Communication is not going to be a problem any more for Bryan County's fire department, now that it's been granted a million dollars to upgrade its system. Bryan County Fire Chief Jim Anderson said, "It would help in any disaster, especially with hurricane season. If we had a hurricane come in right now I couldn't talk to Glynn County."
It's not just Glynn County. Right now, Bryan can't communicate with Chatham County, Effingham County and even Bulloch County for that matter. That's because those counties are on a more advanced system, which caused problems for Bryan County when mutual aid was needed, like when 800 acres burned in the county.
"What happened was I would have to have a firefighter with them with one of our radios or they have to come up to the command post where I could give them one of our portables," said Anderson.
This isn't ideal when you are dealing with a forest fire. Anderson said he couldn't just tell someone, "I need you at a certain street," so they could go right away, but with the new system that timed saved will make a difference. "This way I can talk to them while they're en route to the county," said Anderson.
Another issue Bryan County has had with its radios was that they weren't always reliable. Jacob Boswell, a Bryan County firefighter, said, "When it storms, your coverage is limited. If you are in a building, it's harder to hear the radios."
That's why Bryan County couldn't be more excited about what's in store for them. "You want to help the community," said firefighter Buddy Barrow. "Get things done as fast as you can. We're out there serving the public. We won't have to waste time worrying about the small things."
As soon as the money starts coming in, the county will start purchasing equipment. They have one year to spend the million dollars.
Republished with permission from WTOC-11
