In the event of a disaster, where storm damage requires a large scale response effort from multiple crews, the ability to communicate becomes very important. The City of Lebanon learned this first hand when extreme wind speeds caused damage to city infrastructure, last May. A short time later, the City I.T. Department and Public Works began working together to find a solution which would not leave teams cut off while working in the field. I.T. Director Jarrad Schomaker presented a proposal to City Council for the purchase of a radio system…

In addition, Schomaker said if the Police Department dispatch goes down there will be an alternate dispatch location at Lebanon Public Works. The bid that was approved by City Council was from Radiophone at a cost of just over $227-thousand-dollars. Current supply chain issues may mean that the new system won’t be in place until Spring 2022.