Oct 26, 2023 2 min read

We need a fully operational 911 system

WTAE-TV recently investigated our newly approved Washington County 911 system upgrade, which had troubling but unsurprising findings.

The investigation shed light on the grave concerns of emergency responders answering calls promptly due to “dead zones” throughout the county. As the story pointed out, our county falls well below the national standard of 95% coverage of emergency responders’ portable radio coverage. The county consultant reported our coverage at just 33%.

The report also uncovered that, in a rush for approval, my colleagues, Commissioners Diana Irey Vaughan, and Larry Maggi, selected the $22.5 million higher bid of MRA, Inc., instead of waiting for a revised $17 million bid from Motorola. Thus, a product that emergency responders and stakeholders have strongly rejected as ineffective and unreliable was selected over a much lower bid they supported.

Additionally, Motorola is the preferred vendor for most of the counties in the commonwealth. We remain one of a few counties outside a statewide connected communication network served by Motorola.

In March, I objected to the $22.5 million bid by MRA, Inc., to upgrade the county’s 911 system in opposition to my colleagues. I was deeply concerned that my colleagues were not listening to the commissioner-appointed First Responder and Public Safety Board’s recommendations to go with another vendor.

I followed the safety board’s 12-1 recommendation to go with the other vendor, Motorola. Members of the safety board were dismayed that we would select the same vendor as the current system. As we were told by a first responder at a public meeting of the commissioners, “Putting a Band-Aid on a broken system with the same vendor that built one is a disservice to our county.”

Seconds matter when lives are at stake. We need a fully operational 911 communication system for every department that works internally and externally with other departments on emergency calls. We can no longer afford to pay for or use a system that results in “dead zones” throughout our county. Our emergency responders and residents deserve better.

Nick Sherman

North Strabane

Nick Sherman is a Washington County commissioner.