RISON - The Cleveland County Quorum Court approved using $1,900 from the county's federal COVID relief funds to install a radio repeater at New Edinburg that will be used by a group of local ham radio operators to create a network allowing first responders from various groups to communicate with one another during an emergency.
That was one of several issues that was addressed during the quorum court's regular monthly meeting Monday night at the Hall-Morgan Veterans Building in Rison.
Rick Beckner of New Edinburg, one of three local volunteers putting the emergency radio network together, said the repeater will be put on the water tower at New Edinburg. He said the reach of the signal will cover about a 35-mile radius, thereby covering the entire county.
Beckner explained that different first responder groups use different radio bands to communicate. He said this repeater will allow them to communicate with one another through a common command center in the event of an emergency. He said the sheriff's department, volunteer fire departments and other government agencies could be included as well.
To demonstrate how it could be used, Beckner brought up the search for a missing boy in eastern Cleveland County this past October. He said groups from around the region volunteered to help in the search but there was no common method of communication between the groups. By having that communication, Beckner said there could have been a more organized effort. The boy was eventually found safe by volunteers.
Beckner also pointed out that it can be used to contact nearby first responders in the event of an individual emergency. For instance, should a medical emergency occur in a remote area of the county away from an ambulance, he said a first responder within that area could be contacted through the network to help the person before the ambulance arrives.
While accessing the network outside an emergency does requi...
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