Statewide Radio System a Work in Progress

Statewide Radio System a Work in Progress

Whether it's a hurricane or a chemical fire, how well emergency responders communicate with each other can be very important.

State leaders said the process is slowly getting better, but implementing a statewide radio system takes more than talk.

The VIPER radio system would get emergency responders on the same radio system. But it has been a work in progress for North Carolina.

“Before VIPER, we couldn’t do that,” said Lt. Everett Clendenin with the North Carolina Highway Patrol. “There was no communication between allied agencies or rescue departments.”

After the Sept. 11 attacks, Secretary of Crime Control and Public Safety Bryan Beatty pushed for the statewide VIPER radio system.

“We're much better now then we were three or four years ago,” he said. “We're pleased with the progress. It’s not as fast as we would have liked it to have taken place.”

The main battle is money. State lawmakers denied an$11 million request this year for VIPER transmitters and tower construction.

“We were disappointed,” Beatty said.

At the same time, though, the state received an unexpected federal grant to cover costs. About 60 percent of VIPER's infrastructure has been funded - most in the state's hurricane prone areas. As you travel west, coverage has been sparse.

Plus, with a lack of radios just 35 percent of the statewide system was complete. One bright spot was Wake County. During last year's EQ chemical fire in Apex, all responding agencies could communicate.

“Troopers are wondering how we did it without,” Clendenin said.

Much of the state was still without, but on the whole leaders said they're better prepared for the next disaster.

Thirty-nine out of 100 counties were represented in the VIPER radio system as of Thursday. Leaders said they worry that if it takes too many years to implement, the technology could be outdated by the time it’s finished.



8 Comments


Golo

Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.

You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.

View Comments View Comments

Ask Anything
  1. Nicholas Sparks
    10 questions with Nicholas Sparks

    Author Nicholas Sparks answers your questions about battling writer's block and writing romantic story lines.

  2. John Paul Womble
    10 questions with John Paul Womble - The Alliance of AIDS Services

    John Paul Womble answers your questions about contracting AIDS and myths surrounding the disease.

  3. Cam Ward
    10 questions with Hurricanes' Goalie Cam Ward

    Cam Ward answers your questions about winning the Stanley Cup, superstitions on game days and smack talk on the ice.

Multimedia
  1. 49th Annual WRAL-TV Tower Lighting_01
    49th Annual WRAL-TV Tower Lighting

    WRAL-TV's tower has been changed into a 300-foot Christmas tree, with 2,805 colored lights and three stars on Monday, Dec. 1, 2008.

  2. APTOPIX ROMANIA WEATHER
    The week in photos

    A look at the top news, politics and sports stories of the week through the lenses of Associated Press photographers.

  3. APTOPIX Holiday Shopping
    Gallery: Black Friday shopping

    A look at shoppers across the country on Black Friday.

  4. 2008_American_Music_Awards_Arrivals
    The week in entertainment

    A look at the top entertainment stories this week through the lenses of Associated Press photographers.

  5. Apex vs.Wake Forest -Rolesville on November 28, 2008
    Apex vs. Wake Forest-Rolesville (November 28, 2008)

    Wake Forest-Rolesville beat Apex 35-7 in the third round of the NCHSAA 4-AA playoffs.