Mayor says new village cell tower and five defibrillators will boost emergency response

Southampton Village Mayor Bill Manger told LTV that spotty cellular coverage in parts of the village had hindered emergency communications and prompted the village to build a cell tower on municipal property.

"We realized several years ago that our emergency medical services and fire department were having problems in some parts of the village communicating with headquarters," Manger said, recounting an incident where someone unable to get a cell signal used a pay phone to call 911.

He said a village-wide property study identified the Windmill Lane firehouse site as having the best coverage potential and that the village negotiated a contract with Diamond Communications for a municipal tower that reserves the top capacity for village emergency radios (a Motorola system) while leasing additional space to commercial carriers. Manger said AT&T and Verizon are expected to join carriers on the tower this summer and that revenue will be shared with the tower developer.

On medical equipment, Manger said the village purchased five modern defibrillators that can sync data with hospitals; the company providing the devices allowed a zero-interest payment plan. "They actually...sell us five defibrillators that would then we would pay off over time with zero interest rate," he said.

Manger framed both investments as public-safety enhancements that will reduce dropped calls during busy summer weekends and give responders better real-time medical information.

Ending: Manger said additional carriers and final commissioning will follow in coming months; he did not provide exact dates or vendor contract copies during the interview.