Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Effective Wednesday morning, responders — firefighters, emergency medical personnel, and law enforcement officers — in Warren County will all be using Motorola APX 4000 portable radios like this one. The announcement was made by Commissioner Ben Kafferlin, bringing a three-year project to fruition.

Promptly at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Commissioner Ben Kafferlin made an announcement three years in the making.

“Warren County is pleased to announce, effective immediately, all Warren County agencies are authorized and mandated to use the P25 StarNet system.”

StarNet stands for Statewide Radio Network. The initiative was intended to replace “multiple, incompatible radio systems.”

In Warren County, all emergency responders will now use the same radio equipment on the same system.

About 400 Motorola APX 4000 portable radios are in the hands of county responders.

Law enforcement agencies county-wide have been using the StarNet system and the new radios since October, according to Public Safety Director Ken McCorrison.

The system has been working well for law enforcement, he said.

Public Safety staff have been working with chiefs and their designees to introduce the system and its capabilities to all of the county’s fire and EMS departments. “There were a lot of little hiccups to move through,” Kafferlin said.

“Before we cut over, we made sure we had a thumbs-up from every chief in the county,” McCorrison said.

Those agencies were brought on board Wednesday.

“This process has been three years in the making,” McCorrison said. “It has taken every moment of our free time. It has taken our entire team outside of our comfort zone.”

He said the lengthy effort did more than provide the county with full interoperability.

“We’ve strengthened our relationships with our responder community,” he said. “It’s been a team effort.”

Shortly after the radio announcement, Kafferlin made another statement.

“This day has been a long time coming,” he said. “Five minutes ago, we made history in Warren County and Pennsylvania. That is not hyperbole. We are the first county to fully partner with the Commonwealth for emergency radio communications, saving the taxpayers millions and providing our responders with the best system in the state with full interoperability.”

“Five minutes ago, fire/EMS/law enforcement and state agencies can talk to each other,” he said. “Five minutes ago, all our agencies have excellent coverage.

Five minutes ago, the system that was designed before I was born and the radios that are constant maintenance nightmares are now only used as a backup – the new state of the art equipment is live, providing our emergency responders reliable communications with each other and the county.”

The old equipment is still out there. Responders who have trouble adapting will be able to use familiar equipment for a while as they get used to the P25 system.

Kafferlin thanked many stakeholders that have been involved in the process over three years – from fellow commissioners, to state legislators, current and former county employees and row officers, police chiefs, Capital Area Communications, local fire and EMS chiefs, Warren County School District, and the entire public safety department and 911 center staff.

McCorrison detailed some of the capabilities of the radios and the system.

The portable units are VHS radios, but they also act as GPS units and are much more technologically advanced than other radios that had been in use in the county.

“It essentially works like a cell phone,” he said. “It roams from tower to tower… finds the strongest signal.”

The portable radios show a signal-strength indicator and, if a message does not hit a tower, provides a specific tone to the user, telling that responder to try again from a different location or a vehicle radio.

The county could make additions to the system in the future and will be looking for meaningful upgrades.

“We’re on a platform that’s expandable,” McCorrison said.