Community Corner
Helix Water District New Partnership Improves Public Safety In East County
The HFCA provides public safety communication services to 13 different fire departments and districts in San Diego's East County.
Jul 8, 2020
Helix Water District recently collaborated with Heartland Communication Facility Authority to improve communications for firefighters and first responders operating in East County by installing a new radio repeater on Helix Water’s Calavo tank, located near Mt. Helix.
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“When public agencies work together to improve the lives of our citizens, everyone benefits. We are delighted with the outcome and are very proud to participate in making East County a safer place to live,” said Helix Board President Mark Gracyk.
The HFCA provides public safety communication services to 13 different fire departments and districts in San Diego’s East County. They use a universal radio system – known as a VHF radio – to communicate with different firefighters and first responders. Though reliable, our hills and mountains can interfere with VHF radio communications. HCFA wanted to improve communication in the El Cajon and Spring Valley areas, but they did not have a place to install a radio repeater between these two communities. Recognizing that Helix’s Calavo storage tank was in a strategic location to install a new radio repeater, the HFCA approached Helix to work out an agreement.
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<img src="https://hwd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Repeater-Signal.jpg" alt="" title="Repeater Signal" srcset="https://hwd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Repeater-Signal.jpg 2823w, https://hwd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Repeater-Signal-1280x240.jpg 1280w, https://hwd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Repeater-Signal-980x184.jpg 980w, https://hwd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Repeater-Signal-480x90.jpg 480w" sizes="(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) and (max-width: 1280px) 1280px, (min-width: 1281px) 2823px, 100vw" />
“No one knows the intricacies of our local emergency communication infrastructure better than the Heartland Communications Facility Authority,” said Helix Water District Board Member Dan McMillian. “When HFCA approached Helix, our board saw this agreement as an opportunity for a lasting and beneficial partnership.”
This press release was produced by Helix Water District . The views expressed are the author's own.