Study: Better emergency radio coverage is possible

Quiet Zone protections limit communication

FRANKLIN - A new federal study finds that better emergency radio coverage in Pocahontas and Pendleton counties is possible without compromising National Radio Quiet Zone protections, county officials said.

The study, commissioned by the federal National Science Foundation and the National Security Agency concludes there are ways to improve emergency communications within the Quiet Zone at the Green Bank Observatory and the Sugar Grove Research Station without impacting duties at the sites.

"For years, our first responders have done their jobs knowing there are places in this county and region where the radio simply doesn't work," said Rick Gillespie, Pendleton County Emergency Services coordinator. "This study proves what we've been saying all along - that we can close those gaps without putting the Quiet Zone agencies at risk. Now we need to promptly act as a team on these findings showing that teamwork will result in enhanced mission capabilities of all concerned."

The National Radio Quiet Zone was established in 1958 to shield two federally significant facilities from radio frequency interference: the Green Bank Observatory, operated under the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Pocahontas County, and the Sugar Grove Research Station, operated by the NSA in Pendleton County. The zone spans roughly 13,000 square miles across West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland.

The new federal study’s Needs Analysis found that Pendleton County’s existing public safety radio infrastructure delivers about 47% mobile and 49% portable radio coverage countywide, while Pocahontas County showed 71% mobile and only 13% portable coverage -- all far below the nationwide 95% coverage standard expected of a modern public safety system.

"Large sections of the counties, particularly in rugged and low-lying terrain, currently have little to no reliable radio service, forcing first responders to operate without confidence that they can call for help or coordinate a response when it matters most," a joint press release from Pocahontas and Pendleton counties states.

The study concludes that adding strategically located towers in Pocahontas and Pendleton counties, expanded VHF-Band capabilities, and adding dual-band UHF/VHF radios can provide the necessary emergency communications, and that the improvements can be implemented while remaining within the interference limits established to protect the Green Bank Observatory and Sugar Grove Research Station.

Based on its analysis, the study recommends that Pendleton County continue its ongoing implementation of a VHF radio system for initial notification of personnel and for back-up communications to the WV Statewide Interoperable Radio Network System.

It also recommends an expansion of Pocahontas County's VHF system. State and county officials have requested that federal officials relax their current restrictions imposed on several UHF-band WV SIRN System towers in counties throughout the Quiet Zone.

"We recognize and respect the important scientific mission of the National Radio Quiet Zone, but scientific advancement and public safety should not come at the expense of one another," said Pocahontas County 911/EM Director Ben Brown. "We must work together to find solutions that protect that mission while ensuring our citizens can call for help and our responders can communicate when every second matters.”

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., specifically requested the new study be done, officials said.