Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance is now equipped with radios that can provide service all across the 70-square-mile ambulance district.
RVAC put the new radio equipment into service Friday morning, Assistant Chief James Alfano said.
The 40 APX 8000 radios utilize the Suffolk County 800 MHz trunked system and allow for communication county-wide, Alfano said.
RVAC’s old UHF system had a limited range and left RVAC with little to no radio communication with Riverhead Police Department in certain parts of the Riverhead Ambulance District, Alfano said. Riverhead PD is the ambulance company’s primary dispatch agency.
Communication in the Calverton Enterprise Park was almost nonexistent, he said. “It’s a dead zone.”
With the new system, “communications could not be more clear,” he said.
The new radios are also capable of UHF communications, so they will be used on that frequency when RVAC is on stand-by at various events, or to communicate with fire departments and other ambulance companies that do not have 800 MHz capabilities.
“With just the flip of a switch,” the user can toggle from one band to the other.
The new radios are compatible with digital communication systems being deployed by law enforcement and emergency response agencies across the country.
The 40 handheld units were purchased at a cost of $6,400 apiece, for a total of $256,000, which was paid out of the Riverhead Ambulance District reserve fund.
The Riverhead Ambulance District is a special tax district that encompasses most of the Town of Riverhead — Wading River and parts of Manorville are outside the Riverhead Ambulance District. The town board is the governing body of the district.
Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps, a private not-for-profit corporation established in 1978, provides emergency medical services to the ambulance district pursuant to a contract with the district. The ambulance corps is run by a board of directors, which oversees the organization’s business matters. Day to day operations are overseen by an operations board comprising a chief, assistant chief, captain and lieutenant.
Alfano thanked the town board, especially Councilman Tim Hubbard, the town board liaison to the ambulance district for its support and assistance. He also thanked RVAC president Garrett Lake, RVAC Chief Lane Bubka, former chief Bill Wilkinson and former assistant chief Mike Caron for shepherding the project through to completion.
Hubbard said the upgrade was much needed and overdue. Poor communication hampered RVAC’s ability to respond to emergencies, he said.
Alfano said the new reliable communications system allows helps ensure the safety and well-being of Riverhead residents, which he said is the organizations’ top priority.
“I can proudly say, with the help of both the Town Board and our department’s officers and directors, we are able to provide the best care for our patients and residents,” Alfano said.
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