GREENSBORO, N.C. (WBTV) - Schools across the country have taken extensive and expensive steps to ensure students studying within their walls are safe from outside dangers. Metal detectors welcome visitors at many Charlotte schools. Cameras and locks are commonplace too.
But many school districts are unaware of a massive security risk that makes it difficult for police, firefighters and EMS to do their jobs when responding to emergencies at schools.
“We’ve found over time and responses that when you have a communication breakdown, especially in an emergency, things don’t go as well as they should,” Mike Richey from Guilford County Schools told WBTV.
Radio dead zones pose a huge challenge for first responders. Many buildings block incoming and outgoing radio traffic, making it impossible for emergency responders to communicate during critical situations. Schools that accommodate thousands of students, teachers and staff are no different.
“When we’re disconnected, we’re less safe. There’s no question about it,” R said.
Richie and Guilford County Commissioner Alan Perdue spoke with WBTV about the investment taxpayers have made ensuring radio dead zones won’t be a problem in Guilford County Schools. During a tour of Southern Guilford High School, Richey, Perdue and Ross Pierson from Pierson Wireless, showed off the equipment that’s been installed to eliminate dead zones and enhance the signal strength for first responder radio transmissions.
On top of being elected as a county commissioner, Perdue previously served as the fire chief and fire marshal in Guilford County. He also leads the SAFER Buildings Coalition, whose mission is to highlight the danger of emergency radio dead zones and educate local agencies about solutions.
Despite Perdue’s lengthy record of raising awareness on the issue, he says the problem often evades attention in conversations about school safety.
“I think it’s out of sight, out of mind,” Perdue said. He offers parents a different way to consider the consequences of emergency radio dead zones.
“Think of it this way. Who’s the most important person in your life? Imagine they walk into a building, and they need help. Are they going to get it?” Perdue asked.
“That’s what this comes down to.”
What happened in Uvalde
Most people have only heard of Uvalde, Texas for one reason. On May 24, 2022, 19 children and two adults were killed in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.
Follow up investigations into what went wrong identified a long list of safety failures, including radio dead zones.
A Texas state house committee investigating the shooting found that upon entering the building, officers were unable to communicate on their radios. The report stated that while waiting to engage the shooter, the Chief of Police in Uvalde had to call dispatch on his cell phone and reported they had the suspect surrounded but they didn’t have radio.
The frequency of communication failures is highlighted in numerous studies on some of the worst tragedies in national history. The most infamous of which is September 11, 2001.
The 9/11 Commission Report found radio problems prevented many public safety personnel from hearing evacuation orders prior to the towers collapsing. 343 New York City first responders died the day of the attacks.
An after-action report on the 2017 Las Vegas shooting that killed 58 people found police radio signal issues “prevented first responders from transmitting or receiving crucial information.” The report states the SWAT officer sweeping the floor where the shooter was located “was unaware that the shooter’s room had been identified and breached due to radio signal issues.”
A 2021 poll of EMS employees found coverage and radio dead zones were one of the biggest problems faced by first responders in the field. One survey respondent said dead zones were everywhere in his jurisdiction. “To be honest, I’m really worried that someone is going to get hurt or killed before the issue is fixed,” the respondent wrote.
“I think just the magnitude of how big the problem is and knowing how frustrating it is as a first responder, whether you’re a firefighter, a law enforcement officer, or a medic, you go inside a building and you can’t communicate,” Perdue said.
Solutions: Time, money, resolve
Mike Richey would never categorize the radio enhancements completed in Guilford County as easy or cheap. He said it took four months to complete testing of every school in the district.
“And then once you do that, you’ve got to figure out what your solution is going to be,” Richey said.
The school district worked with county commissioners to secure funding and a contract with Pierson Wireless. The company installed an Emergency Responder Communication Enhancement System in 68 schools. That often includes amplifiers, backup batteries and a whole system of tech that needs to be retested and monitored to make sure it’s always working.
Richey said the district had to collaborate with county and town permitting offices and various police, fire and EMS districts to make the enhancements a reality.
Any school districts that would want to follow in their footsteps would need to forge the same type of relationships.
“Bring them together so that they can talk about what the problem means, so that you can motivate your resources and get people to support this,” Richie said. “That’s what you’ve got to do.”
Perdue admits there’s no shortage of safety priorities in schools. North Carolina school districts and charter schools requested a combined $128.1 million in safety equipment through NCDPI’s safety grant last year. Only $22 million in grants was given out for safety equipment.
“You’ve got to be dedicated and committed to safety and make something happen,” Perdue said. “Every day in school, police, fire and EMS are using radios for one situation or another.”
Are North and South Carolina school districts aware of their dead zones?
