For more than 100 years, the Port Washington Fire Department has responded to fire emergencies throughout the peninsula. Of course, radios and cell phones now make communications between departments and its members easier. Yet, radio reception in the district is still poor because of its topography and the fact that PWFD covers 11 square miles and the waters surrounding Port Washington. To dramatically improve the department’s communications capability, Nassau County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove) secured $75,000 in county funding to purchase radio repeaters for the entire district.
These state-of-the-art devices provide superior transmission speed and clarity because they are positioned at various high points with little or no obstruction. The Fire Department will also move from a shared frequency that multiple departments use to receive calls and communicate with the dispatcher on their own frequency. This will enable members to communicate without waiting for airtime while other departments are using the same frequency.
“Thanks to Legislator DeRiggi-Whitton, the radio repeaters will allow members to clearly communicate throughout the district to other units,” Port Washington Fire Department Assistant Chief Brian Waterson said. “For example, a member in Sands Point will be able to communicate with an ambulance at St. Francis Hospital to provide patient status during an aided case. Or, a member at North Hempstead Beach Park can communicate with our fire rescue boat at the Town Dock.”
The repeaters will also allow each radio to communicate directly with the Nassau County Fire Communications Center in Westbury. Waterson added that the radio repeaters are expected to be installed and operable by the end of 2019 and that repeaters will also be added to tall buildings such as The Amsterdam at Harborside.
Knowing the exact address locations for fires and other emergencies while en route can provide life-saving information for fire personnel. DeRiggi-Whitton said she is proud to help enable Port Washington’s bravest to improve their ability to be even more responsive and increase firefighter and member safety through more efficient communications throughout the district.
Submitted by Nassau County Legislator Delia Deriggi-Whitton’s office.
