Below are commonly asked questions about the Dauphin County Emergency Management Agency and/or 9-1-1 . If you have any further questions or comments, please contact Dauphin County Emergency Management Agency at 717-558-6800.

Q: What should I know when I call 9-1-1?
A: You will be asked: What is the address of the emergency? What Municipality is the emergency in? What is the phone number you are calling from? What is your name? Tell me exactly what happened.

Q: Why do I have to give the municipality?
A: There are many addresses that are repeated throughout Dauphin County, as well as other neighboring Counties (such as First St, Front St, Second St, Main St, etc.). Municipality verification helps ensure we are sending help to the correct location.

Q: What are some things to remember when dialing 9-1-1?
A: Try to remain calm and speak clearly; do not shout. Answer the telecommunicator's questions as best you can. Do not hang up until told to do so.

Q: Why do I have to answer so many questions when I call 9-1-1?
A: The questions are designed to gather vital information about the incident for the responders, as well as ensure the caller, the victim(s), bystanders, and responders are safe.

Q: Why does it seem to take so long for police, fire, or EMS personnel to arrive?
A: Often times it takes less than 60 seconds to initiate a response. As soon as the telecommunicator gathers basic information, the event is entered into our Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system while another dispatcher sends the appropriate help.

Q: Can I remain anonymous when I call 9-1-1?
A: Yes. However, police prefer your name, phone number, and address be obtained for their records. If requested, this information will NOT be given over the radio.

Q: What if I can't remember the non-emergency number?
A: Dial 9-1-1. We can take your information then provide you with the non-emergency number for next time. Remember: DON'T HESITATE TO CALL!!

Q: What if I dial 9-1-1 by mistake?
A: Stay on the line and let us know it was a misdial. Police may still be sent to ensure everything is okay at your residence.

Q: What is the new radio system?
A: The new 2-way radio system is a Motorola Astro 25 UHF Digital Trunked radio system. The project includes new dispatch consoles, core system equipment, tower site equipment, dispatch alpha-numeric paging system, and end-user radios costing the County approximately $20 Million.

Q: If the radio system is $20 million, why do I see the project cost at $35 million?
A: While the core 2-way radio system is the Motorola Astro 25 system, there are additional costs to allow the Motorola system to work. Such as building out additional tower sites and upgrading some existing tower sites. Also to provide communications to these tower sites a microwave backbone system needs to be built out. Also the County has retained a radio consultant, SSI Services, to assist in the project management of this large-scale endeavor.

Q: When is the radio project going to be completed?
A: Current timeline is for project completion by the end of 2008.

Q: What does trunking mean?
A: There are two types of radio systems, conventional and trunked. In a conventional system the radio message between the station and units in the field occur on one frequency. At any given time, some of the frequencies or channels may be so busy that messages are delayed or "stepped on," while other channels are lightly used or not used at all. When several departments share a single frequency, they may cause interference with each other. This is the case with the low band fire frequency 33.80 MHz. Trunking is a method that utilizes all frequencies in the radio system to its maximum potential. In a trunked system, all stations and units share all the frequencies. When a message between a station and a unit is commenced, the trunked system automatically selects an unused frequency and switches all radios in the system to that frequency. No one frequency is assigned to any department and the frequency could change every time a transmission is made. In a trunked system, one frequency serves as the control or "hand shake" channel. The control channel can be recognized by the loud buzzing noise. This buzzing is the data stream that all radios tune to, this is done automatically. The entire system is managed by a computer known as a Site Controller. When a microphone on a radio is pressed, a signal goes to the Site Controller which selects an unused frequency. The Site Controller then sends out data on the control channel and switches all radios to the appropriate frequency.

Q: Why is the County asking for the use of some local government and emergency service frequencies for this system?
A: While the County currently holds several UHF frequency licenses, there aren't enough frequencies for the new system to provide enough capacity based upon projected usage. So the County is asking for usage of some UHF frequencies from local municipalities and emergency service users within the County.

Q: If I have a question about the project, who do I contact?
A: Please direct any and all questions to the Dauphin County Emergency Management Agency via e-mail at: radioproject@dauphinc.org

Q: Why do I get an echo when transmitting on one radio with another radio on the same talk group near by?
A: This is no different than the old system, where you would get a loud squeal or feedback sound. In a digital trunked system, there is a slight delay in the audio (milliseconds, due to system processing of the message) and you will hear your own message delayed very slightly. Just as in the old system, you will need to turn down or off the second radio or move away from it to avoid this.