Alliance goes to Washington to search of communications equipment

The Franklin County Emergency Services Alliance, in a continuing effort to secure funding for our county-wide communications equipment, sent a delegation from here to Washington on Thursday, Sept. 6 to visit with our federal elected officials.

Alliance President Randy Negley, a Hamilton Township supervisor, escorted the team to the House and Senate office buildings in Washington to discuss federal assistance with our senator and congressman.

The entire party, with representation from around the county, consisted of Randy Negley, Alecha Sanbower, Waynesboro, Franklin County Program Planner, Doug Bitner, Greencastle, Franklin County Emergency Services Council, Ben Thomas, Antrim Township manager, Samuel Cressler, Southampton Township supervisor and president of the Franklin County Association of Township Elected Officials and Donald Culberson, Fannett Township Supervisor and his wife Joyce.

The group started the day with a breakfast meeting which included a visit by Senator Casey. Meetings were held with Senator Casey's staff and Congressman Bill Shuster's staff. The day's visit concluded with a face to face discussion of the communications project with Congressman Shuster in his Washington Office. The group did not get the opportunity to visit with Senator Spector's office, but Sanbower has already been working with Senator Spector's staff in Harrisburg.

Franklin County is upgrading it's communication equipment for all of the county. With the realization from recent disasters that communication between police, fire, ambulance and local municipal departments is critical in today's world all 22 local municipalities and the county are working together on implementing a new radio system. The new system the county is installing to dispatch and communicate wil give each profession the ability to communicate between each other.

The Alliance's chief agenda item on this trip was to work on securing future funding for mo bile and portable radios for po lice cars, fire trucks, ambu lances and local municipalities

Approximately 60 Franklin County entities, fire depart ments, ambulance services, po lice, townships and borough and even some local authori ties, have joined together and are working to keep the people of Franklin County safe and se cure.