New emergency radio system passes first test -- at assembly plant

 

Media release: A delegation of Rome and Floyd County officials visited the Harris Communications Factory in Lynchburg, Virginia this week.  The purpose of the visit was a notable milestone in the county-wide public safety communications system project.  The project is meant to both increase coverage and communication between the different public safety agencies.

 

After a year and a half of planning and design, the actual radio network was assembled by Harris engineers at their factory and tested in front of this delegation.

 

Upon successful completion of the testing procedures on Tuesday, the delegation gave the official approval, and the system will now be numbered, dismantled, shipped and reassembled on site in Floyd County for installation beginning in the next 60 days.

 

Scotty Hancock, Floyd County EMA director, stated "I am glad to see the project proceeding as planned; TUSA, Consulting, the Harris Corporation, Williams Communications, and on-site manager Jim Pierce have been working hard to keep the project on schedule."

 

Blaine Williams, Floyd County Manager, shared "I think that the citizens of Floyd County would be impressed with how this project is moving and what it will mean to all of us – and it certainly would not have been possible without the citizens' mandate through the 2009 SPLOST."

 

Coverage testing of the new system will begin in late October with cutover for initial users in December of this year.

The project is currently on budget and on schedule to meet the FCC narrowbanding deadline of January 1, 2013.