Radio communication is key for emergency responders. Right now, departments across Northwest Arkansas are not on the same wavelength.
"Most public safety officials could probably agree, the best system is one where you can roam... What you'll find in Northwest Arkansas is a cornucopia of communication systems... It does become concerning any time you have responders that need to work together, sometimes they regularly work together," said Rogers Fire Chief Tom Jenkins.
"It's a life-saving piece of equipment for us... It's our communication to the world when we're stuck in a basement or stuck in a ravine or building collapse," said Fayetteville Fire Chief David Dayringer.
Since fire crews in our area are currently all using different systems, they cannot talk to each other. If one city helps another, they have to communicate through workarounds and a patchwork system of sorts.