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Montgomery emergency services to get a communications upgrade

Police will now be able to talk directly with the EMS

Katie Wagner
Staff Writer
   MONTGOMERY — Communication between the township’s police officers and emergency medical services professionals is about to become more personal.
   The township has ordered portable and stationary communication radios for these first responders and their vehicles that will facilitate direct relay of information to each other.
   Currently, when an EMS professional needs to speak to a police officer, he or she must explain the details of the situation to a police dispatcher, who will then relay the message to a police officer and conversations will continue that way until the parties switch to cellular phones. The new radios would take the “middleman” out of the conversation.
   ”Ever play the telephone game,” said Jeff Goldberg, a technician for the police department, alluding to the disadvantages of the current communication system.
   The system would also allow the township’s first responders to be integrated with Somerset County first responders, including fire, police and EMS professionals from nearby communities.
   The township’s fire department already has radios with these capabilities. When police and EMS receive the new radios, direct communication with firefighters will also be possible.
   ”With any big fire, the dispatcher is swamped,” said Rich Giguere, EMS captain.
   ”Some days when we get out of (beyond) Princeton the dispatcher can’t be reached,” Mr. Giguere added.
   Police said they expect to have the equipment installed by the end of the year and hope to be receiving some federal financial assistance.
   Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives approved U.S. Rep. Mike Ferguson’s request for $200,000 to improve public safety and enhance communications among first responders in the township, which police said would help pay for the upgraded communication equipment.
   The funding the 7th Congressional District representative requested was included in an annual bill that finances the Justice Department and other federal agencies.
   During a news conference at the township municipal complex yesterday, Rep. Ferguson said the bill would still have to be reconciled with the Senate’s version of the legislation. He added, funding was not guaranteed, and that October was the earliest anticipated time for final legislation.
   Regardless of whether or not the township receives the federal funding, the new communication equipment will be purchased with township funds that have already been put aside to pay for some of the equipment, acting police Lt. James J. Curry said.
   ”Our equipment is so antiquated, we have to upgrade no matter what,” he said. “If we don’t get the money, we may not buy as many portable radios.”
   The $200,000 would pay for a significant portion of the desired equipment, Lt. Curry said.
   Rep. Ferguson said when township officials had notified him of their needs, he acted, because the township is one of the biggest communities in the county.
   ”Their system was designed for a community with a third or fourth the size of the community today,” Rep. Ferguson said.