Lebanon County emergency tower project moves upward to improve comms system

While the emergency communications system used by first responders across Lebanon County is serviceable, there are areas where communications are dropped. 

While no system is perfect, county officials say efficiency is about to get much better with a major upgrade via the addition of eight towers: seven across the Lebanon Valley at new locations and one at an existing site. 

The $11.5 million emergency communications system project is being paid via American Rescue Act (ARPA) funding, meaning the cost for this initiative will not come from local taxpayer dollars. This project includes the purchase of 2,000 new emergency responder radios and the prior acquisition of a mobile emergency communications command center vehicle.

Once the last tower has been installed at a date to be determined in 2026, first responders will receive new radios to provide enhanced coverage for emergency communications throughout nearly all of Lebanon County. The sole exception is the Cold Springs area of the most northern section of the county, which will be serviced with the mobile emergency communications command center vehicle, according to Bob Dowd, director of Lebanon County Department of Emergency Services.

The sixth tower of eight to be built around Lebanon County was recently completed and LebTown was there exclusively to document the project along with Dowd and Carl Sensening, chief of Mount Zion Fire Company, which is the site of the sixth tower and one of the tallest of the eight at 250 feet.

For Dowd, this project is a long-time coming to improve communications in the field during an emergency call. 

“The radio system that we had was very short, and then when we went to the system we’re on currently that definitely improved, but we still don’t have coverage that I would say is acceptable for if we would get into an emergency situation where we try and activate, you know, the emergency provisions on our radios,” Dowd said.

Launched a few years ago, this project has run into roadblocks that were beyond Dowd’s control and have delayed implementation longer than anyone expected – especially for one that enhances safety.

One of the biggest issues we ran into is supply chain problems, specifically with shelters.

“We could not get shelters for a couple of years following COVID. In fact … the one that got delivered here today was due here in August,” Dowd said. “So even the ones that finally got ordered are still behind schedule. So that was the biggest thing, supply chain issues.”

But there have been other issues, too.

“The next biggest thing was tower construction, just getting through all the zoning barriers, just getting through the construction issues. All the things that need to happen,” Dowd said. “It just never seemed to end.”

One of the current problematic areas for emergency communications dropping is in the Mount Zion area, according to Sensenig. 

“Yeah, we pretty much have that at any of our buildings here. We do not have radio communications with our interior firefighters, so we’re hoping to see that (improve),” he said.

Sensenig provided an example of a communications breakdown between first responders once a 911 call is received by county dispatch.

“So the first issue would be our pagers. They don’t activate if we’re inside of a building because we just don’t have the coverage. So that’s the first step, but we’ve obviously overcome that with new technology with phone apps and that type of thing,” Sensenig said.

Sensenig said that as far as radios go, he can respond from his house via radio, but as soon as he gets into Greble, there’s a one-mile stretch where communication with the county is cut-off – communication that he says is integral for him to make decisions.

Sensenig noted those initial moments are critical during an emergency call.

“Those first few moments are where I need to be making a lot of decisions. And with that lack of communication, there’s breakdown. I don’t always hear the trucks respond,” Sensenig said. “And then the biggest thing is when we go inside buildings, we lose all radio communication with the outside command structure, which obviously is a needed thing.”

A geographical problem at this location is that once fire equipment leaves the station, many times it goes down a hill and into a low-lying area on Freeport Road, which is less than a mile from the fire company.

“There’s a mobile home park along Freeport Road here,” said Sensenig. “And then as soon as we try to go into Berks County … we lose all communication by about the time we hit the Berks County line. So we’re hoping that this tower will bridge the gap.”

Sensenig added he’s learned to cope over more than two decades of fire service.

“So usually what I miss is the first initial (communication) coming back from county (dispatch). A lot of times what I’ve done is I’ll wait till I’m through the trouble zones before I go and route with them so that way I know I don’t have that breaking communication anymore,” he said. “So a lot of times I’ll be on the road for a mile or two before I’ll actually key up and let them know that I’m en route just because I don’t want to lose those first integral moments when they give me the additional (information).”

On the way to an emergency call isn’t the only situation that’s caused communication issues for first responders.

“All of our portable radios we went to extended antennas on just to overcome the issues which has definitely helped but we’re still looking forward to a much better radio system with this,” Sensenig said. “And this also is going to be a huge safety relief for me to know that I have communication with my firefighters inside commercial structures and also residential structures.”

An added benefit for Lebanon County residents

The agreement for this particular project has an additional benefit for local residents, according to Sensenig.

“I just want to say from the fire department’s side of Mount Zion, we truly appreciate working with the county and how they stepped up to make it happen. Our goal from the Mount Zion Fire Company here with the social hall is to make it an emergency shelter,” Sensenig said. “That’s our long-term goal, and Bob has helped us connect the dots.”

Both Sensenig and Dowd noted that nearly all of the dots, except one, in making that a reality has occurred. With this agreement, the final “t” in that process will be crossed.

“I think one of the major things was getting generator power to be able to power the whole facility and also be able to power all of our freezers and heating systems and air conditioning, and … part of the lease agreement was to get a generator,” added Sensenig. 

The new generator will provide full power to the social hall.

“The generator will power the complete social hall so that we will be able to house people if for some reason we would have a disaster in any of our area here, mobile home parks, whatever we can bring them into our upstairs and then our medical staff can be here and provide, you know, some backup. That’s our long-term goal. So that really so this is just the, at least for this particular project, this is way beyond just erecting a tower that enhances communication.”

 As well as the fire company, added Sensenig.

“It’s large enough to provide full power so we can run max capacity here on the generator, as well as they also are giving us power on an automatic transfer switch to the engine house. So our firefighters, when they respond, will have lights … everything will be live, which we have not had. So that’s a huge stepping stone of safety for us as well,” he said.

Dowd noted the fire company’s social hall will soon be added to a county list of local emergency shelters now that a generator has been installed.

“The way it works is we maintain a list of emergency shelters that meet all the criteria necessary to be used. So the generator powers are the huge piece of that, as well as the ability to staff it and the ability to provide food to all the different things that you need to have in people,” Dowd said. “When we have emergency, a lot of variables are going to picking shelters that you want to use, but you generally start with the closest ones and move your way out.”

The shelter will be another tool in the arsenal of local locations that county residents can assess if the fire company has the manpower to staff it during an emergency, he added.

“A lot of times the closest ones might not be the most appropriate ones because of staff availability or their involvement with the incidents going on. So it could certainly be utilized for something outside the area if Carl and his team were able to support it,” Dowd said. “But I do think the primary purpose for them is to protect their whole community.”