Oconee County fire advisory committee demands immediate audit of radio system after repeated outages

Chair (speaking as the meeting chair) told the committee the county's radio service had deteriorated and warned of the safety implications, saying, "We're gonna fool around, and we're gonna get somebody hurt." The comment followed reports of recent calls where radios were "useless" and a 2:30 a.m. incident in which a responder had to drive to get a signal.

Committee members described repeated problems on both analog and digital channels across the county, with particular complaints on the Seneca side and near Friendship Loop Road. A committee member said vendors have been brought in for demos: "I personally have a demo radio from one of the vendors, and it's doing decent," and members said those tests are being logged for the sheriff's office to review.

Why it matters: Firefighters and rescue personnel rely on radio communications for coordination and safety. Multiple members framed the outages as an operational and liability risk that should be addressed quickly.

What the committee directed: Members asked staff to identify and review existing communications contracts held through the sheriff's office, arrange immediate diagnostics on known problem sites (including Lieber Hall and other listening/repeater sites), and continue the radio committee's vendor testing and log collection. The committee asked that findings and any short-term fixes be reported to the Public Safety Committee and that staff provide a vendor/contract summary to the next meeting so the county can decide whether to authorize interim repairs or budget a larger system upgrade.

Several members emphasized the need for pragmatic, vendor-agnostic decisions focused on reliability rather than brand preference. The chair said the committee should pursue targeted maintenance and diagnostics now, noting a full system replacement would likely require next fiscal year's funding.

Next steps: County staff and the radio committee will deliver contract details, a diagnostics plan and vendor test logs to the Public Safety Committee and report findings at the committee's upcoming meeting.