. Fire departments invest millions on reliable radio systems to improve coverage for first responders in urban areas. Unfortunately, the cost of infrastructure in rural areas exceeds available budgets and requires the first responders to work with less than satisfactory coverage with their radio systems. Most of these systems are conventional systems and many do not have IP site connect to facilitate connection of the sites into a network. Some of these systems are simplex systems, some with tone remotes and some are repeaters with tone remote interface. These were the best that technology had to offer at the time they were installed for the budget available, but times have changed and now there are other options.
Diga-Talk can provide a significantly enhanced level of service to rural fire departments, search & rescue, police departments, public works and other governmental departments that have a need for communications. Each department can have their own talk group giving them privacy from each of the other departments while achieving radio coverage that could never be duplicated on a department by department basis due to the budgets required to provide reliable infrastructure.
MRA has a complete guide to voice radio communications for the fire departments which goes into details about the requirements for fire department radio systems which is produced by FEMA, a division of the Department of Homeland Security. To view this document, click the button below.
Voice Radio Communications Guide for the Fire ServiceClick on the button below to view the guide entitled “Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program” which will provide information on obtaining federal grants for fire departments.
Firefighters Grant ProgramDigital radio systems sound very differently than an analog radio system. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) prepared a report discussing the intelligibility of selected radio systems in the presence of fire ground noise. The complete test plan and results are available here. The report has applicability to the police service because the location of a police incident can contain significant noise like a fire scene or have different types of noise.
View initial report: Test Plan and Results
View updated report: Updated Test Plan and Results
Search & Rescue is often operated by volunteers who pay for their own equipment and expenses to perform a vital public service. S&R radios are typically simplex so that they can talk to each other in rugged terrain where there is no cellular service and no two-way radio coverage. Diga-Talk has coverage into many rural areas and can provide the radio coverage necessary to allow S&R. We have special rates for volunteer S&R groups that can provide unparalleled communications in many areas that are subject to these needs.
Try our Diga-Talk radios with the following great features:
- Loud and clear quality audio that can be heard under loud noise conditions with Kenwood’s noise reduction technology
- Quick access to your personnel – connection time is typically 1.0 second or less
- GPS tracking can tell you where your crew are located
- Eliminate the distraction and illegal use of cellular while driving
- Eliminate the liability of cellular use while driving
- The liability associated with a driver getting into an accident while using a cellular device can cost the department or the S&R organization far in excess the cost of a two-way radio system
Remember the 3 rules of making money in real estate, Location, Location and Location. The 3 Cs of radio communications are Coverage, Coverage and more Coverage. Our customers demand coverage. S&R has their own need for coverage which is never exactly the same for every rescue. By providing more coverage in Southern California than any other radio company, we can provide solutions when the others can’t do it. By adding a network site within your S&R district, we can provide you with the ability to save lives because you have the communications you need. Read more…