Fire and EMS leaders urge Marathon County to review radio system after years of garbled dispatches

Mark Schrader, assistant fire chief for the Edgar Fire Department, told the Marathon County Public Safety Committee that persistent radio and paging failures continue to hamper emergency response and endanger responders.

"To comply with the national interoperability requirements, Marathon County began transitioning its radio system infrastructure in 2009," Schrader said, noting plans once called for as many as 20 radio towers or antenna sites but that he believes only 13 active sites are currently in operation. He said critical dispatch audio is often "missed, garbled, or completely inaudible to responders." "In a public safety environment where seconds matter and information saves lives, that is simply unacceptable," he told the committee.

Schrader, who praised 911 communications staff led by Captain Berdall and Lieutenant Gladen, urged county leadership to move "beyond simply documenting complaints" and to commit to "a comprehensive review of the radio systems infrastructure, coverage, performance standards, operational capabilities, and long-term needs." He said prior fixes proposed to field units — for example, recommending newer radios or pagers — are not an adequate long-term answer if the underlying infrastructure is deficient.

Dave Wagner, fire chief in Edgar, described consultant findings and played an audio clip to demonstrate pager failures. "Our pagers were confirmed by Raycom to not go off in our fire station and the audio is just terrible," Wagner said, adding the failure forces informal workarounds such as family members calling on cell phones and causes delays in response. He said some county channels (for example, the Highway Channel) come in clearly at his location while the public safety frequency does not.

Julie Zulliger, introduced during public comment and identified as an EMT and EMS coordinator in Edgar, said she has noticed the decline in audio clarity over time and warned that missed or unclear pages can delay requests for advanced life support. "Minutes are everything when we're looking to save a life," she said.

Committee members and staff noted the county has engaged outside consultants including Raycom and referenced work done since the 2009 infrastructure transition. Staff did not present a formal action at the meeting to change the radio system; Vice Chair Matt Boots later asked that Chair Mask or the chair speak with Sheriff Bill about similar problems reported by other local departments, indicating follow-up with the sheriff’s office may occur.

Why it matters: Multiple frontline responders testified the problem is operational (missing or garbled dispatch audio) and not only an equipment issue, and they warned the failures reduce situational awareness and can delay life-saving interventions. The remarks put pressure on county leadership to evaluate whether the radio infrastructure is meeting operational standards and whether additional capital or operational steps are needed.

Next steps: The committee did not vote on communications infrastructure at the meeting. A supervisor requested the chair follow up with the sheriff; staff and the committee signaled that further investigation or an administrative response would be appropriate before any formal policy or budget action.