HORRY COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – New, digital pagers are now able to be put to use for firefighters across Horry County to help improve communication between officers and dispatchers. Horry County created a new paging system earlier this year, and this new system required fire departments to buy new, digital pagers. After putting the pagers in service, the county found the pagers weren’t always getting good reception. Last week, Motorola completed testing across Horry County to ensure the reception issue was resolved. “The coverage tests for the new pagers, they met or exceeded all the standards set out to meet, so we’re pretty confident that they will do what they’re supposed to,” said Captain Mark Nugent with the Horry County Fire Rescue. The reason the new pagers are beneficial for firefighters is because they now have a screen to show what type of call is coming in and where it’s located. Before, if they missed information, they would have to ask dispatch to repeat the information, which can sometimes slow down their response. “It helps anytime you can see it printed out, and you don’t actually have to get on the phone and call a dispatcher,” said Captain Nugent. “The dispatchers are busy doing their job, so the least interruptions they have, the better.” Captain Nugent said he already put the pager to use when getting calls from dispatch, and he said they will always look for the best possible technology to assist with their duties.
