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Editorials
KenCom, fire officials must fix radio blackouts : Editorials : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisKenCom, fire officials must fix radio blackouts
| 3/14/2013
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Next to a functioning fire hose, we can't think of a more important tool for a firefighter than a working radio. Firefighters at the scene of a structure fire, motor vehicle accident or any other kind of emergency need to be able to communicate amongst themselves at all times in order to save lives. That's why we were concerned last week to learn Oswego Fire Protection District paramedic-firefighters have been experiencing radio blackouts on recent calls.
Fire Chief Rick Neitzer detailed the problem during a recent meeting of the KenCom Executive Board. KenCom is the agency that provides dispatching service for the fire district and most police and fire districts in Kendall County.
Neitzer attributes the blackouts to the Oswego and other fire district's changing their radio frequency from UHF (ultra high frequency) to VHF (very high frequency).
The fire districts made the frequency switch in an effort to make communications among county fire districts more uniform.
But now, using the VHF frequency, Neitzer said, "There are times that KenCom (dispatchers) can't get a hold of us and there are times that we're trying to reach KenCom and they're not hearing us."
Neitzer said Oswego Fire Protection District Board has commissioned an independent study to determine the cause of the blackouts and will share the information with KenCom officials.
KenCom Chairman Greg Witek, who also serves as fire chief for the Little Rock-Fox Fire District that serves the Plano area, noted the fire districts had issues with the UHF frequency and that there are some distinct advantages for the fire districts to remain on the VHF frequency and making it work.
Neitzer speculated the problem may be an insufficient number of radio towers in the county to transmit the VHF frequency.
KenCom and fire district officials should move as quickly as possible to solve the blackout problem. Anyone at anytime anywhere in Kendall County may need emergency help from paramedics and firefighters. It's paramount that KenCom and fire district officials fix the blackout problem as quickly as possible. Their lives and ours are at stake.
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