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DENTON — Caroline County Emergency Services is preparing to roll out a major upgrade to the county’s public safety radio equipment through its radio replacement program.
Caroline County has operated on the Maryland FiRST Public Safety Interoperability Radio System since 2015. Communications Division Chief Steve Hurlock said the system itself is already established and functioning, but the plan is to replace the aging radios used by Caroline County’s emergency services personnel, law enforcement officers, public school staff, fire department volunteers, and other related agencies.
“Our most recent initiative involves the purchase of subscriber units, [which are] portable radios,” Hurlock explained, “This upgrade was necessary because the current radios have reached the end of their service life, meaning they are no longer supported by the vendor and replacement parts have become increasingly difficult to obtain.”
The new equipment package includes updated portable radios with accessories, 911 radio consoles and computers, and refreshed programming across county agencies. Comprehensive training will also be required, as the radios represent a new generation of technology. “These are computers…they’re not radios anymore,” Hurlock said, “Upgrading your phone is probably the best analogy.”
The replacement program is expected to go into action in phases, beginning with EMS and law enforcement. Hurlock said employment of the new radios is anticipated near the end of March or early April, once all equipment is received, programmed, and users are trained.
The radio replacement initiative comes with a significant cost to the county, totaling $1,479,235. But Hurlock emphasized that the investment is tied directly to life safety and long-term reliability.
“Safety is non-negotiable,” he said.
Hurlock noted that radios remain the primary communication tool for first responders, particularly in rural areas. During emergencies, radio traffic allows multiple agencies to receive the same information instantly, improving coordination when seconds matter. “Even in a day and age of cell phones, radios are still important,” he said. According to Hurlock, cell phones could not replace radios because they are fragile, difficult to use with heavy gloves, and are not designed for the harsh conditions firefighters and emergency personnel face.
The county’s current system supports interoperability, allowing Caroline’s first responders to communicate easily and quickly with surrounding jurisdictions. That is especially important as departments increasingly rely on mutual aid during major incidents, from large fires to police pursuits crossing county lines. Hurlock said the need to depend on mutual aid has only risen as staff and/or willing volunteers dwindle.
The upgraded equipment will enhance security, particularly for law enforcement channels, which are already encrypted to ensure sensitive personal information and active police matters are not accessible through scanner apps or unauthorized monitoring.
The cost burden of repairing the current radio models is reason enough to replace the radios altogether. Hurlock said that when the older radios fail, they are often required to ship them to a service center in New Mexico, where it is $500 per repair – if they can fix it at all.
“We’ve gotten our use out of” the old radios, Hurlock said.
