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Client Story

Carroll County, TN, USA

Carroll County is located in the state of Tennessee, USA. Covering an area of over 600 square miles, it has a population of over 28,000 people. The fire department consists of 170 volunteer firemen in 12 stations, while the Sheriff’s office has 23 sworn deputies. The agencies handle fire, traffic and emergency calls across the largely rural county.

"It exceeds my expectations. As far as the communications system, the radio product, the product you sold me is excellent. "

Terry BradshawFire Chief, Fire Department, Carroll County

Situation

The county's emergency services were operating an analog radio network that had been in place for many years. Though it was simple and familiar to staff, the shortcomings in the system could no longer be ignored.

Terry Bradshaw, the Carroll County Fire Chief said his volunteers had a lot of problems communicating in various areas of the county. David Bun, Chief Deputy of the Carroll County Sheriff's office, said his Deputies were forced to resort to cellular phones as a backup, which was problematic as cellular reception was equally inconsistent. This created areas where there was no communication at all, which is unacceptable when fighting fires, or even during every-day traffic stops. The county sought a solution that would let officers and volunteers do their jobs with safety and ease.

Response

Carroll County got the opportunity to see a Tait Communications network that had been installed in a nearby county by B&E Electronics. After being impressed by the benefits first hand, a Tait solution for Carroll County was approved by the Board of Commission.

Carroll County opted for a DMR Tier 3 800MHz trunked network, comprised of five transmit sites, two channels per site. Deputies and Fire Fighters were equipped with TP9300 portable radios, and TM9300 mobile radios in their vehicles. The new equipment was installed in phases to minimize communications downtime over the transition period.

The solution included encryption to keep sensitive law enforcement communications private, and data applications such as Man Down and Lone Worker to improve worker safety.

Outcomes

The coverage of the DMR Tier 3 network far exceeded that of the old analog network. David Bun, Carroll County Chief Deputy was surprised, saying "We can talk. In 95% of the county, we can all talk."

The safety issues caused by the analog network were quickly remedied by the superior coverage and data applications offered by DMR Tier 3. Staff no longer find themselves in areas without communications, so dispatch can immediately be made aware of any incidents as they happen. The Sheriff's office appreciate the encrypted communication, making sensitive law enforcement situations more secure. The Man Down and Lone Worker features give Fire Fighters peace of mind that they can instantly send out an alert in hazardous situations.

Terry Bradshaw, Carroll County Fire Chief, had glowing praise for the new system: "It exceeds my expectations. As far as the communications system, the radio product, the product you sold me is excellent. It exceeds, and does far and beyond what I thought it would do. Even though I'd seen it work and I'd seen it in action, it does far and beyond what I'd thought. There are areas we now can communicate, that we couldn't communicate, and have never been able to communicate. It far exceeds anything that I'd really thought about. I knew it worked, I knew the product worked, I knew people had told me the product worked, but now I have experienced the product, and it's great."

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