'Safer future': Cambria officials celebrate new emergency radio system

Joshua Byers, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·2 min read

EBENSBURG, Pa. – Local and state officials gathered at the Cambria County 911 Center in Ebensburg Wednesday to celebrate the new state-of-the-art 800mHz emergency communications system, which took radio coverage to 98% throughout the county.

“Radio communications to first responders are life-and-death,” Cambria County Emergency Management Agency Coordinator Art Martynuska told the crowd.

He also described the upgrades to the radio system – from analog to a seamless digital format – as a “very momentous occasion for Cambria County.”

Martynuska said the new technology, which went online in December, will serve residents for many years to come and has the capability of being upgraded.

Commissioner Thomas Chernisky said the project is “Cambria County’s commitment to first responders,” and this project is creating a “safer future” for the region.

The commissioners approved the initial system upgrade in 2019 at a cost of $16.9 million, but with additional improvements the expense grew to more than $25 million.

Despite the expenditure, President Commissioner Scott Hunt said the work was “well worth the money” to improve communications between first responders and 911 dispatchers.

Commissioner Keith Rager noted anything to help keep emergency management officials safe while doing their jobs is something he and his colleagues fully support.

Prior to the switch, Cambria County was using an analog infrastructure installed in 2010.

Chris Kelly, senior vice president of Mission Critical Solutions, said previous coverage was not countywide, and emergency officials would have to switch frequencies as they moved around to get proper coverage, which was still not completely reliable.

During Wednesday’s event, several speakers mentioned how weather, such as heavy rain, fog and snow, interrupted 911 communications, and it would often take minutes to reboot the system in an attempt to reestablish a connection.

Martynuska, a first responder himself, said being on a call without communication services is a lonely place to be.

Kelly said his group, which served as project managers, leveraged regional infrastructure to improve the more reliable signal that now uses 18 towers throughout the county.

June Kania, an administrative assistant at Cambria County 911 who’s been there for 38 years, joked that the new technology looks similar to something out of “Star Trek.”

Overall, she added, it’s “really awesome” to see the equipment improve.

Joshua Byers is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat.

Joshua Byers is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @Journo_Josh.