Orange County, Indiana boosts emergency communication for safety

ORANGE COUNTY, Ind. — In Orange County, Indiana first responders call communication key when it comes to emergencies, but they also agree that it’s become hard to establish communication within the rural areas. 

“In a valley in Southeast Township where we have a fire department, they will attest that radio communications down there is horrible,” Ronald Roach, the fire chief for the Town of Orleans, said. “Cellphone communication is non existent. It’s just so hilly that you cannot get out.”

Roach said radio frequencies would become week, or inactive, within the thick forest and hills of Orange County. 

“When you’re out in the county knowing that you can communicate back to dispatch, your incoming deputy, incoming police officer, EMS helicopter or whatever it’s paramount,” he added. 

This concern is echoed by Mark Jones the fire chief of the Town of Paoli. 

“We have mutual aid agreements with all departments in the county and there’s some areas in the county that are not as good as others,” Jones said. 

That’s why a local organization decided to invest into Orange County’s 911 Dispatch. Orange County Community Foundation Incorporated recently gave the agency a $7,000 grant. 

“We have about seven dispatchers and they work here 24 hours a day,” Orange County Sheriff Davy Henderson, said. “We’re a 24/7 operation and this new system, it mimics the old system quite a bit. It’s just a different radio type system.”

The sheriff said this funding helped them boost their radio frequencies to 800 megahertz, compared to their VHF system that would only transmit up to 300 megahertz. 

In other words, it keeps a solid line of communication between dispatch and field personnel. 

“Without communication, everything fails logistically, and when that happens it takes a world to get it back together,” Roach said. 

Another safety measure added by Orange County first responders, thanks to the community’s generosity, to ensure these Hoosiers stay safe.

WHAS11 also spoke with Town of Paoli councilman Bobbie Bostock about how they are helping fund emergency services. He said right now the town is navigating a budget cut from the restructuring of taxes from Indiana House Bill 1. Once they understand how their funds look next year, they will look into purchasing more radios for the fire department.

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