Police and fire fighters in Schuylkill County will soon have an improved emergency communication system in operation as the Schuylkill County Emergency Management Agency is updated the FNE (fixed network equipment) for its 9-1--1 Emergency Response Center.

The FNE has been installed in 10 of the 11 towers scattered throughout the county which will unable police and firemen communicate while responding to emergency calls.The 11th tower, located on Blue Mountain, along Route 309 has a shelter floor issue which is being resolved, Scott Kramer, director of EMA reported. Many dead spots which prevented the responders from use of communication have been eliminated.The master site at the 9-1-1 Center in Pottsville is installed and operating and the courthouse receive site is also installed. the text messaging system software is scheduled to be installed and optimized on September 16 as all the hardware is in place.Antennas and lines have been installed at three sites and the remaining eight sites are being scheduled for installation, pending submission of required documents.Coverage testing will then be conducted throughout the county to measure system performance.