Stafford Township EMS

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Background

Originally formed as the Stafford Township First Aid Squad in 1951, Stafford Township EMS provides emergency medical services to an area of approximately 47 square miles. The squad is made up of all volunteers who respond to emergency calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  In addition, participation in continuing education training allows them to acquire the necessary skills to provide the highest level of care. Using an analog system for its emergency communications, department personnel were experiencing numerous issues, such as lack of range, dropped signals, and poor audio quality.

 

 

Hytera Solutions

A neighboring EMS that was already using Hytera equipment loaned the Stafford Township EMS  two portables, as well as use of the DMR system for several months. Extremely impressed with the results, Stafford also opted for the DMR communication system, purchasing most of the components from Hytera Communications. The department is currently using the RD982 DMR Repeater, and a number of mobile and portable radios (MD782G and PD782G).

 

The RD982 is an open-standard DMR repeater capable of being connected via the internet to multiple sites. The MD782G and PD782G radios are compliant to military and IP specifications, deliver optimum performance in challenging emergency situations. A combination of narrowband codec, digital error-correction, and AGC technologies provide clear communications and broader coverage.

 

 
Features

Dual Mode
Analog and Digital channel auto switching allows efficient frequency sharing between Analog and Digital users and ensures a smooth transition to Digital technology.

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50W High Power
Maximum repeating power of 50W, and thus increasing the system coverage with less equipment costs.

 

Excellent Voice Transmission
Outstanding audio quality in loud environments and in boundary regions of the radio coverage, thus extending the range for clear communications.

 

Rugged & Reliable
The PD7 Series radios are built to military standards and are IP67-rated for dust and liquid protection. This means that in the case that a radio becomes dirties during a shift can be cleaned with water without damaging the radio. This also protects for the radios if accidentally dropped into wet conditions in the field.

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Improved Use of Radio Spectrum 
With the TDMA process, users can assign the available bandwidth with double channel capacity. This has a clear mitigating effect on increasing spectrum scarcity.

Digital Encryption
Encryption using encryption algorithm ARC4 (40 bit) in accordance with DMRA or optional algorithms AES128 and AES256 (128 and 256 bit) ensures secure communication.

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Outcome
 
The increased capacity provided by the Hytera DMR 2 slot TDMA system has allowed the Stafford County EMS to keep most of its prior existing infrastructure intact. This eliminates the need for additional repeaters, duplexers, power supplies, feedlines, and antennas, resulting in significant cost savings.

Because the DMR system cannot be readily decoded or monitored, Stafford EMS has increased the security of their communications. The advanced encryption algorithms offered by the Hytera DMR system provide quiet, secure communications with both the MD782G and PD782G radios.

Implementation of the Hytera DMR system has resulted in improved voice quality throughout the coverage area, as opposed to the static, high noise and otherwise unusable signals that were encountered with the previous analog system. The Stafford EMS facility is surrounded by protected wildlands, and when rescues occur in those wooded areas, the enhanced voice quality provided by digital technology and the IP67-rated water protection is especially critical.

The multiple talkgroups feature streamlines communications between EMS personnel when large or multiple events occur simultaneously. Primary EMS operations are assigned to one group, while
secondary talkgroups are assigned for each event.


Voice of the Customer

“The new radio system has definitely allowed us to have a better range compared to our old radios.  I love having the ability to clone one radio to another, as it doesn't overwrite the owner's name or radio IDs. This makes it much easier to update a radio in less time.”

Chris Strunck, Deputy Chief, Stafford Township EMS