Hogan To Push Through New Emergency Radio Communications System

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has not hidden his contempt for the dangerous situation revolving around the antiquated radio tower system used by Montgomery County first responders that needs to be upgraded. In a series of tweets highlighted by Patch, Hogan expressed his anger and targeted Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich for "standing in the way" of critical upgrades being made.

The current 11-tower system has experienced several “major disruptions,” at times knocking out more than three-quarters of the radio channels first responders use to communicate. The most serious incident happened over Mother’s Day weekend when the system experienced a lengthy outage and emergency personnel were forced to use cellphones to communicate after receiving more than 1,200 busy signals when trying to use their radios for hours on end.

The aging system is slated for a $45 million comprehensive upgrade that would include 22 tower sites. That upgrade was expected to be complete in 2013 but has been delayed several times. Even though two tower sites in Olney and Seneca have been approved, Elrich has prodded project leaders to find other locations.

In a letter sent to Gov. Larry Hogan, Montgomery County Career Firefighters Association President Jeffrey Buddle strongly encouraged the governor to direct state leaders to construct a new radio tower on a previously agreed upon site that was withdrawn from consideration
following public backlash. Hogan recently responded to that letter, agreeing with Buddle's grave concerns about the situation.

"The perilous condition of the existing emergency radio communication network, described in your letter as 'at risk of catastrophic failure,' is unacceptable. Given the considerable number of major disruptions reported on the current system over the last number of weeks, including a 14-hour outage on Mother's Day weekend, we simply cannot afford a delay," Hogan wrote to Buddle.

In another jab at Elrich, Hogan indicated he will continue to fight for the radio tower.

"While certain local officials have expressed concern over the location of the tower, our administration remains committed to providing our emergency responders with the tools necessary to adequately protect our communities. We will advance this needed radio tower for MD FiRST at the ICC and Georgia Avenue site," Hogan wrote.