One of mother nature’s most dangerous contributions, hurricane season is a busy time for public safety officials. Home damage, power outages, and tornados are all possible when a tropical storm or hurricane hits an area. With public safety officials always on alert to help those in need, they rely on P25 radios to keep in constant communication.
While the Atlantic hurricane season officially starts on June 1, it really kicks into full swing in the month of September. Statistically, late August through September sees a sharp increase of tropical storms with the peak being around September 10. That makes this month critical for public safety personnel in affected areas to have P25 radios available for use.
As with any disaster, typically there is no one public safety department that can handle the effects of a hurricane by itself. Usually, it is necessary that several departments from different areas come together to help those in need. Depending on the severity of the storm damage, federal assistance may even be called in. But there are challenges that must be dealt with for things to go smoothly with the interdepartmental cooperation.
In many areas, the separate departments from separate jurisdictions, and sometimes various levels of public safety, use different types of communication devices from different manufacturers. This makes communication an issue during a time when it is essential. If the agencies all use P25 compatible devices, even though they may be from different manufacturers, they will achieve their desired interoperability to ensure that they can help as many people as they can, as quickly as they can.
Tropical storms and hurricanes have the ability to displace thousands of people. In these situations, it’s imperative that public safety personnel have the interoperability that only P25 radios can provide. RELM Wireless is a proud supplier of P25 radio to public safety officials throughout the country.