AMR Balks at Paying for Radios, Pagers for Floyd County Emergency Communications System

Last year, Floyd County Supervisors greenlit a $5 million overhaul of the County’s current 911 system equipment, which has become too costly to constantly repair. 

Upgrades will also get Floyd County on the statewide 911 ISICS network, improving communications between the various law enforcement and emergency agencies across the county. That is, if everyone has upgraded their radios and pagers.

That’s Floyd County Sheriff’s Deputy Travis Bartz, who addressed the Board of Supervisors Monday (11.18) about who should pay for new emergency radios and pagers to connect AMR Ambulance to the system.

Bartz provided Supervisors with a price quote of about $40,000, which AMR’s Eric McCleerly said was a cost they weren’t expecting.

While the County and the City of Charles City have discussed starting a public ambulance service, those plans took a hit when the EMS tax levy, to raise up to $675,000 a year for five years to fund emergency medical services in the County, failed to pass earlier this month.

The Board agreed they would like to work out a compromise with AMR on the purchase of the radios and pagers, but time is of the essence. Bartz said the new 911 communications system could be operational late this year or early in 2025.