WBTV reached out to school districts in the Charlotte Metro to ask if they’ve completed an analysis of first-responder radio dead zones in the past 10 years.
The responses vary widely and can be difficult to evaluate. The response from Fort Mill School District 4 is a good barometer to compare to other school districts. Their school district safety team provided in-depth answers and used terminology indicating they were familiar with best practices in enhancing radio signals.
Here’s what each district said.
Fort Mill School District
All schools that were open at the time were tested for public safety radio reception before or during January 2022 as part of the COPS School Violence Prevention Program grant.
Eight schools “passed,” meaning they had at least 95% coverage within their buildings. Nine schools tested below the 95% coverage level.
The other three schools (FCMS, RTES, and KTES) were required to meet that standard when constructed.
Currently, we have 16 schools that meet the 95% coverage and four that we are still working with.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has 86 repeaters in support of staff radios and 42 bi-directional amplifier systems.
We had units tested last school year and instituted necessary repairs. The most common problems we experience are from damage to antennas and failed un-interruptible power supplies.
Each year during this time, we see an increase of activity as staff return for the new school year. We test systems and report any inadequacies they encounter. Repairs and additions ensue as required.
Alexander County Schools
Awaiting response.
Anson County Schools
Anson County Schools have not completed an analysis of first responder radio dead zones in the past 10 years.
The only dead zone issues are if cell towers go down.
Ashe County Schools
Did not provide a response.
Burke County Public Schools
Our school resource officers are in our schools every day and monitor radio transmissions on a daily basis.
We have two of 26 campuses where there are areas within the schools where it is difficult to get radio traffic out, but the incoming traffic can be heard. Officers and dispatchers (at a combined county 911 facility) are aware of these and have a plan to go to a different part of the building as needed, or use cell phones.
Cabarrus County Schools
Awaiting response.
Caldwell County Schools
Did not provide a response.
Hickory Public Schools
Did not provide a response.
Cleveland County Schools
Did not provide a response.
Gaston County Schools
We are aware that most of our school buildings have radio dead zones.
We have been in discussions with the Gaston County government to allow the allocation of $5 million-$6 million in school bond funds to address the issue.
We are planning to install the equipment necessary to boost radio signals in school buildings. Work will begin soon and take about 18 months to complete.
Iredell-Statesville School District
Iredell-Statesville Schools has not conducted a formal analysis of radio dead zones in the past 10 years.
We have made an effort to enhance the signal from radio to radio on our campuses. We were awarded a Safer School Grant by the Department of Public Instruction’s Center for Safer Schools in the 2020-2021 school year, which allowed us to purchase 1,486 radios system-wide. This now equips each school and bus with a radio system.
This helps by providing an on-site radio communication system. This newer system allows each school to operate its independent channels while having the capability for emergency channels to tie into our system.
Mooresville Graded School District
The Town of Mooresville and the county are currently working on ways to improve communications for police and fire in any building that may have service issues through implementing new technology in their radios along with enhancing the radio system.
Some of these improvements will be completed mid next year. This, of course, includes dead zones in our MGSD schools. That being said, the town currently has multiple layers in their systems that allow communications in the event of an emergency.
Lincoln County Schools
Did not provide a response.
Richmond County Schools
Did not provide a response.
Rowan-Salisbury School System
Did not provide a response.
Stanly County Schools
Did not provide a response.
Union County Public Schools
Union County Public Schools worked with Union County government more than 10 years ago on this project.
The district does not have any dead zones in schools.
Watauga County Schools
Did not provide a response.
Chester County School District
Chester County School District has done a facilities study to determine if/where there are areas with poor radio reception.
It is currently working toward resolving these issues amid current budgetary constraints.
Chesterfield County School District
Did not provide a response.
Lancaster County School District
Lancaster County School District partners with local law enforcement and first responders in a continuous effort to keep students and staff safe. An analysis of first responder dead zones was completed.
Efforts to eliminate dead zones include changing over to the 800 Palmetto Radio System. Antennas are also located in several of our schools.
In addition, radios and repeaters were ordered in early spring 2024 for campuses that expressed communication concerns. Repeaters are scheduled to arrive the second week of September, and installation will take approximately three days.
York School District
York School District has completed a survey of first responder radio dead zones in the past 10 years.
York School District facilities were tested and found to have better than 95% in-building coverage using the existing infrastructure of the York County 800 megahertz first responder system. This was done with emergency responder radios and school district radios.
Clover School District
Did not provide a response.
Rock Hill School District
We conducted an assessment in April of 2020, which resulted in the need for bi-directional antennas to be installed at all three of our high schools.
Installation was completed in the summer/fall of 2020. A follow up assessment was completed in January 2021, and we are in the clear.
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