MERCER COUNTY New system will speed up EMS, eliminate fees for interoffice calls

The county's monthly phone bills should drop by several thousand dollars.
SHARPSVILLE, Pa. -- Cattron Communications Inc. has completed installation of a countywide microwave system for Mercer County that provides better communications for emergency medical service teams and lower phone bills for the county.
The county decided to upgrade its EMS communications after the director of public safety told commissioners the county's system was 20 years behind the times. EMS teams frequently could not contact one another and had to relay information through dispatchers.
Cattron was awarded a $388,000 contract for the new system in October and completed installation this spring. A state grant picked up 90 percent of the cost.
Microwave systems were installed on five towers throughout the county. Now all of the county's EMS units can immediately contact one another through the county's central dispatch center. Previously, units had to contact their home office dispatcher, who would then contact the county office, said Jim Thompson, county director of public safety.
Local calls
That's not the only benefit the new microwave system provides, he added.
Before the new system was in place, most of the county interoffice calls had to be made long distance. One study showed that the county was spending nearly $3,000 per month on business calls from the courthouse in Mercer to county offices in Sharon and other locales.
"The new microwave ties the county phone system together," said Ramon Jones, Cattron Communications service manager. "Instead of making long-distance calls, county employees need only dial four digits and get connected to any other county office. One PBX phone system can handle it all, thanks to the microwave system. Best of all, there are no long-distance charges."
Thompson said the process should save the county several thousand dollars a month in phone bills.
The system activation will be done in two phases with the first tying in district magistrate offices, the Mercer County Jail and Youth Services, and the second will connect all 17 police departments in the county.