Some Lorain County public safety agencies officially switch to new radio system

Some of the Lorain County public safety agencies that are part of a five-city plan to upgrade their radio systems have made the switch to the L3Harris system recently, while others are still in the process. The system has been on the air in a testing phase since November, said Alan Close, owner of Cleveland Communications Inc. The Parma-based Cleveland Communications is a supplier of the 700/800 MHz L3Harris radio system that the North Ridgeville, Avon, Avon Lake, Sheffield and Sheffield Lake fire departments have agreed to switch to. Other area public safety agencies can also join, and Close said the Sheffield Village Police Department has signed on. "They're the first law enforcement agency to jump on," he said. Sheffield police Chief William Visalden said the department officially made the switch to the L3Harris radios last Wednesday. "So far so good," he said. "Nothing but rave reviews from the guys. Crystal clear transmissions, which they haven't had in quite some time." Having previously used an ultra high frequency (UHF) analog system, Visalden said the Sheffield police have gone from being one of the last local agencies using that type of system to being among the leaders with their new system. The North Ridgeville Fire Department also joined the L3Harris system last week, and it was able to switch already because it dispatches through the Westcom Fire Dispatch rather than Lorain County 911. For the departments that dispatch through Lorain County 911 to fully make the switch, Close said some control station radios need to be installed in the county dispatch facility on Burns Road. "We have a purchase order from the county. We are waiting on the delivery of a couple of key components, and then we'll have the county 911 center connected to the radio system using control station radios," he said Friday. The Avon Fire Department is among the departments waiting for that to happen. However, Chief David Swope said the department has tested the L3Harris radio system and found it provides excellent reception. "All the tests that we've done in the city, to some of our buildings that are larger or that we've had radio problems in in the past, all the tests have come back favorable," Swope said. As some local departments are getting on the new L3Harris system, a bill is currently in committee in the Ohio House of Representatives that could help them ensure interoperability with public safety agencies that use the Multi-Agency Radio Communication System (MARCS). Introduced by Rep. Dick Stein, R-Norwalk, and Sharon Ray, R-Wadsworth, House Bill 478 would fund the purchase of an Inter-Sub System Interface that would help all public safety agencies communicate regardless of the radio they are using, according to a news release issued last week. "Our emergency services must be able to properly communicate with one another," Stein stated. "House Bill 478 will ensure that all public safety agencies can communicate with one another in emergency situations no matter what Radio communication system they are operating on." Some discussions around the new L3Harris system in Lorain County became contentious at times, including an allegation made in December by County Commissioner David Moore that his fellow Commissioner Michelle Hung used her elected position to steer contracts to Cleveland Communications. Hung has denied the allegations and Close has said that the claims about Cleveland Communications were "baseless." Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @drey1357.