Hurricane Recovery: EFJohnson Provides Support and Irma-Proof P25 Communications to First Responders
Texas-based EF Johnson Technologies, Inc., the P25 communication specialist for JVCKENWOOD Corporation, has allocated a portion of its inventory to hurricane relief bundles with KENWOOD Viking portable radios, batteries, and chargers.
EFJohnson has numerous customers and employees who continue to be impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The company’s priority during this time of recovery is to support those affected the best way it can – by providing communication equipment and services so first responders can communicate. Public safety agencies and emergency personnel who are in need of radios should call EFJohnson’s relief line at 1-800-328-3911 ext. 9 to discuss their specific equipment and deployment needs.
Puerto Rico, one of the areas significantly impacted by Hurricane Irma, relies on EFJohnson's ATLAS system for their mission critical communications. In 2012, they deployed a 20-site 800 MHz P25 ATLAS system across the island to support the 4,100 users among their police, fire, and medical services departments. Because they are in a location prone to hurricanes and other natural disasters, they wanted to make sure their communication system would survive one of these events.
As Hurricane Irma approached Puerto Rico last week, Governor Ricardo Rossello Nevares sent a message of support to the thirteen island regions using the ATLAS P25 system.
After Irma made its way through the Caribbean, the local system support provider confirmed there was no loss of communications.
“With winds up to 120 mph on parts of the island, this was the strongest storm we’ve experienced in Puerto Rico. The biggest problem we are now experiencing is a widespread loss of power with no knowledge of when it will be restored. Even with loss of power at some of the sites, the ATLAS system operates exactly how we were told it would. We could not be more thankful for this critical technology in this critical time,” said Jose Jaime Romero, Codecom, Inc. president.
With patented Latitude technology, ATLAS is specifically designed to withstand extreme conditions - if any site is taken out by a tornado or hurricane, it does not affect the operation or performance of the remaining sites. The system keeps working and continues to be a lifeline when it is needed most.
