John Coffelt, Editor

Manchester Fire Department is looking at purchasing a mobile repeater to allow firefighters with portable radios to communicate from inside some of the larger concrete buildings in town.

At the Manchester Safety Committee meeting on March 13, Fire Chief George Chambers brief members on how the new TACN digital radios work.    

“They’re working really good right now,” Chambers said. “We’re having some issues with them.”

One example is at Coffee County Central High School, where firefighters had some issues getting transmissions in and out.

The radios can connect to Wi-Fi and a hotspot through the firefighter’s cell phone. The latter method worked in 90% of the time in all of the schools, Chambers said.

Chambers said that to make sure that the department had reception inside concrete reinforced structures, the Motorola person he spoke with suggested a mobile repeater for the command vehicles.

With that system, the firefighter on the current net sends a signal to the repeater parked outside and that would relay it to the county communication center.

“That may be a fix to help us get out of buildings, whether it’s the high school, JK Market…the Head Start (buildings),” he said.

When asked to compare the indoor reception of the old radios, Chambers answered that it varied.

“You had some issues with the previous radios. Head Start, you had a problem there. The High School, probably did… Some places you did – some you didn’t.

“College Street, Westwood, you may have 90% effectiveness. Ravgo, reception was not very good,” Chambers said. 

The department’s Talk Around channel offers an option, but the in the confusion of a fire when scene commanders might not hear a firefighter’s mayday call, the primary net provides added security of listening dispatchers.

Motorola brand repeaters are on back order. A less-expensive, more available off-brand repeater may provide the non-internet-dependent communication that the department is looking for as related to indoor communications.

Chambers said that outside transmissions are loud and clear.

“But you get into that building, the steel divide, the concreate and steel reinforced rebar, that problem exists and will continue to exist regardless of the radio system,” he said.

The radios work better at some locations, the area elementary schools tested by the department have coverage.

Chambers said that CCCHS has classroom Wi-Fi connections, but the hallways do not. The school is looking at Wi-Fi boosters to help with radio communication.

Potential a potential repeater is suggested for to be located near AEDC that would help with reception here and in Tullahoma, which recently approved funding for new digital radios.  

“There’s always going to be dead spots with radios. It’s never going to be 100% effective,” Chambers told the committee.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.