Customer Profile
Organization
- West Licking Joint Fire District
- Licking County, Ohio
- Over 36,000 citizens served
- 109 square miles of coverage
- 4,500+ incidents responded to last year
- Three Administration Chiefs
- Three Prevention Officers
- Three Battalion Chiefs
- 51 full-time firefighters/paramedics
- 40 part-time firefighters
Situation
The West Licking Joint Fire District (WLJFD) requires instant interoperability to provide crucial services to its coverage area. The WLJFD serves multiple townships, two cities and one village spread out across central Ohio, and in order to communicate across multiple bands, firefighters and battalion chiefs carried two, or sometimes even three, different radios.
"We needed to solve an interoperability issue, to streamline our radio communications and to enhance our communications infrastructure to adequately deal with our evolving environment."Chief David B. Fulmer
Solution
Motorola Solutions introduced the WLJFD to the APX 7000 portable and APX 7500 mobile radios. Motorola's APX radios solved the WLJFD's problems by allowing personnel to carry one radio that could operate on multiple bands, letting them communicate instantly with everyone from bordering county fire crews to hospitals and focus on what matters most.
"Being in a geographic area where three counties need to cooperate on a daily basis," he says, “and being in close proximity to Columbus, the 15th largest city in the country, requires us to have a robust communications platform that is affordable, flexible and expandable. The APX portfolio provides for all three.”Chief David B. Fulmer
Motorola Solution
Products
- APX 7000 multiband Project 25 (P25) portable radio
- APX 7500 multiband P25 mobile radio
Solution Features
- Instant interoperability across multiple bands.
- One radio operates on 700/800 MHz and VHF bands.
- Clearer audio and optimized glove-friendly controls.
- Seamless cross-network communication (including ASTRO® 25, ASTRO 3600, VHF and Smartnet™) is provided between fire, dispatch, hospitals, emergency crews, bordering county fire departments and more.
Result
APX multiband capability for the Chief and first responders enables each to communicate seamlessly with just one radio.
"Even with multiple territories using different bands,” he says, “APX lets us use only one radio to switch back and forth. Now we can monitor multiple channels with one radio and coordinate the fire scene between on-site crews, dispatch and everyone else.”Assistant Chief Kenneth Matthews
A fire truck belonging to the West Licking Joint Fire District (WLJFD) is shown. Two firefighters are present near the truck, one holding a radio. The truck is equipped with emergency gear. A sign on the truck indicates 'CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FROM A NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE! Call 911' and displays the website www.westlickingfire.org. The Motorola Solutions logo [Motorola Logo] is visible at the top right.
Interoperability is Key
The task for the WLJFD is a daunting one: How to cover 109 square miles of territory and communicate efficiently with the agencies that assist in that coverage. Steven Stauch, Vice President of Sales for Motorola partner B&C Communication has worked closely with WLJFD for years and understands their difficult situation.
"WLJFD is located in the middle of an area that falls between disparate radio systems," Stauch says, “with 700/800 MHz to the west and VHF to the east. In this scenario, many firefighters and chiefs needed to carry two radios to facilitate communications and mutual aid response on either system."Steven Stauch
One Radio, Multiple Bands
The APX 7000 P25 portable radio gives firefighters and first responders the interoperability to communicate instantly across any two of the following frequency bands: 700/800 MHz, VHF, UHF Range 1 and UHF Range 2.
"When you have to juggle two or three radios,” he says, "it changes your focus from responding and coordinating the fire scene to simply trying to communicate. The APX radios let the incident commander focus on the fire instead of worrying about communications."Assistant Chief Matthews
A Motorola APX 7000 P25 portable radio, featuring a bright display and user-friendly controls, is shown. Its design allows for operation even with gloves on.
Glove-Friendly Controls
The APX 7000 features a number of innovative features that allow firefighters from the WLJFD to easily control their radios, even in the heat of the moment and while wearing gloves. The large color display, eight-character top display and enlarged keypad all help to make mission-critical communications more efficient and more accurate.
"These radios are incredibly user-friendly," Assistant Chief Matthews says. "The display screen is clear and bright, and we really like that. Plus, the controls are much easier to use than previous radios we've dealt with. Now we can adjust the volume and switch channels without a problem, even with gloves on."Assistant Chief Matthews
Best-in-Class Audio
Even when a response is coordinated and efficiently implemented, fire scenes are notoriously loud environments. "There's noise coming from all around during a response," Matthews says. "You've got trucks running, equipment running, background noise and a lot of talking. Plus, you have interference from other channels and communications."
The APX 7000 is the loudest Motorola portable radio available on the market featuring dual speakers and dual microphones, which work to provide superior audio quality that makes it easier for users on both ends to communicate effectively.
"APX radios have much better transmit quality and overall better audio quality," says Matthews. "When you're at dispatch and the battalion chief is on the scene with APX, his communication is a lot clearer and louder than users with other radios."Assistant Chief Matthews
Future Ready
In addition to the immediate benefits the APX 7000 and APX 7500 radios have provided for the WLJFD, they also support both P25 frequency division multiple access (FDMA) and P25 time division multiple access (TDMA) technology.
Knowing these radios will support future technologies is key for fire departments like WLJFD, as they need to communicate across multiple systems throughout central Ohio (including ASTRO® 25, ASTRO 3600 and Smartnet™) and also get the most out of their investments.
"These radios are really designed so they'll be applicable for quite some time," Matthews says. “We'll be able to use the radios for a long period and really get the most out of them.”Assistant Chief Matthews
A Motorola APX 7000 portable radio is depicted, highlighting its clear display and user-friendly controls, suitable for operation even with gloves.
One Radio Makes All the Difference
The APX 7000 portable and APX 7500 mobile radios have helped the WLJFD communicate efficiently, allowing them to respond to and coordinate fire scenes like never before. The ability to operate on multiple bands with one radio means they can quickly communicate with dispatch, hospitals, fire departments from bordering counties and other agencies without having to juggle two radios.
"Firefighters are pretty critical of the radios they use," Matthews says, “and I've heard nothing but good reports on the APX radios. As time goes on, we'll attempt to transition our radio inventory to all APX radios."Assistant Chief Matthews
"This platform will provide expandability for the district to grow and modify the way in which it communicates and utilizes the available technology within the Motorola system.”Chief Fulmer
Two Motorola radios, an APX 7000 portable and an APX 7500 mobile radio, are displayed side-by-side, showcasing their design and functionality.
For More Information
For more information, please visit us on the web at www.motorolasolutions.com/apx
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