The Orangeburg County Fire District is scheduled to reprogram all its radios within the next two weeks after a check revealed all is clear and ready to go for a new frequency.

"All checking has been done," Orangeburg County Emergency Services Director John Smith told the county Fire Commission at its Monday meeting. "We checked 25 to 30 sites in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Fortunately, there is not a single site in any of these states on this frequency on the pl (private line) tones we want to use."

Smith said the only remaining work to be done is to complete the preformatting of computer templates that will be used in the reprogramming of the radios.

Orangeburg County Fire System Coordinator Gene Ball said radios can be reprogrammed in a matter of seconds with the touch of a switch. Kelly Communications will be conducting the transition.

Ball and Smith warned that for the radios to operate successfully, they will all need to operate the same way.

"If somebody comes in and says, 'I want to have mine programmed in another way, I am asking Kelly to give the radio back,' say 'Come back in a month and you get to pay for it,'" Ball said. "It is too time-consuming."

Smith said if the radios are reprogrammed in a different manner, "then we won't guarantee how well it functions on the system."

Smith also said the district needs to establish minimum standards for public safety radios.

"We can build up the infrastructure but if someone is talking on a $200 radio, it is not going to work right," he said.

The fire district is changing its frequency in response to firefighter complaints about interference from the Vidalia, Ga. police department. The changeover will require the district to reprogram all the fire radios at a cost of about $10,000 to $13,000, which will be paid by the county's Emergency Services department.



In other business:



• Ball received permission from the commission board to sell an out-of-service Holly Hill fire truck. Ball said the truck's tank leaks and it has been out of service for about two years.

• New Fire Advisory Board Chairman Kirk Davis said he will look to ensure firefighters have adequate training.

You must be logged in to comment.