— from Kim Kimple for Orcas Island Fire & Rescue —
A critical emergency communications project launched this week in San Juan County. A collaboration between San Juan County, Fire and EMS agencies, the Sheriff’s Office and Public Works, the project gained strong support from residents across all islands when placed on the February 2020 ballot as a sales tax increase as a means of funding the improvements.
The long-awaited upgrades to the county-wide system is a welcomed project by first responders. For more than a decade, emergency personnel have struggled with communications at fire and medical scenes due to several areas of limited or no radio reception, leaving them in the dark and unable to communicate with each other and 9-1-1 dispatch in life-and-death situations across the county.
“We are really glad San Juan County can be a part of the program and are excited to be able to provide better coverage and safety for our first responders, community members, and visitors,” shared San Juan County Councilman, Rick Hughes.
The new communications system is being brought in by Codan Communications out of British Columbia, with Rock Island handling the network setup and site preparation. Slated for late 2021 completion, it will be brought online with significantly improved coverage, multiple redundancies and backup systems that will allow communications to continue within the islands even when mainland connections are lost.
On behalf of all of your first responders, we would like to extend a priceless “Thank You!” to our San Juan County community for the support.
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